Roudebush Hall
Roudebush Hall, home of Miami's administrative offices

Annual Address 2015

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David C. Hodge
September 9, 2015

A More Creative University

Let’s now move the focus of this discussion to the institutional level. I’ll begin with an emphatic assertion: Miami is already a highly creative and innovative university. From the Top 25 initiative, to teams responding to Strategic Priorities Task Force initiatives to Lean teams that can take a challenging process and through creative thinking and collaboration improve outcomes, Miami continues to demonstrate an exceptional capacity for innovative thinking that has placed us ahead of the curve in higher education. 

Not bad for a university that is more than 200 years old. But as Jim Collins argues, good can be the enemy of great, and so to continue to be great we need to constantly encourage efforts to help make us even better—to be a university that continues to evolve so as to better serve our mission. We have institutionalized that spirit in Transformational Goal #1 of the Miami 2020 Strategic Plan: “Ensure vitality and sustainability by building a forward-looking, efficient, and caring culture that stimulates, recognizes, and rewards creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and exemplary performance.” 

So in that spirit let me explore four qualities that we can build on to become an even more creative and innovative university: sense of purpose, commitment to continual improvement, autonomy, and mastery. 

Sense of Purpose

As with the discussion about students, one of the most critical qualities that contributes to creativity and innovation is intrinsic motivation. As Daniel Pink, author of the insightful book Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, points out, “The most deeply motivated people—not to mention those who are most productive and satisfied—hitch their desires to a cause larger than themselves.” This is much more important in modern society according to Pink since a smaller and smaller proportion of jobs are routine, what he terms “algorithmic,” where the task follows set instructions with a single pathway to one conclusion. In contrast, work requiring “heuristic” tasks, tasks where one has to experiment with possibilities and devise a novel solution, is increasing, now accounting for about 70 percent of job growth.

Significantly, Pink argues that the “carrots and sticks” approach to motivation that worked fairly well with algorithmic tasks does not provide adequate motivation for heuristic tasks and is more likely, in fact, to be counter-productive. What does work is to create an institutional culture that provides for autonomy and mastery, which I will discuss further a bit later, and above all, a sense of purpose, which is the ultimate intrinsic motivation.

At Miami we are exceedingly fortunate to have a community of faculty and staff whose commitment to our core mission is deep and sustained. It is clear to anyone who visits our campuses that the people they encounter see themselves as part of a university that has a deep commitment to those we serve. That is certainly visible during move-in day when staff turn out in force to welcome our new students. And when I ask first year students what they think is different in their experience compared to their high school classmates, it almost always starts with their connection to faculty who are not only available but also obviously care about their growth and success.

We have formalized that commitment in our vision statement – “to provide the best undergraduate experience in the nation, enhanced by superior, select graduate programs” – and in our unifying strategic goal—“to promote a vibrant learning and discovery environment that produces extraordinary student and scholarly outcomes” – and our mission statement—“(Miami) is deeply committed to student success, builds great student and alumni loyalty, and empowers its students, faculty, and staff to become engaged citizens who use their knowledge and skills with integrity and compassion to improve the future of our global society (emphasis added).

I believe we have the purpose idea right, and there is an appropriate pride in what we accomplish with our teaching, research, and service. It is important, then, that we maintain and if possible enhance this sense of purpose as we move forward. If I might make one suggestion, it would be to emphasize more our sense of purpose in terms of the ultimate aim. The immediate goals are to prepare students and to contribute research and creative expression, but the big question, captured in the mission statement, is to what end? In my view, the answer is simple – to improve the future of our global society—and to do so will require more creativity and innovation than ever.

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