I have been a Senior Fellow since 2003 and President since 2012Founded in 1981, the Center for Policy Studies (CPS), now the Center for Policy Design (CPD), is a Minnesota based non-profit, 501(c)(3) designated, policy design organization, focusing on healthcare, E-12 schooling and postsecondary schooling.The CPD develops recommendations to deal with the complexity that is required to increase the performance of large systems and actively assists those who decide to advance the Center's recommendations.Some things I think about:On system change - Walt McClure reminds us that systems of people behave the way they are structured and rewarded to behave. If you want them to change -- change the way they are structured and rewarded.On motivation - we would get further in our policy discussions if we spent less time criticizing organizations for doing badly (and challenging them to do better) and more time asking them what causes them to perform the way they do.On tomorrow - Ted Kolderie reminds us that change is inevitable. There is a lifecycle to organizations. The question is: are we replacing what we lose? Are we keeping up, overall, our institutions of public policy? Or are we coasting now...drawing down and not replacing the institutions of public policy we need. On the value of working on two fronts - Walt McClure encourages us to think on two levels when working with our institutions of public policy: They are:What are the system elements - the sets of all organizations and individuals in the system?What is the system structure - the sets of all relevant interactions between the elements that lead to the performance of the system?The performance of large systems must be addressed at both levels simultaneously-- both elements and structures -- if we are to be successful in advancing new policy designs.

The Education Policy Fellowship (MN EPF) is a joint venture of the Minnesota based Center for Policy Design (CPD), Lakes Country Service Cooperative and BrightWorks Service Cooperative (formly Metro ECSU). All three organizations are Minnesota based organizations.For more information see -- http://www.centerforpolicy.org/fellowshipsI was a Fellow in 1979-80. I have been a co-coordinator since 1993 and and the senior coordinator since 2012.2020/2021 is the 45th year of the Minnesota Education Policy Fellowship Program. The first year of the Minnesota Fellowship was 1975-76. Since then 556 Minnesota based Fellows have completed this unique policy experience.The Fellowship, along with similar fellowship programs in 17 other states, has a primary focus on state and federal policy development and the type of leadership that is necessary to influence policy development. It is designed to expand and update the participants working knowledge of state and federal policy design/redesign, enactment and implementation.Some things I think about:On public policy and policy design - policy is a course of action, for a given period of time (which is always unknown), based on a given set of circumstances, designed to influence future decisions and actions.Policy design is a proposal for action, for a given period of time (which is almost always unknown), based on a given set of circumstances, designed to influence future decisions and actions.Both policy and policy design require a sequence of "hows"​. Take the discussion about the "achievement gap"​. People say we have a problem - the achievement gap. Asked what the goal is they say to reduce or eliminate the gap. What must follow then are answers to three questions. First, what is the policy "how"? Second, ​what is the implementation "how"​? Third, what is the political "how"? Without answers to the three "how" questions problems that require new policy designs or redesigns cannot be solved.

For three years following my retirement in 2009, as the vice president of university relations, I provided leadership for the "Legacy and Leadership Gifts"​ effort for the Carol Young Anderson and Dennis L. Anderson Center and the Kenneth H. Dahlberg Memorial to Service. The Anderson Center was dedicated on October 5, 2012 and the Dahlberg Memorial to Service was dedicated on October 30, 2012.On December 6, 2012, I was recognized as vice president emeritus of university relations by the President and Board of Trustees for extraordinary loyalty and service to the community that is Hamline University.

Designed, and served as the core faculty for, the master's level public policy course - Education Policy: Design and Action. This course was required in the Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree programs.Served as the faculty of record on public policy at the masters level.Some things I think about:On evaluating teachers - Children and young adults, between ages 5 and 18, spend much more time out of school than in school. Depending on which state it ranges from 85% to 88% percent time not in school Given this, teachers should not be held completely responsible for "in school" student learning given they only have them for 12% to 15% percent of the time.Even if nothing was learned during the 12% to 15% they cannot be 100% liable.Teachers are the only helping profession that does not start the evaluation process with a look at their professional practice. In every other helping profession, the professional’s practice is considered first before judging the outcome of their practice.Teachers should be given the same professional respect. They should not be held solely responsible for student achievement if their professional practice was deemed appropriate and effective.On teaching - I never hear individuals in other professions say they "I used to be a physician or a lawyer or ....." -- so why do people who have left teaching say "I used to be a teacher".On schools created by charter - In this country we do not have "charter schools" --- we have public schools created by the process of chartering. This is a critical distinction. It would be helpful to if we stopped using the term "charter schools". What we have, in fact, are districted public schools (as we always have had) and now, as a matter of policy, non-districted public schools (non-districted public schools are schools created by process of chartering).

Provided leadership and management for:University Relations (alumni relations, donor relations [development], government relations, community relations, media relations, church relations), Marketing/Communications, Strategic Communications, Crisis Communications, and the University Archives. During specific periods managed the University's HR and IT functions and served as the University's Chief Financial OfficerProvided leadership for, and managed, the university's 150th Anniversary Celebration (1994-2004) including its $150,000,000 New American University Comprehensive Campaign (final total $156,632,124). Both were celebrated in October 2004.

Provided leadership and management in the formulation of the Governor's policies and worked closely with all executive branch agencies and the Legislature to ensure the enactment and implementation of those policies.