Administrators and Staff Retreats:
A New Tradition Takes Root
) Rosalie Macaluso, Lauren Siegel, Shirley Wilmers, Jennifer Alter, Brenda Dawkins, Diane Rollins. ) Joanne Carey, Emily Lamb ) Novella Jones, Glenn Marrus |
Wouldn’t
it be nice if NYUCD patients were always welcomed with a smile whenever
they visited our clinics? This was one of the suggestions made at
NYUCD’s first annual Staff Retreat, which drew 71 people to Hilton
Woodcliff Lake in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, on March 11. Two days
later, 43 administrators gathered for their second annual retreat
at the Harrison Conference Center in Glen Cove, Long Island. At both
sites a professional facilitator encouraged participants to imagine
creative ways to defuse tense situations, such as an encounter with
an argumentative patient. “We had fun letting our imaginations run wild,” said Alecia Lewis Dore, a participating staff member. Networking and problem-solving issues topped the agenda at the Administrators Retreat, where the focus was on new ways to foster a sense of community among the College’s 146 administrators. One idea was to create a listserve, or e-mail network, on which administrators could pose questions and get advice on issues of concern from a broad cross-section of their peers. “We wanted both staff and administrators to have their own getaway to allow them to build team spirit and brainstorm solutions to problems,” said Tracy E. Kamens, Director of the Faculty & Staff Development Center, who organized both events. “Because taking people out of their everyday environment gives them a fresh perspective,” Ms. Kamens said, “I expect the staff and administrator retreats to deliver many more good ideas in the years to come.” |
