Why PIN Executive Committee members DECIDED to JOIN PIN

PIN Executive Committee members decided to join PIN for a variety of reasons. They include the following:

• Executive Leadership Development,
• Professional Development, and
• Organizational Development.

Development occurs in numerous ways, including the following:

• Learning from the promising practices and experiences of other leaders and insitutions,
• Engaging in inspirational dialogue in a high trust environment,
• Expanding one's thinking through international perspectives,
• Experiencing new ways of thinking from similar, but different, leaders and institutions, and
• Gaining access to a network for faculty/ staff visits and other partnerships/ collaborations, including student exchanges and resource development.

 

Dr Larry Rosia­ President/CEO Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatchewan Canada
Saskatchewan Polytechnic is excited to join the Postsecondary International Network (PIN). Passion for learning and a desire to excel draw international students to enroll at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. We welcome international students to learn in Saskatchewan or study our programs abroad. Our PIN membership will allow us more opportunities to explore exchanges, partnerships, and collaborations with other post­secondary institutions around the world.

 

Matt Gotschall, President, Central Community College, Nebraska, United States.
Central Community College has been involved in PIN since the network’s inception over 40 years ago.  All four prior presidents of CCC have been active members, and I now serve as treasurer of the organization. PIN has provided opportunities for executive and senior leaders to interact with and learn from each other in a trusting environment and pilot partnerships of international collaboration and cooperation with known peers. The member institutions share many of the same opportunities in relation to demand for increased technical education, student success initiatives, and changes in public and private funding. The conferences have been helpful in seeing how other institutions implement solutions to these topics.  Many of our faculty, students and senior administrators have benefited from additional international experiences and learning interactions based on our PIN membership.

 

Dr. Joe Sertich, President Emeritus Northeast Minnesota Higher Education District Iron Range Minnesota, USA
As a member of PIN for over a decade I realize how important it is for my professional development to engage with senior executives from around the world through high quality relationships to bring international understanding and cooperation to improve outcomes for learners. From a “Network” I can gain a deeper appreciation for the similarities and differences created by policy, culture, geography, and resource investments. I enjoy getting together in an environment of high trust to share information, become inspired, and discuss challenges, triumphs, and disappointments. It helps to build my understanding of the ever­-changing global environment. Through annual conferences, I can engage with the critical issues that affect diverse postsecondary education institutions. The diversity of participants at the conferences assists me in relating to administration, curriculum, instruction, faculty, staff, student services, and joint business development. As a college president in the United States my campuses have cooperated in arrangements for international visits, as well as share information among PIN members. I appreciate our work in partnership among the PIN members to deliver programs, promote joint projects and collaborate with the private sector.

 

Stuart Cullum, Olds College, Alberta, Canada

Stuart Cullum is an executive leader with experience in private industry as well as the finance, post-secondary and not-for-profit sectors. He joined Olds College in November of 2016 and was appointed as President and CEO on July 1, 2017. Prior roles include, Vice President Academic and COO at Lethbridge College, Vice President Agriculture at Northlands and Executive Director, novaNAIT - NAIT’s Applied Research and Company Development division. In these roles, Stuart and his team established programming and centres for research, teaching and learning, company development and entrepreneurship, attracting partnerships and more than $50 million in external support. Stuart farmed commercially in the Three Hills area until 2009 and continues to participate in the cattle business with his family. He has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Alberta Turkey Producers, the Intensive Livestock Working Group, the Edmonton Food Council, the Pan-Prairie Academic Working Group and on expert panels on innovation with Colleges and Institutes Canada and Polytechnics Canada.

 

DOCUMENT OF UNDERSTANDING

There are obvious commonalities of purpose, programs, curriculum and instruction technical/community/further education institutions in Australia, Bahrain, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and other countries in the world.

These commonalities notwithstanding, there have not yet developed a close interaction among the technical/community further education colleges in these countries. A better understanding of educational programs and developments could be mutually beneficial to institutions of each country, and cooperative activities could both improve and extend present educational offerings. Therefore, an alliance of technical/community further education colleges known as a postsecondary International Network (PIN) has been established

Article I: PURPOSE

Engage our senior executives through high quality relationships to bring international understanding and cooperation to improve outcomes for learners.

OUR ALLIANCE

As a Network we will observe these guiding principles and abide by these norms for our work together:

HOW WE WILL APPROACH OUR WORK

• Get together in an environment of high trust to share information, become inspired, and discuss challenges, triumphs, and disappointments.
• Build our understanding of the ever­-changing global environment so that we may promote more justice and more learning.
• Engage with the critical issues that affect diverse postsecondary education institutions, in order to act in a manner which furthers student learning.
• Facilitate communications as they relate to administration, curriculum, instruction, faculty, staff, student services, and joint business development.
• Cooperate in arrangements for international visits.
• Share information about the vast menu of participation activities among PIN members to improve learning opportunities for students.
• Work in partnership among PIN members to deliver programs, promote joint projects and collaborate with the private sector.

RELATIONSHIPS

• Recognize that individual members participate for reasons important to them.
• Be sensitive to each member's principles, resources, and interests.
• Mentor/develop/support new leadership.
• Collaborate outside of plenary sessions for mutual benefit.
• It is expected members will share friendship, knowledge and experience with other members.

DECISION MAKING

• Be clear on time resources, and commitment toward chosen initiatives.
• Set the general direction of the Network through the Executive Committee

PIN MEMBERSHIP

PIN current members are from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, and United States. Membership from other countries will be considered by the Executive Committee.

MEMBERSHIP PROCESS

Potential members must be referred by a current member and approved by the PIN Executive Board. Once referred the PIN Executive Director or the Associate Executive Director will provide the potential member with information about PIN (purpose, benefits, conferences, and website).

Colleges interested in PIN membership express interest in becoming a PIN member to the PIN Executive Director.

The Executive Director or Assistant Executive Director will inform the Executive Committee of membership interest and poll the Board for membership approval. The Executive Director or the Associate Executive Director will contact the interested college indicating their membership status. Once approved, the Executive Director will invoice the approved college for the annual dues.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PIN MEMBERS

• Presidents or their designees’ attendance at the annual meeting
• Institutions will participate in the PIN's programs and projects
• Institutions will contribute to a semi­annual newsletter
• Presidents will serve, when elected, as members of the PIN Executive Committee and attend meetings of the Board; plan conferences, etc.

BENEFITS TO PIN MEMBERS

• Annual PIN Conference hosted by PIN member institutions in different countries
• Institution receives one discounted registration for the annual conference
• Stipends for faculty/staff visits/exchanges as approved by PIN Executive
• Support for research/development projects initiated by PIN members
• Develop professional partnerships with institutions in other countries
• Opportunity to participate in grant funded projects submitted by PIN
• Provide articles for the PIN newsletter and occasional papers on PIN project

PIN MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Annual Conference – PIN institutions/colleges host the annual membership conference presenting programs that center on current issues impacting vocational education and training.

Conference Registration – Each member institutions/colleges receives one discounted registration for the annual conference.

Exchanges/Visits – Administrators and faculty have the opportunity to participate in exchanges and visits to institutions/colleges in other countries. Participants are awarded a $US1,000 stipend to facilitate the exchange/visit. One visit per member, per year. Four stipends available per year, on application to and with agreement of the Executive Committee.

Professional Partnerships & Contacts – PIN provides an opportunity for members to develop professional contacts with institutions/colleges in other countries. Member institutions/colleges have developed partnerships to expand and enhance opportunities for administrators, faculty, students, and contract training. Internationalizing the Curriculum ­ PIN facilitates institutions/colleges to institutions/colleges and program to program contacts to develop curriculum that expands international competencies.

Special Projects ­– PIN coordinates special projects approved by the membership. The current project is a leadership benchmarking initiative. Past projects included student leadership programs and a curriculum development initiative.

PIN Member Institutions share ideas and work collaboratively on a range of projects. These projects are both short term and long term projects and may be informal between individuals or Institute to Institute.

PIN MEMBER PROJECT/ACTIVITY