S PR I N G 2 0 1 3

Northern Arizona University Selects

New Vice President

In This Issue

AWHE Leadership ……………………………………… 2

Save the date ………………………………………........ 2

Conference Call for Proposals………………………….. 3

Leadership Spotlight….……………………………..….. 4

Conference At-a-Glance….………………….... 6

Career Development…………………………………….. 7

Around-the-State….………..…………..……………. 8

Representative Contribution……….………………….… 9

Health & Wellness…………….……………….……… 10

Leadership Development……………………………….11

arah Bickel came to Northern Arizona University in 1991 from

Southwest Missouri State University where she had served as

assistant dean and dean of students for eleven years. She joined the

NAU community as associate director of Educational Support Programs

and in 1994 was promoted to the chief student affairs officer and served in

that capacity, with a variety of titles, until 2002. In 2002 she worked

closely with the president and executive vice president to create the

division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and served as

interim vice president during the transition to blend units within enrollment

services and student affairs in a manner to best provide seamless service

and improved recruitment and retention of students. She has continued to

lead the student affairs departments within the division under the senior vice president of enrollment

management and Student Affairs since 2003.

Sarah has served on the President’s Cabinet since

1994 and the University Strategic Planning

Committee since 2001. She participated on the

North Central Accreditation Committee and the

Higher Learning Commission Accreditation

Committee. She chaired the NCAA recertification

process for the university in both 1997-98 and 2007-

08. She served on the Arizona Commission of Post-

Secondary Education by governor’s appointment

from 1997-2007. Along with others, Sarah

continued on page 3

NAU’s MJ McMahon

to Retire MJ McMahon, executive vice president and

chief of staff at NAU for the past 10 years, will

leave her position at the end of June 2013 and

fully retire by the end of that year. Sarah

Bickel, who has worked at NAU more than 20

years, will become vice president in July 2013.

continued on page 4

2 Spring 2013

Leah Bornstein

President

Coconino Community College

Maria Harper-Marinick

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Maricopa Community College System

Maria Hesse

Vice Provost Academic Partnerships

Arizona State University

MJ McMahon

Executive Vice President

Northern Arizona University

Raji Rhys

Assistant Vice President

for Inclusive Excellence

University of Arizona

Jeanne Swarthout

President

Northland Pioneer College

Penny Wills

President

Yavapai College

Arizona Women in Higher Education

(AWHE) is committed to improving the

general climate and professional

environment for women by identifying,

developing leadership, advancing,

connecting, and supporting women in

higher education throughout the state.

Mark your

Calendar! 2013 Women’s Leadership

Conference

Join us as we recognize and

celebrate women leaders

Inside this issue:

Call for Proposals

Registration Information

Conference at-a-glance

Flagstaff, Arizona

AWHE would love to hear from you.

Please share your feedback and send

submissions to our team.

CONNECT WITH US!

VISIT US ON AWHE’S WEBSITE

JOIN US ON

FOLLOW US ON

Workshops will be organized into four different tracks to assist women in making their selection

based on their individual goals and interests. AWHE will assign workshops to tracks accordingly.

▪ Mentoring ▪ Career Planning & Professional Growth

▪ Leadership ▪ Work – Life Balance

Workshop Objectives

Women will increase their knowledge about the workshop topic and know where to go for more

resources.

Women will have a clear idea of how to move from the topic of the workshop to practical life

application.

Women will be inspired and empowered through interactive workshop methods.

Spring 2013 3

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Visit Conference Website for details Proposals due April 17, 2013

BICKEL, VICE PRESIDENT OF NAU

Continued from page 1

collaborated with others to develop student support and the vision, planning and design of the Health

and Learning Center which opened in 2011. She currently chairs the Campus Safety Advisory

Committee, is a member of the Emergency Management Advisory Group, and the Undergraduate

Research Advisory Council. She is associate faculty for the College of Education, teaching in the

master’s of student affairs program and serves on doctoral dissertation committees for students in

educational leadership, educational psychology, and curriculum and instruction.

Dr. Bickel has been recognized for outstanding service by both the Commission on Ethnic Diversity

and the Commission on the Status of Women. Her degrees are from Texas Christian University and

University of Northern Colorado.

Information and photo courtesy of Northern Arizona University.

In a letter to faculty and staff, President Haeger wrote that executive vice president McMahon had

“extended NAU’s reach nationally, maintained a close collaboration with the Arizona Board of

Regents and built closer ties to the Flagstaff community. I have relied on her insights and am grateful

for her continual support.” McMahon, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with drawing her 41-year

career to a close at NAU.

“I think I’ve done everything I can in higher

education,” McMahon said. Of the past 10 years, she

said, “My role in supporting President Haeger with

his initiatives has been satisfying for me, so I’m

ending my career at a high point.” McMahon earned

a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in

Chicago, a master’s degree with honors in health

education from Indiana University, an advanced

graduate specialist certificate in administration and

higher education from the University of Maryland,

College Park and a doctoral degree in higher

education from Nova Southeastern University.

An academic career that began in health sciences and evolved into administration took McMahon

from the Midwest to Maryland, Mississippi then Arizona. “My career has evolved based on what the

institution needed and what I could offer,” McMahon said. “If you don’t step up when you can, you

can’t really understand your own abilities and their importance at the institution.” McMahon said she

intends to bring her full skill set to an active retirement in Flagstaff, where she plans to volunteer

extensively while spending plenty of time outdoors.

And then there are the bears. “Everyone’s curious about that,” McMahon said of her affiliation with

the North American Bear Center in Ely, Minn. She explained that bears have been a lifelong

fascination rooted in her own name: McMahon in Gaelic means “great bear.” She eventually became

interested in supporting education and research on black bears, and now will be part of a new

speaker’s bureau at the North American Bear Center.

“It has helped me redirect my thinking to something that’s completely different from what I do at

work,” McMahon said. “These last three to four years that I’ve worked with the bear center online

have helped me bring balance to my life as well as working to improve life in our environment.”

Erin Grisham, state coordinator for AWHE would like to thank MJ for her work as AWHE's

Presidential Sponsor and her outstanding support of the group. “She has served in this role since

2005 and has been instrumental in the development and direction of our group,” Grisham said.

4 Spring 2013

MJ McMahon Retires Continued from page 1

source: NAU website

June 6-7, 2013 High Country Conference Center

Flagstaff, Arizona

Join us as we recognize and

celebrate women leaders

Registration fee is $150.00 Includes continental breakfast and lunch for both conference days.

Register for Conference

ARIZONA WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUCATION │ 2013 CONFERENCE

AWHE invites you to join us for a dynamic conference

8:00 am – 9:00 am Conference Registration, Continental Breakfast

9:00 am - 10:15 am Welcome & Opening Speaker

10:25 am – 11:25 am Concurrent Sessions (Choice of 3)

11:35 am – 12:35 pm Concurrent Sessions (Choice of 3)

12:45 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch and AWHE Executive Board Panel

Guest Speaker, Eileen Klein, President

Arizona Board of Regents

Dr. Sarah Bickel, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Northern Arizona University

Dr. Leah Bornstein, President, Coconino Community College

Dr. MJ McMahon, Executive Vice President, Northern Arizona University

Dr. Jeanne Swarthout, President, Northland Pioneer Community College

Dr. Penny Wills, President, Yavapai College

Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick, Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost, Maricopa Community Colleges

Dr. Maria Hesse, Vice Provost, Academic Partnerships, Arizona State University (Moderator)

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Speed Mentoring with AWHE Executive Board Panel

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm Concurrent Sessions

5:00 pm Networking Reception

Hosted by NAU President, Dr. John Haeger

Dinner on Your Own

Meet at the High Country Conference Center lobby and join new friends for dinner!

7:30 am Continental Breakfast

8:30 am – 9:30 am Plenary Session

9:45 am – 10:45 am Concurrent Sessions (Choice of 3)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm Concurrent Sessions (Choice of 3)

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch

Guest Speaker, Dr. John Haeger, President

Northern Arizona University

Presentation of 2013 AWHE Woman of the Year Award

1:30 pm Closing

June 6, 2013

June 7, 2013

6 Spring 2013

How “LinkedIn” Are You?

Helpful features of LinkedIn for Professionals by Jennifer Rhodes – Career Specialist, Arizona State University

AWHE Institutional Co-representative

When speaking with professionals in various

industries, I often inquire as to whether or not

they actively utilize LinkedIn and if so, which

features they access the most. Like many busy

professionals, I have found it difficult at times to

regularly log into LinkedIn and to stay current

with the latest features of this incredibly helpful

site. However, as a career advisor, I try to make

it a priority to be aware of the top features of

LinkedIn and to visit the site as much as

possible. Lindsey Pollak, Global Spokesperson

for LinkedIn, offers monthly training sessions

which include information on site updates and

after tuning in to one of her recent webinars, I

learned about a few key features which I wanted

to share.

build your brand

During her webinar, Pollak highlighted certain

LinkedIn benefits for career services

professionals which could also be applicable to

other professionals as well. The key benefits

which Lindsey included are: the opportunity to

build and enhance your own professional brand;

the ability to enhance the brand and services of

your office/organization; the chance to attract

more organizations which are looking to recruit

specific talent; and the chance to find answers to

questions and share resources with colleagues.

Therefore, whether you are a new or more

seasoned professional, LinkedIn is an essential

tool to help you to market yourself effectively

and to expand your professional network.

If you have not accessed LinkedIn in at least a

few months, you may be surprised to find that

the overall appearance of the site has changed.

The new design presents a more visual

appearance which is also a lot more graphic. In

addition, one recent update on the LinkedIn site

involves the new centralized location where

various “how-to” video clips and hand-outs may

be accessed. The new location for these

resources is located at university.linkedin.com.

Further, the concept of “Endorsements” was

recently introduced whereby your LinkedIn

connections may “endorse” you for particular

skills listed under the “Skills and Expertise”

section of your profile. You will be notified by

e-mail and/or at the top of your profile when you

are given an endorsement, and the person

providing the endorsement’s photo will appear as

an icon next to the skill(s) which they endorsed.

In relation, another unique feature which was

recently highlighted allows you to explore

college/university alumni career paths for more

than 22,000 colleges and universities. This tool

allows you to connect with your school’s (or any

other school’s) graduates to see where they live,

the organizations they work for, and the types of

jobs they pursue. You can also conduct searches

based on what the alumni studied, their top

skills, and how you are connected to LinkedIn

(Start Mapping Your Career With LinkedIn

Alumni: Official LinkedIn Blog, Christina

Allen, January 30, 2013).

continued on page 8

Spring 2013 7

Continued from page 7

The LinkedIn Alumni tool may be accessed at

www.linkedin.com/alumni. This feature can

greatly assist you with continuing to build your

professional online network by accessing former

classmates’ profiles.

In order to maximize your LinkedIn usage and

presence, it may be necessary for you to put

time on your calendar each week specifically for

LinkedIn updates. I personally assign one hour

per week on my calendar for working on

LinkedIn and I have found this system to be

very effective. In addition, Lindsey Pollak

mentions the importance of sending

personalized messages to professionals when

wanting to connect, accessing relevant groups

on LinkedIn when wanting to share ideas with

other colleagues, considering the creation of

your own company’s LinkedIn group to share

ideas, and “following” companies through

accessing LinkedIn Company pages to obtain

the latest news from companies of interest.

Very similar to writing a resume and the overall

career development process, truly “linking in”

to all that LinkedIn has to offer is an ongoing

process which takes time and dedication!

Sources: Webinar: LinkedIn on Campus: How LinkedIn

Can Help Career Services Professionals and Your

Students. Lindsey Pollak. October 17, 2012.

Start Mapping Your Career With LinkedIn Alumni:

Official LinkedIn Blog, Christina Allen, January 30, 2013.

Arizonans Concerned About Smoking (ACAS) will

honor Dr. Rufus Glasper, Michele Hamm and

Bianca Rodriguez with Health Leadership Awards

for their roles in the establishment of the Maricopa

Community College “Breathe Easy” initiative that

went into effect on July 1, 2012. These awards

recognize their unyielding commitment to the

establishment, promotion and support of tobacco-

free campus priorities in promoting health among

the students, faculty members and staff of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

All the on-campus contacts at all ten MCCCD Colleges and the two Skill Centers, will be publicly

recognized at the 4th Annual Health Leadership Award Ceremony on Saturday, February 9, 2013, in

Mesa, Arizona. At the Awards Ceremony, Chancellor Glasper will be the Keynote Speaker and

introduce the three individuals who helped MCCCD become a tobacco-free organization: Michele

Hamm, MCCCD Coordinator Employee Well-Being, Bianca Rodriguez, MCCCD Coordinator

Wellness Education, and Becky Henry from the Office of Tobacco & Chronic Disease Prevention,

Maricopa County Department of Public Health. MCCCD joins 1,126 colleges and universities that

are smoke-free, of those 766 are 100% tobacco-free.

source: Nikki R. Jackson,

Vice Chancellor for

Human Resources

8 Spring 2013

Impossible = I’m possible by Maribeth All – Outreach Manager, Rio Salado Community College

AWHE Institutional Co-representative

I have been working in higher education for the past 25 years. I started as a teenager in a work study

position and worked my way up into management. I have learned valuable lessons throughout this

journey from many inspirational mentors. They have inspired me to better myself and help motivate

those around me. I have also learned that many great leaders think differently—and that’s ok—

because you can still make a positive impact on society. I want to share some of the lessons I have

learned with other women with the aspiration that achieving a professional career is possible!

Be self-confident and know that you bring

value to the organization

Always have a trusted work best friend (WBF)

to share successes and mistakes

There are two sides to every story, somewhere

in the middle is the truth

When something is negative, it is just

incomplete

Only make new mistakes

Finish your degree

Never take credit for some one else’s work or

idea

Always acknowledge a job well done

There is a difference between self-confident and

conceited

You can learn more from your negative mentors

than your positive mentors

Confront your bullies and don’t lose your

composure

Major players don’t get upset

Always dress appropriately for work

Alert your boss of any issues – no surprises

Show respect to your job and the people you

work with

If you don’t respect your supervisor, transfer

departments or leave the position

Admit when you made a mistake and don’t beat

yourself up over it, accept it and move on

When supervising people, be fair and

reasonable

Don’t get so busy that you take your significant

other for granted

If you decide to become a parent, don’t lose

yourself to your job. Realize quality time over

quantity, and always make your children feel

they are important.

Limit negative self-talk

Don’t criticize others and avoid workplace

gossip

Always have a mentor

Go out to lunch at least once a week

Always carry yourself with style and class

Have good posture

Work hard on improving your skills – there is

always something to learn

Teach people how you want to be treated

Make time to mentor others

Nothing is impossible; the word itself says “I’m possible”! - Audrey Hepburn

Spring 2013 9

by Michele Hamm – Coordinator,

Employee Well-Being, Maricopa

Community Colleges

Health, wellness, and community! Cancer has

touched all of our lives. An estimated one

million people in the United States will be

diagnosed with cancer this year and more than

half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by

making healthy lifestyle choices. Choices that

include living tobacco free, maintaining a

healthy weight, eating right, staying physically

active, and participating in the recommended

health screenings.

Relay for Life is the largest fundraiser for the

American Cancer Society (ACS). Their focus is

on research, education, advocacy, and service.

Every year communities all over the world

promote and support Relay for Life events, the

state of Arizona is no different.

From February to December, you will find one

of these empowering and life-changing events in

our communities. The intention of Relay for

Life is to celebrate those who have battled

cancer, remember those that we lost to cancer,

and fight back against cancer. Relay events are

scheduled overnight and are often held at local

high schools, colleges, or parks. They involve a

walking track or path where teams of

participants take turns walking at all times

during the overnight event. All Relay for Life

events are held overnight because cancer never

sleeps.

This year, Chancellor Glasper has encouraged

participation in the Relay for Life events that are

hosted and sponsored by the employees of

Maricopa Community Colleges. The MCCCD

team from each event that raises the most money

will receive special recognition and lunch with

the Chancellor.

For valuable information or tools to keep you

and your family healthy, visit the ACS website at

cancer.org/healthy or to find a Relay event in

your community visit relayforlife.org/Arizona.

North Valley @ Paradise Valley Community

College

April 12, 2013

www.relayforlife.org/northvalleyaz

Registration: $10 per person or $100 per team

Event Chair: Suzan Scudder

602-300-8243

njwest11099@cox.net

PVCC Black Mountain @ Cactus Shadows High

School

April 20, 2013

www.relayforlife.org/cavecreekaz

Registration: $10 per person or $100 per team

Event Chair: Shannen Desautelle

Event.Chair@CaveCreekRelayForLife.org

Michele Hamm is in her first year as the Coordinator

of Employee Well-Being for the Maricopa

Community Colleges. Her goal is to create an

environment that empowers students, faculty and staff

to make informed decisions about personal well-

being, and to encourage behaviors that move towards

a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Michele started her

career with the Maricopa Community Colleges at

Estrella Mountain Community College as a Fitness

Center Technician. Michele graduated from Arizona

State University with a B.S. in Exercise Science/

Physical Education, and received her M.Ed. in

Counseling/ Human Relations from Northern Arizona

University. In fall 2012, she began her doctoral

journey in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

at Grand Canyon University.

10 Spring 2013

DATE:

Saturday, APRIL 6, 2013

TIME:

8 am – 4 pm;

Keynote at 9:30 am

WORKSHOPS:

Take a look at this year’s outstanding workshops and presenters!

AGENDA:

Check-out the conference agenda:

ADMISSION:

$50.00 (includes continental breakfast plus lunch)

$25.00 for Students (w/ ID), Veterans and Members of the Military (w/ID)

REGISTRATION:

For your convenience, registration is online:

LOCATION:

Scottsdale Community College, Performing Arts Center (for Check-in & Keynote),

9000 E Chaparral Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256

Please share your successes with us. To submit your expert tips, leadership spotlight, or professional

development opportunities, please email our team.

If you or a colleague would be interested in serving as a representative for your institution, please

contact Erin Grisham, AWHE State Coordinator at erin.grisham@nau.edu or 928.523.6990.

Spring 2013 11