“The Publishing Path: Finding a Home for your Book” will be held Saturday, March 3, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on the Rice campus. This is the second time this workshop has been offered, and the interest level has been high.

We asked Cyndi a few questions about what she sees happening among would-be authors these days:

What are the common misunderstandings people have about the publishing process?
I would say that the most common misunderstandings are:
• Writing is EASY! Anyone can do it.
• Writing a book is all you have to do; you don’t need to know anything about the business of publishing.
• Once I get an agent, my book will magically appear and hit the best-seller lists.
• If a writer gets a book published, he or she can quit her day job and write full time.

What are errors that people tend to make in the process?
So many writers don’t know what they need to know about writing and the business of getting published that they don’t make informed decisions. I cringe whenever I get call from a writer saying something like “Well, I just received my 500 self-published books. How do I get reviewed in Publishers’ Weekly?”  or “I just finished my book, and I don’t have time to find an agent, Give me some names of agents I can contact.” The business just doesn’t work that way, and many writers do not take the time to learn about publishing.

A corollary to that is the writer who refuses to treat his or her writing like a business, something that is crucial, even for writers who are published by major publishing houses. A wise observer — I wish I could remember who — said that publishing is 5 percent writing and 95 percent marketing and business. The actual percentages might be more like 20 and 80, but largely, I think that’s true.

Another big error I see writers make is taking costly shortcuts, usually in the name of saving money. Examples include failing to hire a good editor to review his or her book before sending it to an agent or publisher, not double checking facts or sources, designing a book yourself just because you have design software, or rushing out an ebook when more work on the manuscript would have made it a much stronger book.

What types of books do you see people writing these days?
The good news is that almost everything goes these days. I’m not really seeing one big trend besides zombies and vampires, which I am SO over with one exception: I can’t wait for Justin Cronin’s “The Twelve,” the sequel to “The Passage.” Call me a misty-eyed optimist, but I truly believe that if a writer writes the book that he or she really wants to write, something good will happen!

Course participants will get a guided tour of Houston Ballet's Center for Dance. Photo by Nic Lehoux, courtesy Gensler

One of the highlights of our course “A Case en Pointe: Behind the Scenes with Houston Ballet” which starts Wednesday, February 22, is the tour of the spectacular new Center for Dance on April 11. The $46 million facility, which opened last year, is the largest of its kind in the United States.

Six stories and 115,000 square feet, the Center for Dance is located downtown at the intersection of Preston and Smith, across the street from Wortham Theater Center where the Houston Ballet performs. The building includes nine dance studios, a costume shop, a dance lab that seats 175 for presentations as well as rehearsals, and artistic, administrative and support facilities for Houston Ballet and its academy.

Production Director Thomas Boyd, who will lead the tour of the facility, stressed the value of housing all elements of the company in one beautifully functional space. “We are so fortunate to be able to rehearse, design and present in such a well appointed facility,” Mr. Boyd said. “It’s truly as we hoped it would be; the design really does work.”

“We feel totally limitless and fearless in here,” explained principal dancer Melody Mennite in an April 2011 article in the Houston Chronicle.

Studio space inside Houston Ballet's Center for Dance. Photo by Amitava Sarkar

Houston Ballet is America’s fourth largest ballet company, an ensemble of 52 dancers with an annual budget of $19.2 million and an endowment of $57.6 million (as of May 2011)

“A Case en Pointe: Behind the Scenes with Houston Ballet” meets eight Wednesdays, February 22-April 11, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Madison Morris outside a studio in Houston Ballet's Center for Dance. Photo by Nic Lehoux, courtesy Gensler

Joseph Walsh and Artists of Houston Ballet. Photo by Amitava Sarkar

Do you ever wonder how our diverse schedule of personal development courses comes into being each spring and fall? Whether focused on U. S. or world history, a country or culture, one of the performing arts, a religion, a philosopher or an area of science, one key facet is essential in creating these courses — collaboration.

The courses that you find appealing and that eventually provide you with a new branch of knowledge or fresh perspective are the result of a great deal of behind-the-scenes collaboration — both in-house and with our community co-sponsors. Over the years, Continuing Studies has offered classes with help from dozens if not hundreds of collaborative co-sponsors. They may help in a variety of ways, from providing the initial idea for a course to offering instructors or classroom locations or just helping with course marketing. We believe our collaborative efforts pay off in better, more thorough educational experiences for our participants.

Rothko Chapel. Photo by Hickey-Robertson

This spring alone, we’ve worked with 21 groups to create many of our personal development courses. The list is below (with links to the courses they helped create). Whether they are from within the Rice community or friends from “outside the hedges,” these entities are invaluable to our success, and we are honored to have their collaboration and co-sponsorship.

"Best Boards" keynote speaker and Rice Trustee, Larry Kellner

Larry Kellner, president of the Houston-based private equity firm Emerald Creek Group and former CEO of Continental Airlines, will serve as keynote speaker at our 11th annual “Best Boards: A Leadership Conference for Nonprofits” on Thursday, March 1.

Acknowledging the fact that recruitment for nonprofit organizations’ boards of directors is all too often an afterthought, Kellner’s address entitled “The End of the Accidental Board” will offer strategic approach to board recruitment, guiding organizations through the transition from a self-perpetuating board to a dynamic leadership team that understands organizational needs and reflects diverse constituencies.

“Finding and keeping great board members is among the top challenges for many nonprofit organizations, despite the fact we know boards can tremendously impact the success of an organization,” says Angela Seaworth, director of the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership which administers the conference. “Mr. Kellner’s practical advice, from his experience on various boards, will help nonprofit organizations be more intentional about building the strong boards necessary to support their mission.”

Kellner currently serves on the Rice University Board of Trustees, as well as the boards of the Boeing Company, Marriott International and The Chubb Corporation. He also served as the 2011 chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership.

Designed for trustees and staff of nonprofit organizations, the day-long “Best Boards” conference will focus on the elements of successful board governance, including intentional recruitment and engagement of board members, finance, fundraising, board/staff dynamics, measurement and evaluation, and the effective use of committees.

Visit our website for more information.

Dr. Jennifer Gigliotti, new associate dean of the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies

Jennifer Gigliotti, executive director of our Center for College Readiness, has been named an associate dean of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

“This new title reflects her academic and administrative responsibilities within the school, campus-wide, and in the broader community,” according to Mary McIntire, ’75, dean of Continuing Studies. “She is increasingly asked to represent Rice in K-12 communities regionally and nationally.”

Gigliotti was recently asked to integrate several of the university’s K-12 outreach programs into Continuing Studies, as well as to provide support for all other Rice K-12 with the expressed intent of communication, coordination and collaboration among the various groups.

The mission of Center for College Readiness is to provide development opportunities for teachers, administrators and students to deepen their knowledge of academic content and increase their awareness of the importance of college readiness skills.

In 2011, Gigliotti was honored by the Rice Board of Trustees for her achievements within Continuing Studies and was awarded the Adelle F. Robertson Continuing Professional Educator Award from the University Professional Continuing Education Association.

Gigliotti holds an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Houston as well as an M.Ed. in secondary social studies education and a B.A. in psychology and history from Ohio State University.

The winners will be showcased at an event (open to participants) at the Brochstein Pavilion on Wednesday, April 4, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Those who are awarded prizes will be notified ahead of time so they can make plans to attend, but — for added excitement — we won’t announce who has one what prize until the event. The unveiling will take place at 5:45 p.m.

Also, the first-place winner will be featured in the Continuing Studies fall 2012 catalog!

A big thanks to our co-sponsors for their help with the contest:

• Rice Centennial Celebration
• Rice University Office of Public Affairs
• Woodson Research Center at Rice University 

Good luck to all. See our previous blog entry about the contest.

First page of the Emancipation Proclamation, written in 1863

Most people who can say they have seen the Emancipation Proclamation in person have made the trip to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. But Houstonians are in luck! We will have the chance to see this important document at the Houston Museum of Natural Science during its brief five-day visit from February 16-20.

When the document was on display at the Henry Ford Museum this past year, more than 21,000 people came to see it over a 36-hour period. According to Amy Potts, director of adult education at HMNS, the delicate document is only shown in short increments of time with reduced lighting to protect its condition and continued well being.

Our spring course, “The Emancipation Proclamation: A Rare Look at a Monumental Document”, kicks off with the opportunity to skip the lines and walk right up to this historic, handwritten document with a small group of fellow classmates. To continue the discussion over the next four weeks of the course, participants will then have the chance to delve deeper into its impact with distinguished faculty from Rice University, Duke University, the University of Oklahoma, City University of New York as well as noted Civil War historians.

Register for this course before February 7 to receive an early registration discount. Visit www.hmns.org for more information on the Discovering the Civil War exhibit.

Photo courtesy National Archives and Records Administration

Instructor Kim McGaw

Your classes can get pretty rowdy. What goes on in there?
Let’s just say there’s a reason why my “Thinking on Your Feet” classes are held across campus from the Continuing Studies building in Duncan Hall at a time when it is mostly empty: We’re a loud bunch. You can hear laughter and applause from down the hall.

Part of that stems from the fun and supportive culture I’ve tried to create in the classroom, so that people feel more confident to take risks and do things outside their comfort zones. On the first day, I let my students know that there are no “right” or “wrong” ways to do things in my class and that it’s okay to fail. In fact, I tell them to jump in with both feet. If they fail, I encourage them to fail big time, laugh at themselves — and then get up and try again. And they do.

“Thinking on Your Feet” is 100-percent participatory and appeals to multiple learning preferences. Students play games that hone lateral thinking skills. In one session, someone might be required to come up with both a TV ad and advertising jingle in under five minutes, role play as a disruptive coworker, have a conversation entirely in questions or speak extemporaneously on a given topic.

Most of the exercises are timed and have elements of competition. People are so focused on winning, they forget to be self conscious and surprise even themselves with what they’re able to pull off in class.

Can you give an example or two of participants who were really transformed by the class experience?
One of my students was an engineer from China who initially found it difficult to participate in many of the exercises due to his extreme shyness. But he revealed something we never would have expected: he had developed a keen interest in poetry slams and set a goal of participating in one by the end of class. He came out of his shell over those eight weeks, and on the last day of class he presented a poem he had written about how much he would miss our Monday nights together. It mentioned everyone in the entire class by name. After the course, he continued to write and perform, all while continuing his job at a Fortune 100 company.

Another student, a marketing executive and Rice alumna, took my class because she felt she was in a rut at work and wanted to freshen her thinking. She also was the mother of young children and wanted to have some scheduled playtime of her own to look forward to each week. By the third week, she had gotten the majority of people to arrive early and have dinner together before class. When the course ended, she reached out to some of her classmates and organized monthly reunions where everyone continued to play the games from class and also brought their own games into the mix. Over time, each person brought new people from her network into the group. Those monthly get togethers went on for two years.

Who inspires you and why?
I’m in awe of Michael Ray, who created the revolutionary “Personal Creativity in Business” course at Stanford Graduate School of Business. I’ve modeled many of my unorthodox teaching methods on his famous classes. He has a gift for reminding people that they have the innate capacity to innovate and be creative. And even more, he has that rare ability to help people rediscover what they’re passionate about.

We are thrilled to be included with the other Rice milestones and encourage you to take a walk through campus to discover the history of this great institution.

For a map of campus, go to rice.edu/maps.

Joe is president of the consulting firm, Leadingwell Associates and a past president of the American Leadership Forum. We asked him a few questions about the class and just how it is one can teach leadership.

Instructor Joe Synan

Some people say leadership can’t be taught. How do you respond to that?
Based on my experience, leadership is much more like art. In fact, I might go as far as to say that leadership is an art. I believe art can be taught. If you hold your brush this way and use the paint that way a painting will result on the canvas. The research on effective leadership clearly points out that leadership is “a practice.” Leadership is not born. The research demonstrates that effective leaders have a wide variety of innate personalities.

When you teach, you purposefully use the term “leadership practices” instead of “leadership skills.” What is the distinction?
Stated most simply, someone who effectively implements the best practices of leadership is an effective leader. It is so straightforward. If you do what effective leaders do, you will be an effective leader. Of course, repeated practice leads to a developed skill. So, in some ways leadership practices lead to leadership skills. But the focus of this workshop is on learning about and committing to the practices of effective leadership.

How do you distinguish “management” from “leadership”?
In our curriculum, there is a careful distinction between the two concepts:
Managers – do things right; leaders – do the right thing.
Managers focus on – efficiency; leaders focus on – effectiveness.
Managers manage – business processes; leaders lead – people.
Management is an activity of the – mind; leadership is an activity of – heart.

This program includes two hours of free coaching from you for each participant. What can one expect from those two hours?
This course requires each participant to undertake a very specific leadership initiative. This leadership initiative is an effort to personally enhance their practice of leadership. In our coaching sessions, we focus on what areas of leadership the individual would like to enhance. Then we talk through what they need to do differently to be a better practitioner of this leadership. The role of the coach is to help them identify where it is they can be a more effective leader, and then to help them to identify what they will do differently. Their leadership initiative will be an attempt to put this different action into practice so that they will be a better leader.

These two hours are usually divided so that there are two independent conversations. One will be at the outset of their leadership initiative, helping them define what it is they will pursue. The second hour is usually towards the end of their efforts to try and do something different. This coaching is to help them in these efforts and to help them see how they have developed and grown as an effective leader.