Dr. Rupert has a 20-year teaching/leadership track-record in education. She is a native of Texas but has relocated to the East Coast where she is the Associate Dean of Arts & Humanities at Bristol Community College. Her background includes both teaching and administrative positions in the university and community college, international contexts, and secondary and dual credit experience in both the rural and urban high school setting. Rupert has traveled to 21 countries to-date, partnered with populations from diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds; and achieved an 8-year management career complemented by four levels of management with the largest retailer in the world. Dr. Rupert’s education is complementary to her professional and personal growth and interests. She has a BBA in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing, an MA in Composition Studies, an MA in Organizational Management with an International Focus, a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing, and she is presently working on an MA in Biblical Studies and Theology. Rupert’s profile gives her a unique way of at looking at opportunities in education and beyond that often escape others. She contributes her success to self-awareness, an unparalleled drive to grow and develop in varying ways, and a tenacity for leadership. Finally, her dissertation which required the exploration of ethnography requires mention, for it too has added to her unique perspectives and accomplishments.
Spring 2014 provided an opportunity for me to develop and facilitate professional staff writing sessions. Supporting over 20 Al Akhawayn University staff members, the following topics were developed and delivered:
Audience Awareness in the Rhetorical Situation
Standard Business Correspondence
Organization, Development, and Clarity
Grammar Review
Sentence Patterns
The curriculum included both a pre-test and post-test, lectures, exercises, discussion of writing in-context, analysis of example documents, and handout resources.
Traveling to Casablanca to Teach English
As a part-time instructor for the School of Business Administration, I traveled to Casablanca twice a month from April through June to teach graduate students seeking the MBA degree. The students work for an array of Moroccan and International companies.
Presenting in California and Morocco
Two presentations were delivered at professional conferences. Both addressed leadership—women in leadership and their aim for balance and preparing leadership institutes for an array of participants.
A Moment in the Living Portfolio
As a new initiative in my long-term use of the Teaching Portfolio, this summer I invited the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean of the School of Business Administration, a Library staff member and several faculty across disciplines as well as colleagues who teach the Business Writing course to engage in dialogue with my students about the content and pedagogical strategies employed in the class.
With renewed attention towards stellar teaching and learning at Al Akhawayn University, the initiative not only showcased an actual learning community but it engaged diverse stakeholders. The exchange was in the shadows of two workshops held at Al Akhawayn University by a Fulbright Scholar who hosted teaching, learning, and assessment sessions. A Moment in the Living Portfolio is intended for a fall publication.
Concluding the Summer
Northern Wales
After two rewarding and demanding semesters, I spent time in several European spiritual retreat settings and traveled the southern cities, villages, and towns of Ireland. Though the time included lots of rest and reflection and preparation of my fall management courses, I was also in search of photos to support my upcoming book’s cover. Europe’s diverse landscapes render great images of nature.
Recipient of a Valued AwardStudent Activities Award, Fall 2013
Regardless of the arenas I enter as a professional, I endeavor to contribute in a new, creative, and helpful manner. And though the designing, orchestrating, and implementing of my projects and the fruits of my contributions are rewarding in themselves, this is the first time I have received a trophy for my service endeavors. It was a great honor. I appreciate the AUI students, staff, and administrators who chose to recognize my contribution.
Acceptance of Two Great Conference Presentations
As one who loves formal education, it is truly rewarding when I can engage in settings that complement my educational background. Thus, the two upcoming conferences listed under the page Scholarship on this site illustrate the eclectic scholarly engagement I value.
Leadership Development Institute’s (LDI) 2nd Newsletter
During the fall semester I chose to divide the Leadership Institute participants into teams. One team was responsible for the solicitation of articles, the layout, and the overall theme of the publication. Read the newsletter to see team projects but also the outstanding job these leaders accomplished through the publication itself.
What I appreciate most in this edition are the numerous voices of students and their perception of leadership. Teaching at an institution that aims to prepare future leaders, I find their voice about leadership both valuable and formative for future contribution.
A 50000 Dirham External Gift Given to the Leadership Development Institute
Towards the end of the fall semester, I was informed by an LDI Board member that a donor was giving 50000 dirham (Moroccan currency) and that LDI would be the recipient of the funds. The donor stipulated that the recipient of the gift should have engaged in the local community.
Although the founder of LDI had instituted the LOTY Award (an event recognizing and awarding local association leaders) well before my involvement in the Institute, under my coordination, I developed and launched the First Annual Leadership Conference–a platform that brought not only local university members together but local business representatives, a member of the Moroccan ministry, association leaders, local public school teachers, a CEO from the United States, an executive from a Moroccan company, and others–to explore and hopefully implement leadership principles in the respective settings.
Second, the LDI Newsletters, originating with my coordination, were shared with diverse community members, displaying not only the contribution of LDI in the local community and the University but offering perceptions of leadership as noted by Moroccans and others.
A final contribution under my coordination were the student-led community-based projects during the fall 2013 semester. If you read the newsletter above then you have gleaned the highlights of these projects.
Fall 2013 concluded my final semester as the LDI coordinator. The position was one of the most challenging but rewarding professional experiences I have ever encountered. Yet the donation at the conclusion of my service means that I and those who worked with me have contributed to the future of LDI. So, our contribution will continue though we are not physically present–a trait of great leadership in my view.
Global Leadership Projects
I have formulated a distinct leadership endeavor that I will reveal on this site towards the end of Spring 2014. The multinational project aims to target 100 settings that will then hopefully strategically impact leadership perceptions and practice among a countless number of global community members.
Teaching One Course in the School of Business Administration
Though I am a full-time assistant professor in the English Unit, and presently the English coordinator, with two degrees in business, international work experience, and practical management experience with the largest retailer in the world, I had the opportunity to invest both my formal education and practical experiences in a 4000-level Fall 2013 management course—Management 4306, International Management. This is the capstone course for students declaring international business as an area of concentration.
As a practicing leader and a previous manager teaching this class, I fully understood how much I would have benefited from the course I was asked to teach, given the additions I made to the course. Though I used several of the assignments created by the previous professor of the course, I developed a learning arena where students were consistently required to engage through the upper tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Their preparation for experimental learning relied on their 1000 through 3000-level courses and responses to textbook questions I formulated given the expected application. Though some students struggled with the format of the class coming from a lecture-focused educational system, at the conclusion of the semester I would assess the class as a success.
In the student-centered setting I, I truly believe that students who have skills, talents, and knowledge that are less visible and neglected in a teacher-centered arena had an opportunity to thrive—a much respected opportunity for those who value different learning styles and a highly valued strategy of teaching for those who have actually engaged in management. And for those who were uncomfortable with the elevated level of participation, they entered a simulated world of management–interaction with people, situations, and tasks that often prompt discomfort, unfamiliarity, and a glimpse of how one deals with anxiety. If you would like to see a sample of the assignments I used in the class, view the Teaching Portfolio page and scroll down to Sample Assignments and then select the MGT 4306 assignment descriptions.
A Small Hand in the AUI Staff Training Program
During my first semester as the LDI coordinator, I was compelled to see how LDI could support staff, although the focus of the Institute is mainly intended to serve students. Still, I chose to have lunch with a few staff members to garner needs they had that would support a stronger contribution to the University. Most frequently I heard “training” as a much desired and needed tool for staff contribution. The next step was to gather self-identified staff needs through email solicitation from a few departments. Third, I emailed the Academic Deans to see if they wanted to add to the list generated by staff. Fourth, I met with the HR manager and the VPFA to see if LDI could assist with coordinating the training, with the stipulation that the Deans support the efforts by recommending faculty and others to lead the training. Finally, the VPAA’s assistant took the request for assistance to the Dean’s Council. At the end of the fall 2013 semester, I thought nothing would come from the efforts and given the demands of LDI and teaching 4 classes, I had little time to continue with this endeavor. However, just prior to the start of this spring semester a collaboration between the University and the Executive Education Center has led to the launch of an extensive staff training program. And while LDI had no formal role in the design, coordination, or delivery of the training program, I discovered that several of the training session topics gathered by LDI are a part of the training schedule. Consequently, LDI had a small role in the aim to develop staff in a growing and what hopes to be an internationally recognized educational institution. In my view, a small role is better than no role at all when positive change is underway.
Event Coordinator: Guest Lecture and University Collaborative Venture, a Beginning Dialogue
On October 24, 2013, Al Akhawayn’s President Driss Ouaouicha met with other university administrators to discuss an important educational topic: International Student Exchanges. Four days following the discussion, Francois-Xavier Gleyzon, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Central Florida visited AUI and met with English faculty and others to discuss a potential collaboration between our two institutions. In summary, the proposal was a collaboratively taught class at AUI which would be complemented, eventually, by exchanges of students and faculty between the two institutions. As the English coordinator, at the time, I coordinated the visit by Dr. Gleyzon and hosted the guest lecture he gave to the campus. To view a summary of the campus presentation, select the page titled Contributions at AUI on this site. The significance of the endeavor is that faculty have a key role in realizing some of the broader aspirations of the institution.
If I had to assign a grade to the Leadership Conference held June 8th at Al Akhawayn University in North Africa, I would assign the overall success an A.
Why?
• 2 stellar keynote speakers–Mr. Larbi Belarbi, a Moroccan Executive and Mr. Darron Anderson, an American Executive
• 15 sessions—lectures, workshops, and panel presentations
• Over 20 presenters from diverse areas of expertise
• 2 languages—French and English
• Over 100 participants and attendees
• 20 conference ambassadors who facilitated smooth transitions and rendered phenomenal hospitality
Conference Ambassadors
• A fund-raising event that secured funds to support local community association initiatives
• A successful honoring of the Leadership Development Institute’s(LDI) mission to disseminate leadership skills and knowledge in Morocco and beyond
• The first leadership conference at the University and the first of the chosen makeup
• An international radio interview
• Three significant post-conference deliverables: the LDI Newsletter, the Conference Proceedings, and a Conference Handbook
Conference Schedule
Time & Activity
8.30 – 9.00 Registration Desk
9.00 – 10.00 Opening and Keynote Speaker
10.10 – 11.10 Session One
11.20 – 11.50 Walking Tour or Facilitated-Networking Session
12.00 – 13.00 Session Two
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.10 – 15.10 Session Three
15.20 – 16.20 Keynote Speaker and Closing
16.30 Refreshments and Certificates
16.40 – 17.00 Walking Tour
Conference Director’s Background
Planning, coordinating, leading, and managing projects are not new to my professional experience.
With Wal-Mart, I once held the title of operations manager. In the early days, there was no training and little direction for this position. Some years later and moving from a store-level position to a store-planning position with the same company, I traveled the United States setting up new stores and remodeling others. In this position, I managed up to 200 employees setting the soft-lines area. In this role, the company provided clear direction, written plans, and effective follow-up procedures. However, every location introduced nuances that altered approaches and employee relations to support win-win situations for local store associates and store planning teams.
Though I came to Wal-Mart with a degree in business, the practical opportunities initiated a life-long yearning to develop and lead projects of impact with sensitivity to context.
Second, at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and as a full-time assistant professor of English, I took over the responsibilities for running a summer camp for elementary students for a two-year period. Though my predecessor was phenomenal and adored by many, I was able to add to the program. By the second summer and through my leadership, I had written a grant; increased the camp to two sessions, a morning and afternoon camp; and hired local public school teachers to diversify the camp staff of English graduate students.
With my Wal-Mart experience and two graduate degrees in English, project management in an academic setting began my love for theory and practice as keys to informed realized success.
The third professional context occurred at North Lake College in Dallas, Texas. In this two-year community college, I initiated and coordinated a Women’s History event for several years. Students, faculty, and staff honored women in their lives or women at a distance who were greatly admired. Event participants paid tribute through creative displays. By the time I hosted the last event, I chose to provide a scholarship that awarded the best display a tuition free three-hour course.
It was in this context and with 48 graduate religion courses completed and the pursuance of my degree in organizational management that I came to appreciate diversity–economic, social, ethnic, etc. Difference and how we thrive in difference has the possibility of creating a rich existence.
Next, taking time off from my teaching career, I explored entrepreneurialship and hosted workshops centered on my first book, REACH. Not only did the endeavor require my expertise in speaking, writing, facilitating, planning, coordinating but my marketing, advertising, networking, and budgeting skills were employed.
Leaving my job, obtaining the fourth degree, encouraging others, and promoting my first publication caused me to fully embrace vision living.
What did the above prepare me for? Entering a international setting on a full-time basis where I could establish a platform to support future leaders in Morocco, an event to showcase the power of inclusiveness and creativity, and an opportunity to illustrate that women have skills, knowledge, and the passion to develop, manage, and lead positive initiatives.
Early May it was announced that the application submitted for the President’s Innovative Fund Grant was approved to support the First Annual Leadership Conference at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.
Leadership in Strategic Planning for Realizing Extraordinary Results–2013 Conference Theme
The application required that proposed projects illustrate clear alignment with the University’s Strategic Plan.
This is a wonderful accomplishment for the Leadership Development Institute. The Spring 2013 class of LDI participants should feel most pleased with their contribution to leadership in Morocco through the conference and the potential future conferences have for creating a continuing education venue for North Africa.
Conference Overview
This year’s conference theme is Leadership in Strategic Planning for Realizing Extraordinary Results. There are over 15 sessions for attendees to select from for attendance. A morning and afternoon keynote speaker, respectively a Moroccan automobile executive and an United States oil executive. The conference also includes facilitated networking sessions and a campus tour. Finally, included in the reasonably priced conference is lunch, breaks, attendance to all sessions, and a certificate of attendance.
Conference Attendees
• Enhances skills and knowledge to impact immediate arenas in Morocco
• Receives a certificate of attendance from the AUI Leadership Conference, a copy of the bi-annual LDI newsletter, and an announcement and invitation to register for future Leadership conferences
AUI
• Establishes a visible role in promoting professional development and continual education and skills for leadership in Morocco
• Establishes a platform for potential employers to observe first-hand the knowledge, skills, and professionalism of AUI senior-level, graduate student, and alumni–creating greater appreciation and interest in the AUI graduate
• Promotes another venue for building partnerships with community members
AUI Academic Programs
• Exposes contemporary education topics for adaptation in workplace settings
• Showcases under-recognized programs at AUI that offer great value to leadership and context specific success
LDI
• Serves as a practical platform for developing leadership skills in LDI participants
• Impacts the leadership in diverse settings throughout Morocco, supporting the Institute’s mission
• Secures the financial resources to be self-sustaining on AUI’s campus and engage in development and outreach practices shaping itself as a regional and national icon for leadership development
The Leadership Development Institute (LDI) at AUI is fully engaged in bringing to fruition the Annual Leadership Conference, a first time event for LDI. Institutions seeking guidance on developing a similar campus conference, please contact me, Dr. Avis Winifred Rupert, at a.rupert@aui.ma or aviswinifred@gmail.com. LDI’s mission is to support leadership development.
Conference Theme
“Leadership in Strategic Planning for Realizing Extraordinary Results”
Every executed plan has consequences, so successful leaders broaden the variables they consider during the planning process.
Conference Benefits
Equipping Community Members with Stronger Leadership and planning Skills
Establishing Community and University Partnerships
Promoting Programs & Projects
Connecting Students and Employers
Creating a Platform for the Moroccan Leadership Voice
Networking
Supporting Staff in Professional Development
Sharing Research
Co-presenting with Colleagues and Students
Though the conference invites session leaders from various arenas outside of the University, faculty received a special notice. They daily prepare people to walk into leadership positions given the contribution of their respective fields, yet envisioning participation in a leadership conference may beyond consideration. Assistance was provided–the mark of an engaged leader:
NOTICE I: Do not let the word Leadership in the conference theme intimidate you or question your contribution. Effective leaders are skilled and knowledgeable on many subjects and processes. They also continually learn to perfect their approach towards success. You may have what Moroccan leaders or soon to be leaders are missing to make a positive impact.
NOTICE II: Not sure what to present at the LDI Conference?
Here is a tip: Consider the last unsuccessful or flawed project you observed.
Was failure due to processes, expertise, critical thought, communication, technical inefficiency, a lack of priority, uncertainty of roles, neglected tasks, etc?
Within your response and your area of expertise may be the topic for your conference proposal.
Suggested Session Topics
Participatory Planning
Employee Engagement
Coaching and Mentoring
Traits, Styles, Emotional Intelligence & Accountability in Leadership
Emergent Leaders
Leading Creativity and Innovation in Planning
People Management
Knowledge Management
Financial Management
Change Management
Developing Leadership for Meeting Expectations
Strategic Thinking and Action
Corporate Culture
Organizational Sustainability
Community Mobilization
External Factors
Selecting the Right Tools
Strategic Information Systems Planning
Social Media and the Opportunities
Communication
Expected Attendees
LDI continues to extend the pre-conference announcement to the following:
Moroccan Government Offices
University Presidents in an approximate three hour radius around Ifrane
Local University Students
High Schools Targeted by AUI
Employees of Some 300 American and Moroccan Companies
Over 30 Area Associations/Organizations
AUI Alumni
The AUI Community
Saad, Hugo, and Our Tour Guide, Mehdi, the Center’s Coordinator
AUI Center in Azrou
Today I returned to AUI’s Center in Azrou, accompanied by Hugo and Saad. Hugo and I wanted to explore the opportunity of the Director of the Center speaking to the Leadership Development Institute’s participants and Saad supported the French and Arabic language needs during this Moroccan journey.
Upon leaving the Center, I knew without a doubt that Mrs. Malika would serve as an excellent model of leadership. She has accomplished much for thousands of people–a statistic validated by the published reports one sees upon entering the community. The Center is a progressive contribution to the people of Azrou and beyond, serving 7 additional villages with extension sites.
*The Center started in 2002 with the Support of AUI in Ifrane and some 11 years later
*Provides health checkups and medication for women in the area who prior to 2002 did not have such access
*Provides informal education for children who have no access to education or who have been expelled from public education
*Allows students who test well to return to public education or to persue a professional trade
*Supports high school students with a one-year intensive program, eventually leading to an intership and employment in high need industries
*Promotes Arabic literacy in reading, writing, and mathematics for women and men
Moroccan Women Learning–the Laughter and Joy in the Room Was the Sound of Appreciated Literacy
Our tour guide noted that 400 women and about 50 men were taking literacy classes.
*Teaches women to sew and weave, ultimately leading to employment or self-employment
Sewing Classes are Coupled with Literacy Classes
The Center Celebrates Women’s History Month
*Hosts after-school activities for children
*Provides housing for children and teens who live too far away to communte the city’s public school on a daily basis
*Offers classes in English
*Offers basic computer training to anyone interested
As a part of the Leadership Institute, students engage in a series of workshops aimed at developing positive leadership skills to positively impact their lives, the lives of Moroccans, and consequently each community they enter, regardless of the country. Though, I have a host of facilitators leading a range of sessions, as the LDI Coordinator, I had the opportunity to facilitate the planning workshop for both LDI participants and AUI student club presidents. One of the aims of the Institute is to support leadership in varying arenas on campus.
The planning workshop proved to be an exciting event and one that is close to my style of leadership–I am a visionary, and planning is central to vision living. As an advocate of pursing a desired future, vision living makes each day count and each day a part of something extraordinary. Furthermore, if one is an excellent communicator, as all leaders should strive to be, such great leaders have the skills to invite others to be a part of that extraordinary pursuit.
Through the photos below, one can see that I am a hands on teacher and trainer.
The way I see it, “A true learning moment requires one to experience it to really get it.” So, during the workshop students developed ideas through writing, worked in groups, shared openly aspects of drafted plans, and of course coupled the latter with engaged mental activity. Below are a few photos and then excerpts of the PowerPoint I used to shape the workshop.
A central part of the Institute requires field-related experiences, visiting and interacting with local associations. The above PowerPoint began and concluded with a reference to field situations. The Institute is committed to helping students engage with the local community to make responsible and positive contributions. Morocco’s future leaders will be informed, engaged, and responsive. Who would not want such a leader?
This past summer I journeyed to Wales for the first time.
These days I select my vacation and retreat spots based on the beauty I am expecting to experience. Nature is soothing and relaxes my mind for careful and productive reflection. Though this is not true for all, I would say pausing does wonders for insightful and refreshed approaches to the demands of life.
When I began my career, I became intimately aware of long hours, hard work, demanding obligations, and at least a hundred voices a week seeking something from me. The latter describes the Wal-Mart management team member’s context.
Today, I still put in long hours, work hard, submit to demanding obligations, and the voices today are not only audible but stream in constantly through email. In a recent class discussion, my business students discovered that they could encounter some 400 emails a day in the workplace.
So what has changed in my professional life after some 20 years?
Realizing the value in pausing, reviewing, reflecting, and, when possible, seeking a little solitude.
If one really wants to make an impact and take responsibility for his or her contributions, there is a need to pause and question if a specific direction has yielded to the lessons of the past while considering the future. Sometimes solitude sets the stage for such consideration.
As I work with and coach student leaders in the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) and consider all the demands they face and will face after university life, I am determined to help these future local and global leaders see the value in pausing. Below is the excerpt of an email I sent after intense LDI team meetings:
Good Morning LDI Participants,
I want to thank you for what appeared to be very productive and engaged meetings last night.
Now, however, I need you to do something:
Pause, Review, and then Continue Meeting and Planning.
Take time to pause and review the following documents in your LDI Notebook:
Vision, Mission, and the LDI Agenda/Topics (see the Retreat agenda and the LDI Semester Calendar)
These topics were not selected at random; they support the features and tools of a leader.
. . .
Finally, considering your specific team, review the LOTY (Leader of the Year Award) Action Plan with noted dates and all that you reviewed above.
You are now ready to continue meeting, planning, researching, and developing questions to support phenomenal team initiatives.
A leader not only knows how to do something, but why and when he or she must complete various objectives and through which means achievement is possible.
Rupert
Do I practice what I propose? Yes. And if you would like to see the evidence, take a look at my Wales photos.
At the completion of my first semester at Al Akhawayn University (AUI) as an assistant professor, I boarded a plane May 19th with two colleagues, Dr. John Shoup and Dr. Eric Ross, and several AUI students (Moroccan and exchange students from the United States) bound for an educational opportunity in Istanbul, Bursa, Iznik, and Edirne–The Imperial Cities of Turkey.
Auditing the International Field Seminar class, even during my first semester in Morocco, was not a mistake. The course presented me with my first but not my last trip to this Eurasian country.
Though I attended the presentation given by His Excellency Tunç Ügdül, Ambassador of Turkey to Morocco who came to our campus and shared perspectives on Modern Istanbul; visited several of Dr. Shoup’s classes; listened to guest lectures; and read several of the assigned readings, including Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul: Memories and the City, which compelled me to experience the Bosphorus during an enchanting ferry ride on this treasured Turkish icon,
Turkey-in person was a living text.
The mere experience of walking the streets of Turkey, visiting its cultural and historical sites, and meeting its delightful people were the compelling victors for solidifying my appreciation for this thriving unique country. The Moroccan Muse, the portrait of my May memories, will show you exactly what I mean.
Enjoy,
Avis
P.S. The tree above may live some 800 years. One was often found in or near the courtyard of the mosques in Turkey. Just imagine if these trees could talk. You will understand such a comment when you explore the Moroccan Muse page and see a glimmer of what I observed and discovered.
I invite you into the memory of my March vacation by way of the Moroccan Muse. In addition, I am continuing to develop my professional on-line profile. Take a look at my Service page by clicking on the link above. Part of my school break was spent in Sweden leading a seminar, and shortly upon return I judged speech participants hoping to compete in London. Life is not boring by any means.
Avis 