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June 21, 2012
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FERPA Clear and Simple: The College Professional’s Guide to Compliance
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance has always been challenging due to complex regulatory language and exposure to risk. However, institutions that do not comply are in jeopardy of losing federal funding. Accessible and user-friendly, FERPA Clear and Simple clarifies the regulations and provides a ready reference for compliance and problem solving. This need-to-have guide offers critical and relevant material (including the 2008 Amendments) from a new perspective to help staff in student affairs, academic departments, and administrative support positions understand and comply with FERPA guidelines.
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11/30/2011 12:00 AM

Establishing a Climate of Trust

From The Department Chair Insider, October 2010 – Vol. 2

Q. What does trust mean and what can I do to establish or maintain a climate of trust in my department?

A. Trusting others means you are willing to accept being vulnerable to them. Mutual trust is the extent to which two or more individuals have positive expectations of one another. There are four ways in which department members may demonstrate trust in each other:
  • Openness is a willingness to share relevant information. It isn’t necessary to disclose everything, but it is important to be honest about what is communicated. Openness encourages reciprocal communication from others and facilitates development of productive interdependent relationships.
  • Caring for others means placing the interests of others at a level that is at least equal to your own self-interests. Caring may involve asking questions about others so that they feel your genuine concern for their lives and well-being. Others want to know you care before they care about what you know.
  • Reliability means acting in a consistently dependable manner. You can establish credibility by following through on your commitments—that is, walking the talk.
  • Competence means being able to apply the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes to get the job done effectively. Pursuing professional development opportunities contributes to your continuous improvement in this trust component.? 
When even one of the four trust components is deficient there may be a hesitancy to become vulnerable to others. Be patient, because it takes multiple experiences and time to improve perceptions of trust in ongoing relationships. To read more about these ideas see the 2008 book by A. Mishra and K. Mishra, Trust Is Everything: Become the Leader Others Will Follow.

—Gary Shulman is Chair of the Department of Communication at Miami University.