Venture Capital for the Mind
A Hathaway Brown Success Story

Imagine you’re walking through an open-air market in the Baliem Valley of Papua, Indonesia during a three week adventure in which you are exploring the culture of the area’s native people…now, imagine that your employer is funding the entire experience as part of its in-house professional development program. If you are a faculty member at Hathaway Brown School this scenario may be far from imaginary!

Located in Shaker Heights, Ohio on a campus with an atmosphere and facilities that would rival many small liberal arts colleges, Hathaway Brown (HB) has been preparing young women for productive and successful lives in college and beyond for nearly 130 years. Ohio’s oldest independent preparatory School for girls, HB is also one of the “oldest” winners of the NorthCoast 99 award, being named one of the top places to work in Northeast Ohio for six of the last seven years. In an institution whose mission is to provide excellent education to its students, it is no surprise that the School is equally as committed to providing an excellent work experience that attracts and retains the best faculty and staff.

The Importance of a Great Workplace
The administration at Hathaway Brown understands that it needs to employ the most talented educators and staff in order to fully support its mission.

“Our faculty is challenged to be the best – to establish national standards,” explains Donna Smith, Human Resources Manager at Hathaway Brown. In order to be the best, the School must attract and retain the best talent available.

For this to be possible, the administration also understands that it is incredibly important to have an attractive and dynamic workplace. However, unlike other private institutions and organizations that have the ability to offer intriguing career advancement opportunities, the nature of the teaching profession poses a unique challenge for HB – there simply isn’t a great deal of upward mobility.

In response to this challenge, HB has developed a workplace culture that encourages and supports more “horizontal” growth opportunities. In addition, it has created a strong link between the individual professional development opportunities it allows its staff and the positive affect those experiences will have on the success of the institution as a whole.

The Osborne Catalyst Fund
“We call it ‘Venture Capital for the Mind’,” says Hathaway Brown Head of School, Bill Christ , while describing HB’s unique annual professional development program, The Osborne Catalyst Fund.

The Fund, established in 1990, is an in-house opportunity designed to make possible intellectually adventurous experiences – travel, fieldwork, special studies, curricular invention, writing projects – which could spark innovative ways of thinking and teaching.

Approximately $5,000 is distributed per summer, with grants varying in size according to the scope of the approved projects. The fund is managed by Christ and Hathaway Brown’s faculty and staff may submit proposals to access funding on an annual basis. The proposals must include a concise description of the project, its expected outcome, and the way in which it will enrich the faculty member and the School.

Those who are selected must present the results of their work back to the faculty and staff of the School upon completion, again highlighting how the experience enriched their own development and its possible applications to the School’s curriculum and programs.

“Professional growth is not dictated at Hathaway Brown,” explains Christ, “But we do allow our faculty freedom for them to grow. We describe the Catalyst Fund as ‘Venture Capital for the Mind’ because we truly see it as an investment in our faculty and the future success of our institution.”

For example, the program has sparked dozens of enhancements to the School’s curriculum including new language programs, international alliances, exchange programs, and opportunities for the School’s faculty, staff, and students to make a stronger impact in their communities.

Some other notable examples include the following:

• Recording an Album – The Catalyst Fund enabled a music teacher at HB to professionally record and produce her own album of original songs. The experience provided a unique opportunity for the faculty member to express her creativity and improve her skills. In addition, she was able to take what she learned from her experience and use her recordings to enhance her classroom curriculum.

• Writing Center – Through the Catalyst Fund, an HB faculty member developed a state-of-the art writing “lab” that provided a wonderful new resource where students could participate in college-level writing programs and build their skills. The project not only helped the faculty member grow professionally and enhanced the educational experience for students, but it also created new opportunities for the School to interact and improve its involvement in the community. As a result of the Writing Center, HB now sponsors a one-of-a-kind annual writing festival that includes workshops and seminars facilitated by HB faculty and half a dozen experienced, professional writers.

• Day Care Center – The Catalyst Fund initiated a project to create a staff-development and parent resource center program for parents and teachers of infants and toddlers. Through that project, HB established an on-site Day Care Center which now serves as a national model for schools and other private institutions.

The Business Case
HB doesn’t try to hide the fact that the purpose of the Catalyst Fund isn’t and entirely altruistic venture. There are clear advantages for the School to offer this program, and although Hathaway Brown is an educational institution, the business case for implementing a development program like The Catalyst Fund can apply to almost any business. Specifically, the Catalyst Fund allows Hathaway Brown to…

Offer more services to customers
As a result of the Catalyst Fund, HB has been able to enrich its curriculum and develop programs that make it more attractive to its “customers” (parents, students, the parents of prospective students, and prospective students).

Develop more productive employees
The Catalyst Fund has helped HB faculty improve their skills as professional educators, helping to maintain and increase their level of “productivity”.

Enhance the image of organization
Through new and innovative programs created through the Fund, the School has received local, national, and international recognition.

Better attract and retain top performers
This program sets HB apart from other educational institutions. Career development opportunities are very important to top performers, and the Catalyst Fund is a unique and intriguing opportunity that may be very attractive to highly-talented educators. Plus, it serves as an excellent retention tool by giving faculty members an opportunity to expand their professional development while directly contributing to the success of the institution. It builds a sense of ownership and pride in faculty members toward the success of their programs and the success of the School.

Measuring Success
Has The Catalyst Fund been successful at helping Hathaway Brown attract and retain Top Performers? Has it been successful at enhancing the School’s curriculum and its faculty’s productivity?

From the list of initiatives that resulted from Fund sponsored projects, it seems that the answer to the second question is a resounding “Yes”. In terms of the Fund being an attraction and retention tool, consider the following:

• HB’s faculty and staff average 14 ½ years of experience with the School.
• 70% of the faculty have advanced degrees and a significant number also have PhDs
• The School consistently recruits from the nation’s top Ivy League Schools and local institutions

Although these facts may be difficult to attribute directly to The Catalyst Fund, it is clear that the Fund contributes to a culture and workplace atmosphere that appears to be highly attractive to some of the most talented educators in the country.

This story was compiled by ERC and is the property of ERC and the NorthCoast 99 program. Any reproduction or distribution of the information included in this report is prohibited without express written consent of ERC.