SUNY Showcase: We're All Connected

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College for Kids and Teens

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Reinventing the Middle Class

While we watch the confusing economic indicators alternate between “turning around” and “sinking further into oblivion,” there’s something far more fundamental under way with the economy in this country. We’re talking about the 99 percent and Mitt Romney’s tax returns, but these topics cloud the already complex topic of what is happening to the middle class in this country. 

Our image of the middle class is rooted in later 20^th century U.S. society – a unique period when our country was the only developed nation in the world untouched by World War II, which allowed us to help rebuild nearly every other developed nation that had been devastated by years of intense war and destruction. This allowed our economy to thrive by supplying other countries with everything they needed. Jobs were plentiful and the middle class as we know it was born; however, capitalism in an industrial-based economy does not naturally create a middle class. It structurally creates “haves” and “have nots” as noted by Andrew Carnegie who said individuals, “… under the free play of economic forces, must, of necessity, soon be in receipt of more revenue than can be judiciously expended upon themselves; and this law is as beneficial for the race as the others” (Wealth, 1889). His rationale at the time was that capitalists would make a lot of money and would then redistribute their excess wealth to those in need through philanthropy. In a post-industrial economy, it’s just not that simple. *

We may think of the loss of manufacturing as a recent phenomenon in the past decade, but U.S. Department of Labor figures show that manufacturing employment actually peaked in 1980. I just finished Bill Clinton’s “Back to Work” that provides a pretty clear picture of where we’ve been and posits some interesting ideas for getting the economy moving. He makes the point that as manufacturing slowed, the technology boom of the 1990s grew the economy. However, the post-dot.com economy was based on manufacturing value (hedgefunds, derivatives, etc.) instead of products, unsustainable components (housing, etc.), and exchange activity (service industries) – none of which provides for long-term economic success. And here we are.

Whether or not the middle class is shrinking depends on what statistics you manipulate – it is or it isn’t. However, amidst this backdrop, I am increasingly convinced that entrepreneurship and an entrepreneurial spirit will be essential in revitalizing our economy and reinventing the middle class in this post-industrial information age. Large corporations will continue to play an ever-significant role in the economy, but as they are able to trim costs (and labor) to increase profits, the jobs have to come from somewhere. An entrepreneurial-based economy will continually develop businesses that identify a unique niche and then network and interact with one another and provide good-paying jobs. Instead of our community having five employers with 1,000 jobs, we can more easily sustain fifty employers with 100 jobs. Smaller, leaner, more nimble entrepreneurs will diversify the local economy and sustain this region for the next several decades. 

This is why MVCC is working hard to develop smart resources for entrepreneurs through the Challenge and Opportunity Campaign. We have a strong business program that provides a great foundation for new entrepreneurial offerings and our Center for Corporate and Community Education, along with the MVCC Foundation, can provide the necessary resources and networks that will help MVCC, along with all of our partners, build entrepreneurial capacity right here in the Mohawk Valley. Stay tuned …

If you have any questions or comments on this post, please contact me at presblog@mvcc.edu.

* This blog was greatly informed by Anirban Basu’s presentation to the Strategic Horizon Network in June 2008.

The Educational Excellence Fund

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Revitalizing the Economy

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Breaking Barriers

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Creating Opportunity

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Fall Commencement

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Preparing for Final Exams

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Being Well

I recently spent ten days on crutches after a minor surgery on my ankle.  I gained an entirely new appreciation for my mobility during this period of being so limited. Not being able to go through my day as easily as I wished gave me a new perspective on wellness.

During this period, I occupied my mind with a good book, a few documentaries, and some TED talks. I also came across the following article in the Observer-Dispatch: http://www.uticaod.com/living/x300721118/Promoting-healthy-workers-is-a-win-win-for-local-firms. With the opening of the Robert R. Jorgensen Center this fall, I couldn’t help but picture MVCC in this article a year from now, thanks to the good work of our Wellness Design Team.

Earlier this fall, the Wellness Design Team presented the results of their work and their thoughtful recommendations – http://www.mvcc.edu/design-teams/wellness-2010-2011. After researching best practices related to employee wellness at local organizations (some of which were named in the above referenced article), the design team recommended the following three priorities along with the idea of starting small with quality resources and support:

1. Focus on physical wellness, nutrition and smoking issues 
2. Eliminate the wellness pass fee for full-time employees
3. Create a wellness committee to help with coordinating and promoting wellness programming

The design team emphasized the fact that MVCC has a number of great resources already in place – they just need to be coordinated and promoted into a comprehensive wellness program. An effective employee wellness program will draw upon the talents of our health center, human resources office, employee enrichment, our partners at Sodexo, as well as the wonderful fitness centers at both the Utica and Rome campuses. The recommendation to eliminate the wellness pass fee for full-time employees was immediately accepted and implemented so as to minimize any barriers to participation in wellness activities.

As Team MVCC goes about its work of bringing the College together for community walks and fundraising activities, my hope is that the wellness committee will be able to garner similar momentum in bringing the college together around our individual and collective wellness. Walking that fine line between "incenting" without incensing and motivating without offending, an effective employee wellness program will provide people with opportunities and resources that, based on research and best practices, will increase job satisfaction, civility, productivity, and morale, while decreasing stress, anxiety, negativity, incivility, absenteeism, and turnover. It's not a cure-all solution, but wellness programs have continually proven themselves to have a very positive impact on everyone who participates and the organization as a whole.

Whether a lack of wellness is caused by needing crutches, having a debilitating disease or physical disability, being overweight or obese, lacking financial or mental health, or some other life circumstance, achieving a general state of wellness is important for each of us to rise to our potential and achieve success and happiness personally and professionally. The work of the wellness design team and the future work of the wellness committee provides us the necessary framework to bring all the resources and support together to create an outstanding wellness program for faculty and staff at MVCC. Who knows, with the time on crutches behind me, I might have another Boilermaker race (or even a warrior dash!) or two left in me.

If you have any comments or questions on this post, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.