““The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Jacques Cousteau
Newfoundland Coast
Friday Reflection
Dr. McLarney on Marks vs. Scholarship
Dr. Carolan McLarney
Professor
Faculty of Management
Dalhousie University
International Business was my opening MBA (FS) course. In my first e-mail to Dr. McLarney back in 1999, I asked how would I know whether I was on track with my studies. Rather than highlighting “marks,” she suggested that I give voice to my ideas, solutions, arguments, which were to be based on solid research and objective analysis but tempered with humanity and compassion. It was a liberating answer.
Fast forward to 2017, I asked Dr. McLarney to recall her advice on the importance of scholarship. She graciously agreed to share her thoughts in an open letter to our alumni community.
Hello Everyone,
I first want to congratulate everyone who has made CEGE Connection a reality. This is a great opportunity for our alumni community to share knowledge and experiences.
Rebecca shared with me the email below that I had sent her in the early days of her first course: International Business. As I read what I had wrote to her I began reflecting on my time here at Dalhousie as an educator, researcher and scholar. I have included both the original email and my current thoughts on “marks vs. scholarship:
From Fall 1999:
“A discussion on marks vs scholarship really struck a chord within me. Not for the obvious reason, my profession, but rather I was reflecting on my days as a doctoral student.
When I had made the decision to pursue a PhD. I really had no real clue what I was getting myself into. I remember my conversation with David, my Managing Director, centered on my desire to teach. He said I could stay with the firm and teach part-time if I wanted to, or I could pursue a doctorate and come back and consult and teach. So, for me I had a wonderful safety net in my toolbox as I entered my PhD. Once I entered the program, it quickly became evident to me that completing a PhD had nothing to do with teaching and we were told very early on to drop that dream. My office mate Ed, who now is my writing partner also wanted to teach, so we became this little band of undercover teachers. All these years later Ed and I still write and still teach with passion and commitment.
Being a doctoral student is a terrifying but freeing experience. An MBA does not prepare you in any way for a PhD. It is never about marks or assignments. When I started, the course syllabus was often a list of 50-70 books, 300 articles and this sentence “On (insert last day of class) you will submit a journal ready article”. It was expected that you would then submit that article the next semester to the journal you had chosen. It was a daunting experience, but one that was the best training as a researcher. My work was about creating new knowledge, defining my scholarship – not about getting an A. That was a major paradigm shift for me.
My hope for MBA students is that they will experience a “shift” when they engage in their studies. And for a vibrant alumni community I send out this reminder: that we are continually challenged by measurement systems. Instead of reaching for the mark, reach for a greater prize: scholarship. That choice has made all the difference in my world.”
Fast forward to Winter 2017
“I am now 25 years into my career as an academic and the one thing that I know is that you never finish anything completely. This may seem strange, but for me I feel I am a “practicing academic”. No lecture or paper is ever perfect; they can always be improved.
My teaching has evolved, and hopefully improved, to address the ever-changing student body. When I began teaching in the MBA-FS program the majority of the students knew of a life before the internet, today the majority know of no life before Google or Amazon (not the river). When I began, students in our program “faxed” their assignments into the OEGP office, today everything is done thorough our learning platform Brightspace. I have had to adapt and to adopt new ways of teaching and connecting with students. What has not changed is my belief in the power of ideas, the written word, and setting aside time to think. I always start the intensive for capstone course with this: “What I want this week to be is a time for reflection, a time to think about the past number of years you have spent in the program, and time to ponder the challenges and great opportunities that lay ahead.” This is what I hope for our Alumni, that you have continued to carve out time to think. Time to sit with a problem, an issue, an idea. Time to let your thoughts percolate. Time to let your mind wander.
When I look at my research over the years, I also see it has evolved. My early days were spent trying to get parts of my dissertation published. My dissertation was the largest research project I had ever completed. It was also the worst because it was the first. Today, and three dozen articles later, and I can say I am better. I am better at articulating my ideas, better at structuring research studies, better at reaching my intended audience. My doctoral supervisor once said to me that I was entering the most wonderful profession, “They are going to pay you to think, to write and to disseminate what you find.” He was right, but what he failed to tell me was the enormous obligation to get it right. So, I continue each day to “practice”. To think and re-think an idea. To write and re-write and re-write, again, a paper. To present paper after paper until my ideas are heard.
To all of our students and Alumni, I want to encourage you to continue to practice all that you learned in your time with us. Always take the time to reflect and appreciate all of your accomplishments.”
Take Care
Dr. M
Dr. C. McLarney
Professor
Faculty of Management
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
From the CEGE Connection Archives: First published March 21, 2017
Friday Reflection
“Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.”
Dorothy Height, Educator and Social Activist
Nova Scotia
Duane Jones: Why I’m A Podcaster
“I’m excited to announce that Art Pays Me is partnering with East Coast Creative Collective to bring the first live recording of Art Pays Me. I’ll be interviewing Halifax based artists Geordan Moore of Quarrelsome Yeti and Élana Camille Saimovic of Élana Camille Creates.
Much like a musician, I began by recording my thoughts on various topics to develop my voice as a solo artist. Most of those recordings will never be released, but they were important for my growth as a podcaster. Eventually I felt more comfortable with the idea of stepping out on my own and launched the Art Pays Me Podcast, a podcast where I get to explore my passion for that grey area between art and business.”
Duane Jones, MIM Class of 2014
Duane Jones (MIM Class of 2014) is a visual branding, graphic design and information management specialist. Our first meeting was at the 2018 ARMA Conference held in Vancouver, which gave me the opportunity to invite him to join the CEGE Connection conversation. Duane is an artist and the fashion designer of his clothing brand, Art Pays Me. His competitive advantage comes from a unique ability to bring together information management with the creative world of art and graphic design. His clothing collections are featured at Atlantic Fashion Week and recently, in a successful solo fashion and art show at the Halifax Central Library.
Duane is host and creator of a podcast called, The Art Pays Me Podcast, which made it to New & Noteworthy on iTunes. He is a guest speaker at events such as Canadian Conference on Medical Education, Podcamp Halifax and Social Media Day Halifax.
The Art Pays Me Podcast made it to New & Noteworthy on iTunes
CEGE Connection reached out to Duane, asking him to share his insights on why he podcasts, and how he builds upon information management knowledge to transform the way in which we connect within a virtual community.
Duane Jones:
I’m a voracious consumer of information. I enjoy reading but I have to read very slowly to absorb what I’m ingesting. I fell in love with podcasts because they made it easier for me to satisfy my craving for consuming knowledge without the same level of time commitment. I could learn about all kinds of things while driving or even doing housework. I was able to connect with experts on obscure topics who were just as passionate about them as I am.
Over time, listening was not enough, and I found myself wanting desperately to be involved in the conversations. After all, most of the topics I listened to were things I had deep knowledge of and passion for. It then dawned on me that I needed to be a guest on some shows but when that happened, I still wanted more. I believe in the power of manifestation so I started to make it known that I was interested in starting a podcast of my own and the universe led me to Peter Hemsworth, Terrence Taylor and Lauren Sears who would become my co-hosts on a podcast called Changing the Narrative.
I worked on that podcast for a little over a year but my life outside of work and my business revolve around the needs of my family, so I needed to be able to record on a schedule that respected that. The break I took from podcasting was much needed but after about a month away I missed it. In particular, I missed the dialogue and the community that podcasting helped me to build. I also had a number of stories that I wanted to share, so I imagined what a podcast with just me would look and sound like.
Much like a musician, I began by recording my thoughts on various topics to develop my voice as a solo artist. Most of those recordings will never be released, but they were important for my growth as a podcaster. Eventually I felt more comfortable with the idea of stepping out on my own and launched the Art Pays Me Podcast, a podcast where I get to explore my passion for that grey area between art and business.
Here are some of the key things that I considered before starting:
- What do I hope to get out of podcasting?
- How much time and money am I willing to invest in my podcast?
- How often do I plan to release my podcast, and will it run indefinitely or have defined seasons?
- How long will each episode be?
- Will my podcast have regular guests or mostly focus on me?
- Where will I host my podcast and what platforms will it stream on?
- What metric will determine if my podcast is successful or not (Is it worth continuing?)?
With most of us having access to advanced smart phones, the ability to cheaply record and edit a quality podcast is literally at our fingertips. You can spend thousands on recording equipment and software or spend $80 on a decent mic and use free software that’s preinstalled on your computer like I do. My opinion is that great content trumps everything so I’m not against taking a hit on quality temporarily if your means are limited but you have a great story to share. As a rule, the quality of your recording will depend on your personal standards and what your audience is willing to accept. Always strive for the best quality possible but don’t let that be a barrier to starting.
There are many services that offer online podcast hosting for free and paid subscriptions. I’ve done both. In my experience, the more I pay, the more tools that I have at my disposal like analytics, storage space and automatic uploads to major podcast networks like iTunes, Google Play and Spotify. iTunes and the like do not offer much information about who’s listening to your show so if this matters to you, your hosting platform will be where you collect most of this data. As information professionals we love data so I would recommend investing in a paid service that offers you as much information as you can get.
As far as time investment goes podcasting can be very time consuming. Listen to podcasts that are similar to what you want yours to be and determine what episode length works best for you. Some shows consistently release 2 hours of content and their audiences lap it up happily while others stick to 10 or 15 minutes and deliver content that gets right to the point. There is no right or wrong when it comes to podcast length but consider that longer podcasts require more time not just for recording but editing and uploading. Many people pay producers to handle that so they can stick to coming up with content.
Podcasting has many professional benefits as it can position its hosts and guests as thought leaders in their respective fields, spread their message to audiences outside of their own and can be monetized through advertising and subscription models. While these benefits are enticing, my biggest piece of advice is to make sure that you first enjoy doing it. If you don’t enjoy the process, you’re most likely not going to stick with it and to be honest… No one wants to listen to a person who’s not excited about being there.
You can listen to me being excited about being there on iTunes and Spotify on my podcast called Art Pays Me.
CEGE Connection is delighted to advise that Duane has graciously agreed to be a repeat contributor on CEGE Connection
Friday Reflection
“The job of an educator is to teach students to see vitality in themselves”
Joseph Campbell
Dalhousie University, Halifax Campus
Celebrating Milestones: The 15th Anniversary of the MBA(FS) Class of 2004
“I have very wonderful memories of the class of 2004; so much spirit, engagement and commitment to academic excellence.”
Class of 2004 MBA (FS)
Class of 2004 MBA (FS) BMO
CEGE Connection would like to recognize the contribution of the MBA(FS)Class of 2004 as they commemorate their fifteenth-year anniversary. All our best goes out to these graduates on this very special milestone year. Thank you for your commitment to excellence, life-long learning and the communities in which you live and work.
Michelle Hunter & Rebecca Budd
Irena Stropnik: Committed to an Academic Teaching Journey
“Facilitating learning is allowing me to learn new skills and further develop my leadership abilities in a new forum. It is providing me with an opportunity to give back to society as I help develop the next generation of leaders by sharing my knowledge and experience.”
Irena Stropnik, B. Nursing (’97) MBA (FS) 2012
Irena Stropnik, B. Nursing (’97) MBA (FS) 2012
Irena Stropnik, B. Nursing (’97), MBA (FS) 2012, is currently on leave/sabbatical from her leadership role at Scotiabank. She is using this time to reflect, rejuvenate and continue her learning journey as an Adjunct Instructor at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the University of Lethbridge.
In a recent virtual interview, Irena shared insights that have been gained during this pivotal time of revitalization.
Irena Stropnik:
The learning journey continues…
I have discovered that the learning journey never ends, and it is how we choose to pursue this journey that opens new avenues to learning and sharing our knowledge. I have had teaching niggling at me for several years now and found that over the past few years I was steering my ‘banking’ job more towards mentoring, facilitating and teaching. I made the decision to take off the better part of a year from the bank and as I shared my thoughts on possibly teaching with friends and colleagues, doors started to open, and people wanted to help me achieve these goals. I am now at a place where I have my first contracts to teach undergraduate Leadership to business students and to develop and teach graduate level Finance to aspiring health care leaders.
While I’ll be teaching, I will also be learning, and this is exciting for me as I go through this evolution both personally and professionally. Facilitating learning is allowing me to learn new skills and further develop my leadership abilities in a new forum. It is providing me with an opportunity to give back to society as I help develop the next generation of leaders by sharing my knowledge and experience. I fully expect to learn from the students by being open to their questions, thoughts and perspectives on both the subject at hand and the world in which we live. I look forward to the dialogue and being challenged to be creative and effective in the classroom while encouraging the same from the students.
As others have done for me, my motivation lies in the desire to help others think critically about the world they are in and the role they play in that world – help them to be curious, to question, to set high standards not only in scholastic and business results but also in the citizens they are becoming and those that they are influencing by their actions.
I don’t know yet where this journey will take me, but I am grateful for the opportunity and for the people who have been willing to support and encourage me along the way.
Editor’s Note: Irena is a repeat contributor on CEGE Connection and contributed to Dr. Carolan McLarney’s series on Mary Parker Follett. We wish Irena the very best as she pursues an academic teaching career at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the University of Lethbridge. We look forward to updates on her journey in future CEGE Connection posts.
Friday Reflection
“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”
Alan Turing, Computing Machinery and Intelligence
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
Tanya Chedrawy: Beyond Our Borders
“We all have an innate longing to connect, to engage in discussions that encourage, inform, entertain and inspire. Whether communication takes a traditional form or moves into the arena of social media, successful outcomes reside in an individual’s ability to transmit messages with clarity and integrity. Social media has given local dialogue a global reach that invites a robust and diverse discussion.”
Tanya Chedrawy, MPA(M), BPR, BA
Tanya Chedrawy, MPA(M), BPR, BA
Tanya Media
Founder & CEO
tanyamedia.com
Tanya Chedrawy MPA(M) 2016 is the Founder and CEO of Tanya Media, a premiere media content production and communications company in Atlantic Canada. As the host and producer of Eastlink Community TV’s Small Talk Big Ideas, she understands the power of a story. She uses her expertise to help organizations cultivate a strategic storytelling practice to establish themselves in a category of one. Now as host of the podcast “Beyond Our Borders” produced by Podcast Atlantic and Tanya Media, she is creating a series of conversations with Atlantic Canadians who are impacting the world.
CEGE Connction reached out to Tanya for her insights on how social media can leverage storytelling and build circles of influence that pursue the greater good for organizations and our global society.
Beyond Our Borders
Tanya Chedrawy:
In this digital age it is easy to get lost in the noise. The most successful companies are the ones that cultivate a strategic storytelling practice. Essentially, I am in the business of putting the spotlight on individuals who make an impact. I continue to hone my skills, which is the point of life-long learning. That is what makes life interesting, and our personal narratives remarkable. Each episode of Beyond our Borders, will highlight resonating insights, humor, poignant personal stories, impactful tools, tips and tricks from the most creative and innovative minds from this corner of the world that will inspire you in life and business.
My mission is two-fold. One is to help organizations maximize their reach with audiences by telling their unique brand story. Second, my mission is to contribute to a more enlightened and compassionate world through storytelling. Exploring socially relevant topics and fostering holistic conversations via the podcast Beyond Our Borders will create opportunities to connect and drive impact and action through inspiration.
We all have an innate longing to connect, to engage in discussions that encourage, inform, entertain and inspire. Whether communication takes a traditional form or moves into the arena of social media, successful outcomes reside in an individual’s ability to transmit messages with clarity and integrity. Social media has given local dialogue a global reach that invites a robust and diverse discussion.
Editor’s Note: CEGE Connection is pleased to advise that Tanya has graciously agreed to be a repeat contributor on CEGE Connection. We invite you to get to know Tanya better in the March issue of Spotlight on Business
Michelle Hunter: Celebrating Global Partnerships
MYRA Graduates
In the summer of 2018, five students from India arrived on Dalhousie campus with drive, determination, excitement and a little apprehension. They were eager to embark on a Dalhousie MBA journey and were ready to discover, explore and learn.
Dalhousie University’s Rowe School of Business and the MYRA School of Business in Karnataka, India. developed a partnership whereby qualified students of the MYRA business program would complete one year at MYRA and the second year at Dalhousie.
The students completed a combination of on-campus MBA with the full-time Corporate Residence MBA students and blended/online MBA courses, with part-time MBA Financial Services and Leadership students. This provided an excellent opportunity to connect with students preparing to launch their career as well as students from across Canada who have a wealth of professional experience to share.
MYRA Graduates
We are pleased to announce that Gaurav Kumar, Harsha Diwakar, Kushal Horabylu Parmeshwara, Prem Karampudi and Varun Binani have completed the requirements of the Dalhousie MBA degree and will officially graduate this fall.
Congratulations! We wish them all the very best in their future endeavours.
Michelle Hunter
Associate Director (Administration)
Centre for Executive and Graduate Education
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