Reflecting on the SAIL Conference 2018...
On June 12, 2018, more than 100 staff from offices across campus gathered in the Humanities Lobby to participate in the first Professional Staff Development on campus conference with speakers from the SUNY SAIL Institute.
Over a year of planning was involved, which was considered by many to be a huge success.
All of this came about when Professional Staff Council President, Barbara Moore and I realized there was little opportunity for staff to gain professional development experience. She tasked me with researching opportunities for staff development, and I uncovered the SAIL Institute. Strategic, Academic and Innovative Leadership (SAIL) is a SUNY program designed for colleges and universities within the system. It prides itself on developing the next generation of leaders in higher education.
Not only was the price reasonable in comparison to other programs that were researched, but the speakers, Jason Lane (Executive Director) and Dr. Scott Vinciguerra were highly engaging. They had a huge task, which was to present on the broad topics of Collaboration and Emotional Intelligence to a myriad of staff with different experience levels and backgrounds and to help them to come away learning something that they could apply to their everyday professional and personal lives.
Some testimonials from participants included: “I wish my entire department attended.” “This was a an eye-opener for me. I found this workshop applies to not only work, but also life in general. It was very therapeutic.” “I loved the humanity and humor that infused the presentations. Jason and Scott were warm, funny and engaging, and had a huge amount of knowledge. They really held our attention the entire day. I hope to participate in another SAIL program in the future.”
The success we experienced would not have been possible if it were not for the staff involved in the planning, including the members of the Professional Staff Executive Board (Barbara Moore, Lizz Elvira, Amanda Seitz, Corey Dawkins) and the Professional Development Committee (Odile Delgado, Jessica Bullock, Tom Kelly, Robbie Morell, and Carolyn Scofield).
In addition, President Schwarz, Vice President Craig and members of the cabinet made it financially possible for us to bring the SAIL Institute to Purchase. In sum, this conference was a true testament to our ability to work together and collaborate for a common good.
Looking to the future, we will be hosting the second SAIL Conference at Purchase on Thursday, June 6, 2019 from 8:30-4:30. Lunch will be provided and a formal RSVP will be required to attend. We will be covering in more depth the topics of Collaboration in the Workplace, including Developing a Personal Mission Statement with presenter Carolyn Mattiske, and taking a deeper dive with more audience participation and interaction on the topic of Emotional Intelligence with presenter Mary Ann Stark. This is an event you will not want to miss!
It is important that we all do our part to foster a positive and collaborative workplace. We can start by participating in a conference that brings people together for a common cause. I look forward to meeting some new faces, and spending time with some of the old faces I have grown to know and respect.
—JeanMarie Garofolo De Sa
Chair, Professional Development Committee