Shopping Days

After two days of 'shopping' for courses (everything is now subject to being 'shopped'--see comments on R.Reich's talk last week) I have made a several changes to my schedule. The number of great courses substantially exceeds any one's capacity for taking them. Here is my current thinking--and classes start tomorrow, so I'm getting close to the decision point.

Ethics in Public Life
Civil Society and Development
Narrative: Identity, Agency and Action
Innovations in Democracy
Markets and Market Failures

It is truly torturous to decide what to leave out. I'm thinking if any of you want to fund my staying another year, I'd be open to that option (:: Oh, well, just a thought!

I'd say more about each class, but I have lots of reading to do before class.....more later.

Institute of Politics

One of the marvelous things about being here is the IOP. Again, go to the KSG website and on the left hand side, click on Institute of Politics. This is often called the 'sixth course' as the number of speakers, panels, dinner discussions etc with amazing figures from all walks of life and around the planet are available in abundance EVERY week. It's an education unto itself.

The Forum kicked off it's fall season today with Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton. The KSG Dean, David Ellwood (A MINNESOTAN!) served under Clinton as well, so fun to hear him introduce Bob Reich.

He gave a very thoughtful and provocative talk based on his new book “Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life.” Tonight's talk was Why has Capitalism Triumphed and Democracy Failed?”

He asks us to really start paying attention to our 'consumer/investor brain" and our 'citizen brain.' The consumer who wants the good deal and the investor who wants the good returns vs the citizen who knows these deals cost us dearly as a society. When companies pay low wages, don't provide health insurance, etc. the costs get 'exported' to all of us at the emergency room, the food shelves and all the other countless ways where business is not paying their full costs of production. His premise is also that companies exist to make a profit--that we, as citizens of a democracy have to set the rules--such as "you must provide a living wage or health care." Otherwise the competition is so intense today that companies won't do what's good for society as a whole and we can't expect them to. I, of course, am paraphrasing him poorly so do read the book or a good review of it. I also think you will be able to watch the video on the IOP website soon...probably the easiest way to get a good feel for his thinking.

My point is that the education you get here is partly in the classroom but mostly from your fellow students and the incredible access to the best thinkers on the planet. More soon.....

Candy Store or Trauma Center?

The multitude of wonderful courses and professors available to Kennedy School students is both exhilarating and traumatizing. In economic terms (what we spent time learning this summer) the fear is the opportunity cost of NOT taking a course could be significant. The truth is, you really can hardly go wrong AND it's important to find the right match for me! I me with my adviser yesterday, Hannah Riley Bowles and she gave me lots of good ideas and things to think about.

I have had 4 different schedules so far and am sure it will change again. However, I'd love for you to take a crack at it. Go to the KSG webpage, on the left side is Degree Programs, then select courses and decide what you would take. Here is my current list--you can read the Syllabus on line as well--scroll down to the end of the course description for a link. Any ideas for me???
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/

My current thinking (changes daily right now):

API 105B Markets & Market Failure with Cases--focus on Urban Problems

(fullfills my Econ/Quant requirement and a great teacher)

PAL 125 Religion and Gov't: Choices of Morality, Law and Policy. Pr Hehir is a Catholic Priest (I think) and an amazing prof I hear--the midterm is a one-on-one interview.

PAL 154/PAL 155 Public Narrative with Marshall Ganz---famous organizer and I hear, also a tremendous teacher. My radical self will GROW I'm sure.

STM 110: Strategic Management for Public Purposes Mary Jo Bane and Andy Zelleke--both well known poverty experts, my area of interest.

ISP 224 Human Rights and International Politics: The Basic Policy Dilemmas, M. Risse. This looks like a marvelous course for me to understand more about how to think about what human rights are--Is health care a human right? Early childhood education? The work I want to do touches on human rights and I have little background. I've heard he is also a great prof.

We have 'shopping' days next Mon/Tues to get a short intro to all the classes being taught this fall. That will be a great help in finalizing the courses. I have about 10 more I'm interested in....some I have on my Spring schedule. We start classes on Wed, Sept 12 so I'm beginning to buy books and try to read ahead a bit.

Any input is welcome!

Summer School

I've been slow to up date my blog for a variety of reasons. 1) I've had a bad cold so not much energy, 2) realizing this is totally public so wanting to think more about what I'm willing to say in a public space and 3) there is so much to say I feel I need an hour or more to blog.

So, I am committed to shorter updates and hope it creates a picture over time.

Last week we had 4 sessions with Brian Mandell who teaches negotiations at KSG, on Globalization--a word that is not in spell check for this blog. I was especially taken with how he used the themes of this VERY high level overview to help us think about OUR tasks for this year. He named 5 things for us to pay attention to, specifically:

1. Systems: Get smart about them--how do they work, how do you leverage systems? Pay attention to how systems work with each other or against each other. What is the impact on me? And, to the point: what do I need to learn about systems this year?
2. Learn more about International economics. Develop basic literacy about how it affects the price of what I buy, my personal and family financial security. How trade forces affect my work and how they affect local issues here and abroad.
3. Learn to work cross culturally and collaboratively. Old model: Heroics of "I'll do it myself," the lone ranger. New model: do it together and cross culturally. Fortunately, we have a large number of International students and a big mix of different areas of expertise so we will get lots of practice in this.
4. Redefine my identity, my brand. Look at our adaptability quotient and our resiliency quotient. Also, how capable am I of "learning how to learn?" So, I'm no longer "jack of all trades, master of none," I'm " Highly adaptable, very resilient and a true life-long learner with cross cultural competency." I'm also wanting to get better at Naming and Framing--a key skill in todays world. Whoever names the dialogue (The WAR ON TERROR or "You don't want to reward people for coming into the country illegally" sets the platform for how we think about the debate--not always in helpful ways. He also talked a lot about the ability to to explain in understandable language, complicated subjects. That is definitely an area I want to spend time on this year.
   
5. Get literate about the US electoral process. In a non-global world, it wouldn't matter so much to non-US, but today the US President matters to all of us. AND, sad to say, we still have trouble counting the votes, even in the Electoral College, ala 2000.

We had a fascinating discussion among the class on the last day. He asked what International colleagues want US colleagues to know about how they see the US's Roles and Responsibilities in the world and then for US colleagues to say what we want Int'l colleagues to know about how we see it. Things got a bit heated in a good way--hints of very interesting things to come. The context was a US Army officer from the US saying, it IS in our strategic interest to be in Iraq and the Middle East and getting challenged, 'is it REALLY in US interest' to be there in the way we currently are, from a Palestinian woman. Very engaging dialogue and lots of ongoing discussion about it later.

Got to go....another fun social outing. Tonight to Jamaica Plains for bowling and pizza followed by karaoke for those who can stay out that late. Tomorrow is a slow day--only of couple of things to go to and no homework due till Thurs. We got our course catalog for the year so I've spent quite a bit of time looking at how to fit in the 20 classes I want to take into a schedule that allows 8, maybe 10 courses, max. More on that in the next update.

Triumph and Tragedy

It's been quite a week. We started our year last Wednesday, Aug 1. It was an exciting day with 190 new faces, beginning a year long program at the Kennedy School. We are all 'mid-career' so older than the average grad student. Our class has an average age of 39---I bring it up quite a bit! They told us several times that we really ARE the right people; they didn't make a mistake, that all of has have the capability of doing the work. I think many people really do wonder if they will get tossed out the first day. Anxiety runs high because we spend up to 3 hours taking 'placement tests' in quantitative methods and economics the first day.

I'm happy to report I am in the above average class for quantitative methods--probably average or above for econ but not sure. It doesn't matter--the goal is to get each of us ready for the classes we want to take in the fall. We have lots of class time, homework and feedback so it is really a great system.

I walked with some new friends to Peabody Towers where many KSG students live. Enjoyed seeing their units and realize I could easily have lived there. Most of the International students live there so it is quite a wonderful community.

I got home Wed eve and the phone rang immediately. It was Katie S, a fellow KSG class mate and a State Senator from MN. She was on her way over to use my land line and to watch the horror unfolding in Minneapolis. I was so stunned I think it was morning before the reality of the bridge collapse really settled in. I found it hard to stop crying. My first lesson in how hard it is to be away when tragedy strikes. My classmates have been really supportive and asking the 3 MNtans how we are doing with all of it.

The week has been SO busy---190, 15-sec intros, lunches, picnics on the lawn, out to movies, bars, concerts. Lots of classes all starting at once, homework, trying to keep the apartment going and not turn in to a trash pit.

The focus this summer is definitely on meeting each other (more on that later--it's a FAB group of people) and getting the dust blown off the brain cells. I hope to start writing more often and do just paragraph or two. Stay tuned....

Tomorrow is the DAY!

I've had a very busy weekend. Jim and Liz came in Friday night and took me out for dinner, a stroll around Cambridge and great ice cream cones! Bless them especially for coming back on Sat and helping me shop, pick out a printer, set it up and generally get my abode ready for the starting gate. I'm feeling quite settled, thank heaven. Thanks to all of you who helped me pack--everything has arrived safely.

Sat eve I went to a play on the life of Buddha; a one man show. Met several people including two young women, both MDs. One from Brazil and one from Romania. I think Ruxandra and I will get together again, probably to do yoga. Speaking of: I have gone twice, two different studios and liked them both. One is only 1 block away, so will go there more often, I suspect.

Right now I'm cramming for the quantitative methods (math test) we take tomorrow. There is also one on Econ but not sure how to study for that. Hopefully all those years in business will give me an intuitive idea of the answers. My Econ classes are all 30+ years old.

Tonight is dinner with Scott and Katie, both Bush Fellows from MN. It is wonderful to have two familiar faces to look for tomorrow. More when I come up for air. A

Arriving in Cambridge

I arrived on Tues afternoon and friend, Jim W, picked me up at the airport. I ran into another friend, Lisa who is off on a new life adventure, in the bathroom at Logan--love that small world stuff.

My first adventure was getting up early on Wed am., leaving the house about 7:20, I walked to Harvard Square and to get coffee at Peet's and then down by the Charles to watch the folks out crewing. I was sitting on a bench by about 7:45---it was hard to find one as the litter was every where. Then I noticed a number of people rolled up in blankets sleeping. Soon 3 police cars quietly pulled up on the lawn, and started waking the homeless sleepers. As that scene unfolded, a dump truck and a van from MA Corrections pulled up. Out jump about 6 guys in lime green "Community Crew" t-shirts with Dept of Corrections in smaller print.

It was impossible not to notice the police were white (I noticed one exception), all the vehicle drivers were white and the clean-up crew?? all African American or Latino. I realized that here, in miniature, is why I'm here. After 150 years we are still struggling to develop a society where everyone can thrive. In fact, it is getting worse in so many ways. The big shift in me, however, is that in the past, I would have blamed the Caucasians. Now I see we are all stuck in a system that creates these inequities. No easy answers in how to get out of it but we must move forward NOW. OK, enough soap box for one day.

I'm settling in beautifully. It's only been three days but somehow feels longer in a good way. Perhaps with communication so easy, I don't really have to experience the loneliness when calling long distance was expensive and email didn't exist. I got wired yesterday with phone, computer and cable TV so busy checking in with everyone.

My apartment is a small one bedroom and just the prefect size. I need a bedroom to close the door when the mess gets too much (or if I want to entertain, throw all the mess on the bed and shut the door.) I'm loving getting to know the family who owns it. I had dinner with them Wednesday eve and know I will love being here.

I notice the odd mix of voices internally: the 'starving student, better not spend much money' or the 'Yes, I want to down size BUT not make life hard, so of course you can buy that!' So I have a good bottle of gin (it's hot here!) and a cheap, 4 cup coffee maker. Perfect.

I'm hoping to learn to use my new camera over the weekend and add a few pictures.