I was recently asked whether some of what we’ve accomplished at McMaster over the past five years is opportunistic or strategic. I thought it would make for a good blog post.
The word “opportunistic” can have negative overtones. I think that was the intent of the question. I choose, however, to focus on the positive: taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. I believe that if someone asks you to do something it generally means they need it and think you can help provide it. I am more likely to say “yes we can” then “no, that’s not something we do” because I think that’s how we grow and change. I believe that informed opportunism and strategy go hand-in-hand.
The Lyons New Media Centre is a great example of when opportunity and strategy intersect. The Centre was originally established by the Faculty of Humanities to support media use in a variety of disciplines. They supported film, video, slides and games. The Faculty established it because the library at the time didn’t think these were appropriate formats for us to collect. Over time the collections grew in number and variety. As space, financial resources and staffing all became constrained and as leadership changed in the Faculty and in the library it became apparent that a move from the Faculty to the Library was essential and wise. A move would ultimately better serve the entire campus community (strategic: reducing cost while increasing access and support).
After a period of discussion and planning the Faculty of Humanities and the Library collaborated on the relocation and expansion of the Centre. (strategic: building library/faculty collaborations) Together we approached the Provost for one-time funding to transition staff to the library and to renovate space in the library to create a state-of-the-art new media centre. (strategic: space renovation/adding new services) The Faculty, which had acquired and supported the collections gave all of the materials to the Library as part of the move (strategic: building collections)
A local architect was hired and, after renovations, the new media centre opened last year with increased space, services and staffing. In addition to the one original staff member several additional library staff were moved into the space as well. (strategic: providing new opportunities for staff) Two audio/video experts from the Faculty of Science spend one day each per week in the space as well. (strategic: building campus partnerships) The donors have since provided additional one-time funding that we are putting towards a postdoc in the Centre. (strategic: building new opportunities for external funding)
The new facility includes, among other things, audio-video edit suites, four gaming suites and a small graduate seminar room. I believe most, if not all, of the graduate courses in the department of Communication Studies and Multimedia are now being taught in this classroom. (strategic: supporting teaching and learning) The space also features artwork from the School of the Arts (strategic: highlighting student creative output)
The centre has also hosted a number of events, including FRESH, a student symposium in the department of Communication Studies and Multimedia. (strategic: highlighting student work) The space has been so successful that after just one term we had to expand our hours. (strategic: meeting student needs)
I’ve only hit a small number of highlights. I am sure the staff could go on and on about what they are doing to support student and faculty needs. (They really are doing a remarkable job!)
A few years ago we had an opportunity: a Dean interested in collaborating with us on a project that would be beneficial for both of our organizations AND a Provost willing to help us achieve our goals. Was it opportunistic? You bet! Was it strategic? Yes, that too! My only regret is that we didn’t build it bigger!
If you are interested, there are some great pics of the space on the architect’s page.
