As we assist in the process of aligning the university s forces toward strategic effectiveness, we must reflect on three questions. I suggest that we must lead by example and, I admit, this is no small challenge, particularly when we are responsible for leading a team of men and women who themselves are leaders. In executing our leadership responsibilities, we must practice excellence. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Our character is a composite of our habits.
Habits are powerful factors in our lives because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns.
They consistently express our character and produce our effectiveness or ineffectiveness. As you become more familiar with the level of accountability that the State System is requiring of each of its educational institutions, I think you will agree that the defining moment has come. We must be aligned for strategic effectiveness. As part of this process, we must look at the relationships between vision and culture, culture and image, and finally, the vision-image gap. Adopting this strategy may require that we occasionally defend an unpopular position when it serves the institution s mission.