Dean of Leadership

By:Sarah Sell

On August 1st, Rider Universitys Education Department underwent an extraordinary transformation with the installment of the new Dean of Education, Dr. Sharon J. Sherman. This Hopewell resident is contributing over 35 years of professional experience in the fields of higher education, secondary education and the sciences. Her previous job position was at The College of New Jersey, where she lately served as co-founder and director of the Center for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education and Professor. It was at TCNJ where I first met Dr. Sherman. In July of 2008, I was enrolled in an internship program, the Urban Teachers Academy (UTA), at TCNJ. Dr. Sherman had written the grant for this particular program and this was how I had come to be

acquainted with her. Then, over the summer, I had discovered Dr. Sherman was to be the new Dean of my college. So I contacted her, extending a welcome and offering my assistance on any projects she may have needed help with. With that, she invited me, at the beginning of this semester, to work as one of her office assistants. I was ecstatic. In working with her, I have come to identify and acknowledge her numerous leadership skills. While bouncing from meeting to meeting, I see her organization and stress management skills in effect. When she is working on a project in her office she displays the time management skills necessary to complete the task, and communication skills with those who may be assisting her. Overall, I feel that Dr. Sherman displays the best leadership qualities I have ever witnessed. Therefore, I asked her, and she graciously accepted an interview with me all on her outstanding leadership. We began our conversation at the table in her office. I had supplied her with the questions I was going to ask prior to the interview, so she sat across from me and practically interviewed herself. She was asking the questions and then she would even record her answers on her copy of questions. It was quite amusing. The first question we had discussed was whether she was more introverted or extroverted. To my surprise, she claims to be more introverted in her personal life. However, she has learned to be more extroverted. I had no choice she says. I have to be extroverted in my career; to be a leader. She compares her transformation of being an introvert to an extrovert as to that of taking an acting class. You must learn how to be comfortable with others, speak one on one and publically, and interact with everything around you. It is her interactions with others that have created her philosophy to leading and

leadership. People first, Dr. Sherman says. You have to be a good listener, have empathy, and not judge. While discussing her leadership philosophy, we also touched upon her strengths and weaknesses as a leader to which she relied her strengths as being her personal vast and varied amount of knowledge, her strong sense of initiative, and as always, people first; they are considered first and foremost. Dr. Sherman identified her weaknesses as being the new employee at the university. She says It throws me a learning curve. The move from TCNJ to Rider University has definitely been a struggle, but she has handled it flawlessly and probably because of the amazing way in which she manages change. When I asked Dr. Sherman how she managed change, she provided a clear set of solutions 1. Show purpose, 2. Analyze, 3. Gather data, 4. Move together. Sounds like the perfect plan right? But with any change, no matter how well you handle it, it is perpetually stressful to some degree. Dr. Sherman approaches stress optimistically. Dont look at stress as a bad thing, she advises. She questions what stress is and says that not until we can identify stress can we manage it. Once you have defined what stress is in the context of the situation, then she advises to use the problem solving process. If all else fails she suggest Go to the gym or listen to music. As mention just before, problem solving is one of the techniques Dr. Sherman uses in her system to combat stress. For this topic she offers another surefire formula to solve problems. 1. Get into it, understand the problem, 2. Gather information, 3. Make a decision, 4. Involve others that may be useful resources. So while Dr. Sherman may be the perfect leader with developed criteria for solving problems and managing change, she is not always in a leadership position and the

way in which she handles this is simple yet compelling. She remarks that she leads when its her job. With that, she respects when someone else is in the leadership position role and therefore, follows when it is her duties to do so. I think that it is safe to say the Dr. Sherman did not get where she is today by just being a follower. Dr. Sherman advanced forward slowly and utilized all of her experiences to land her as the Dean of Education. She also reviewed her options and advises not to take the easy way out. My son always says get the most out of every situation youre in. She is certainly currently following her sons advice and in doing so she is respecting her values. I think people who go the extra mile when no one else is willing to is something I value she comments. The inadequate leaders, she feels, are incompetent simply because they did failed to step forward and take the initiative perform great acts of leadership. In summary she says Someones got to do it. Within 30 minutes we were wrapping up (because she had to leave for another meeting) and in that time I was surprised as to how much I had learned. Dr. Sharon Sherman has passed on to me several of the tools and skills needed to be the best leader such as herself. It was a true honor interviewing Dr. Sherman and I know that she found it as just as much of a pleasure as I did. With that, I could not have asked for a better interview with a more professional, passionate, and genuine leader, my colleges dean, the dean of education, Dr. Sharon J. Sherman.