Posted: May 8, 2012 by Mark Putnam
I took this amazing mental photograph of the Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 1983. Though I didn’t have a camera to record it, the image stays with me. The trouble is my mental imprint is not exactly what most would admire.
Mark Putnam | 5 Comments | Posted: April 19, 2012
College students are devoted to service in great numbers. This is encouraging to educators who understand the power of service in the learning context. The challenge ahead is to encourage and enable students to move beyond the programs and structures of schools and colleges as they graduate, and make service a lifetime commitment.
Mark Putnam | 3 Comments | Posted: March 30, 2012
A mythology has grown up around international standardized test scores for math and reading. It’s an appealing historic narrative for Americans – one laced with nostalgia for the “halcyon days” of education. A time when we were number one in the world in education as measured by student performance on these tests. The problem – it’s not true.
Mark Putnam | 2 Comments | Posted: March 15, 2012
Education in the U.S. is a system of incredible scope and complexity. We have been trying to bake the “one-size-fits-all” education reform solution for nearly 50 years. Sometimes I wonder if there is a standard recipe used by state and federal governments for this purpose.
Mark Putnam | 3 Comments | Posted: February 29, 2012
Wandering through the funhouse at the carnival eventually leads us to the hall of mirrors. We see images that are all based in reality. Yet, the images multiply, making it difficult to find the actual source. What we see is often distorted, not providing an authentic view. Eventually the mirrors become obstacles in our path as what appears to be the way out of the funhouse is just another reflection of non-reality.
Mark Putnam | 10 Comments | Posted: February 14, 2012
We have a lot to consider about education in this country as our public policy choices have yielded less than stellar results for nearly 40 years. That’s a long time to be failing. At times like this I go back to a rather basic question: What are we trying to achieve?
Mark Putnam | 15 Comments | Posted: February 1, 2012
The curse of every generation is a loss of memory. The committee reports, task force results and plans of the past are too often overtaken by events and gradually drift from our collective consciousness. We look at the circumstances of today without any appreciation for the origins of what surrounds us.
Mark Putnam | 5 Comments | Posted: January 12, 2012
A few years ago I was a consistent user of a fitness facility near my office in Boston – a proud member of the dawn patrol arriving at 6:20 a.m. At that hour only the truly dedicated were present. We were all creatures of habit arriving at the same time, greeting the same attendants, finding our way to the same lockers, using the same machines.
Mark Putnam | 3 Comments | Posted: December 12, 2011
Christmas through the eyes of a child is always the best view. It’s not that the view is particularly clear, historic or even accurate. Christmas, as we know it today, has been a process of accumulation over generations.
Mark Putnam | 9 Comments | Posted: November 22, 2011
We are reminded as leaders of community-based organizations, educational institutions, communities of faith, businesses and corporations, and government agencies that our duty of care can never be compromised by self-interest. We pray for a world where the challenges of discrimination, abuse and other horrors do not exist. But when we encounter them, as leaders, we must respond firmly with decisiveness and compassion for victims.
Mark Putnam | 13 Comments | Posted: November 2, 2011
One of the areas I have been most fascinated with is language. My years of studying German and Greek are a great distance in the rearview mirror, and useful only in remembering a few words, phrases and ideas. Yet I am fascinated with the ways in which language is reshaping the way we experience the world today. As isolation continues to fade with technology, telecommunication and social networking, it’s easy to assume the need for language ability also is fading.
Mark Putnam | 13 Comments | Posted: October 13, 2011
With increasing regularity, we are made aware of scandals in intercollegiate athletics. As the regulations evolve with greater specificity and clearer interpretation, the creativity of those seeking an advantage keeps pace. It’s disappointing. We wonder how we ever got to this point. Where are the days when we engaged in intercollegiate competition for its wholesome appeal and benefits to students? Shouldn’t we return to our purer roots in the true spirit of athletic competition?
Mark Putnam | 12 Comments | Posted: September 22, 2011
I have become increasingly conscious that in a few short years children like Steven and his cousins will gradually move from crawling under seats to occupying seats of influence and authority. The desire to restrain them at a young age is understandable, but perhaps misguided. Conforming to our expectations may not be the right path. Maybe we need to let kids be kids.
Mark Putnam | 2 Comments | Posted: August 29, 2011
This motivates me to concentrate more on the world our students will encounter in the future and focus less on the world they are coming from today. I may live to see the year 2050, at which time I will be 90 years of age. Our 20-year-old students, however, will be at the peak of their leadership as family members, citizens and professionals. This is a global society I can only imagine, but one they will be responsible to lead at every level.
Mark Putnam | 11 Comments | Posted: August 9, 2011
You don’t have to be an optimist to be a gardener, but it helps. My first attempt at gardening in the mid-1990s was a complete disaster. Undeterred, I pressed on and have had much more success in subsequent years, which I think is cause for “growing” optimism. Based on stories I’ve heard from others, I’m not alone. How do we get from failure to renewed optimism as the cycle invariably repeats?
Mark Putnam | 27 Comments | Posted: July 19, 2011
It’s not that simple.
We’re looking for easy explanations these days, but it’s not working. If our nation could collectively spend the same amount of time working seriously on societal reform, as we devoted to the Casey Anthony trial, we could accomplish more than we think possible.
Mark Putnam | 11 Comments | Posted: June 20, 2011
I live a sheltered life. My work as a college president relies on the splendid efforts of others who are constantly anticipating, preparing, advising, researching, organizing and arranging many aspects of my personal and professional life. It’s a wonderful privilege for which I am very grateful, but sometimes it’s also a mixed blessing. I find it’s easy to lose perspective.
Mark Putnam | 16 Comments | Posted: May 25, 2011
Commencement energizes me. For years I have made it a point to attend commencement exercises at the institutions I have served even when I wasn’t required to be there. It’s not the pageantry, though I do appreciate the traditions and symbols of the ceremony. It’s also not the institutional milestone the event represents as another year is recorded and entrusted to the archives. It’s the stories. The audience is filled with family members who remember the beginnings of these lives; the processional is lined with friends who shared the path of intellectual and professional development; and beneath each cap and gown is a person who has traveled a unique journey of personal discovery.
Mark Putnam | 7 Comments | Posted: May 3, 2011
I recently attended a luncheon with business leaders in Des Moines. The Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack, former Governor of Iowa and current United States Secretary of Agriculture, was our featured speaker. His remarks were particularly interesting to me since I am in the process of learning more about farming. While I think I understand the basics, I have been trying to appreciate the societal patterns and economic dynamics that accompany a region so influenced by agriculture. I have a long way to go, but Secretary Vilsack offered some helpful insights. His remarks focused largely on global economic trends and U.S. policy as it relates to issues of commerce, trade and energy. It was in the question and answer period, however, that I learned the most. One of our colleagues asked what we might anticipate in the development of the next “Farm Bill.”
Mark Putnam | 18 Comments | Posted: April 13, 2011
I was never encouraged to study science. It’s a disappointment I carry to this day. I really don’t know why this was the case for me. It’s true my family was not particularly oriented toward science. In fact, I don’t know anyone in my immediate or extended family who has an educational or professional background in science. I recall the teachers I had in secondary school for science classes were not very inspiring. In my experience, science was mostly about memorization. I do remember dissecting a frog in biology class, but that’s about it. I also had an earth science teacher who was entertaining as a lecturer, but there was little for me to do beyond listening, recording and remembering – at least for the test.
Mark Putnam | 9 Comments | Posted: March 28, 2011
Liberty is a word we use infrequently these days. Perhaps our sense of individualism in America has rendered this word less relevant at a time when most in our society have a sense of freedom and independence. Closer examination, however, reveals a reality in the lives of many that is far from this ideal. I have been reminded of this through the stories of two individuals who recently visited our campus, sharing experiences that paint a very different picture.
Mark Putnam | 4 Comments | Posted: March 3, 2011
Ferdinand de Lesseps had an immense vision. In the 1880s this flamboyant Frenchman announced a plan to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by a sea-level canal through Panama. He was believable as a developer since he already completed a project for the construction of the Suez Canal in 1869. This skilled and well-connected promoter spoke with great confidence and his style attracted wealth and influence. Through private investment he raised the funds needed to attempt this vast project. He anticipated great success, but his effort would fail miserably leaving corruption and scandal in his wake.
Mark Putnam | 9 Comments | Posted: February 15, 2011
Nabil stopped by my office frequently. He was tall with penetrating eyes and a warm smile. His innocent charm and soft-spoken manner were disarming, but he was incredibly bright with a formidable intellect. He was an outstanding student, who would eventually complete a Ph.D. Nabil was the first person I had ever known from Beirut, Lebanon.
Mark Putnam | 7 Comments | Posted: January 31, 2011
A few years ago I was scheduled to meet with a colleague. He asked for the meeting to review some rather routine organizational work and set some plans in motion for the coming year. I did not see him often apart from these annual sessions and the occasional social event during which a bit of small talk would emerge. I knew very little about his background. I recall the region he was from and a bit about his professional experience. In truth, I could not have filled a 3×5 card with the amount of information I had gathered about his life and work.
Mark Putnam | 11 Comments | Posted: January 17, 2011
We are witnessing the formation of communities that transcend traditional loyalties in national citizenship or political ideology resulting in increased regional and global tensions. This kind of realignment presents increasing challenges as relationships rooted in history, language and culture are no longer located geographically, but nurtured and developed globally through technology. If identity is no longer associated with lines on a map, but through affinity and affiliation, how will this impact our understanding of a society?
Mark Putnam | 21 Comments | Posted: December 16, 2010
The smell of bacon caused me to stir. My brother-in-law, Neil, once again proved himself worthy as the executive chef for the traditional Christmas morning breakfast. A sense of duty drove me from the warmth of my cozy cot. Others soon followed in turn. Feeding the growing clan became more challenging as we added littler appetites to our number one by one. Young families require more logistic support, so I stumbled to the kitchen with the promise of coffee just ahead.
To awaken one child on Christmas morning is to awaken all.
Mark Putnam | 21 Comments | Posted: December 6, 2010
Early in my career I took every opportunity I could find to talk with people in leadership. It didn’t matter what type of organization they were leading. I was just curious about how they ordered the world and interpreted their own experiences. The result is that my memory is full of vignettes about a wide range of topics that have stayed with me even today.
On one occasion I had a private discussion with an organizational CEO. He was very seasoned in his work and already had been recognized with important accomplishments. As the conversation unfolded we turned to some of the greatest challenges he experienced in his career. He described a situation in which his private action was misinterpreted by the public. He said to me, “In the minds of the public, sometimes A + B = G.”
Mark Putnam | 11 Comments | Posted: November 22, 2010
It was the one place I dreaded to enter– the “place that shall not be named” – the a-t-t-i-c. Our move to Iowa was fast approaching and Tammy continued to remind me that we needed to do this, but I would conveniently find another important task to occupy my time. After all, it was too hot up there, right? And we didn’t have enough bags and boxes on hand to complete the task. That’s it. We just weren’t adequately prepared. We’ll do it next weekend. Despite my brilliant tactical approach to procrastination, the day of reckoning finally came and into the attic we climbed.
Mark Putnam | 34 Comments | Posted: November 8, 2010
I had been in pain long enough. Multiple knee injuries (ACL, left knee) complicated by years of wear and tear were causing too much pain. The orthopedic surgeon entered the examination room to review the results of x-rays and an MRI. We were there to discuss options. He was blunt. “We don’t usually operate on people as old as you.” I was stunned, and for a moment I wanted to be an 18-year-old again and say, “Dude! Have you looked in the mirror recently? You’re like 70, and I’m too old?” That was more than five years ago and the surgery was a great success – despite my advanced age.
I also had the recent experience of hearing some members of my extended family describe how much I remind them of my maternal grandfather. Apparently the way I walk and some of my physical characteristics offer quite a resemblance. He died when I was in preschool, so I never really knew him. Just a few faint memories remain with me. I was honored to hear this since I know how much he is admired in my family, until it dawned on me that I was being told, “You look like your grandfather!” Maybe a few more sit-ups will help. And I’ve seen Rogaine sold in large containers. Does it come in a 55-gallon drum?
It seems the middle of life brings us to a threshold; a kind of liminal space where we become too old for some things and see before us the challenges of aging that are inevitable. We care for the young and the old at the same time. This hit me hard when I spent several days in Pennsylvania recently to be with my Mom.
Mark Putnam | 19 Comments | Posted: October 19, 2010
Eager to perform my civic duty, I arrived at the Taunton Superior Court in Massachusetts on a Monday morning in March of 2010. Despite my willingness to serve as a juror, I hoped my time commitment would be limited to just a few hours. I would then be on my way with a renewed “get-out-of-jury-duty card” in hand for the next couple years. I was always excused before. My number was usually too high or the case settled once the jury pool was in the room. Proudly, I could say I fulfilled my service, but with little effort. By the end of the fifth day, I left the courtroom physically and emotionally exhausted.
The defendant was a 40-year-old man accused of assault with the intent to rape a child under the age of 16 and indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14. The alleged victim was his daughter.
Mark Putnam | 5 Comments | Posted: October 4, 2010
We arrive on the college scene thinking what we experience today is much like it has been for a long, long time. The past is forgotten, as are the origins of life in an academic community. Those of us who serve as faculty and administrators often assume the apparatus of governance has always been on the leading edge of change, creating a future for our campuses that is orderly, well-defined and carefully managed through process. It’s a nice idea, but not a reflection of reality.
I'm the lucky individual who carries the title, 21st president of Central College in Pella, Iowa. My wife Tammy and I have two beautiful daughters, Emma and Greta. Passionate about higher education and the issues facing it and the world today, I hope to invoke an engaging conversation with all who are ready to dig in, make a difference and build for the future. Share your thoughts. I'm listening and interested.
