(slow soft music) (moves into slow dramatic music) (slow dramatic music continues) - The Southern Illinois University Women's Leadership Council is a network of Saluki graduates, parents, and friends who are committed to creating a culture of women-driven philanthropy.

They're also mentoring future generations.

Welcome to "Eye On Education".

I'm Fred Martino, and I am pleased to have with us the council's Dr.

Dawn Korte.

As an executive human resources advisor, Dr. Korte worked with senior leadership teams to transform organizations through people, processes, and technology.

We're gonna talk about her work, the council, and Saluki Women's Weekend, which is coming up September 19th through the 21st.

Dr. Korte, thank you so much for being with us.

- Thank you for having me today.

What an honor, and you make me sound so important, so thank you.

(laughs) - Well, it is great to speak with you today.

And I, and I do wanna learn a little bit more about the council and also how you got involved.

- Well, it's a great question.

You know, Matt Kupec is the CEO of the foundation, and I'm a loyal SIU Saluki, it's in my blood.

And we happened to be on a plane ride together.

And he said, "I've got this great idea."

And I'm like, "Well, what is it?"

(laughs) And he started a similar program at UNC, and so that was three years ago.

And so I like to say that we're a toddler now.

We have 19 fearless women that sit with me on the board, and we are doing some really exciting things.

You know, it takes a village and it doesn't, it doesn't come easy.

So when we came together, we created a mission statement, and it is literally to improve the careers of SIU students, encourage diversity and inclusion, and certainly empower change.

And so that's what we're about.

And we've done a lot so far.

We've got three divisions in the program.

One around networking and, you know, fostering membership.

The other division is around mentorship, where alumni Salukis mentor current female Salukis.

And then certainly we have the philanthropy arm where we like to raise a lot of money to support microgrants and really get SIU to be known, being a woman initiative university, right?

So you're safe here to practice, you're safe here to grow, and you're certainly, as a woman, we wanna honor you for your accomplishments and empower you to do that.

So that's a little bit about what we do.

- I think this idea is so great.

I was just talking with someone the other day about this and about our mission here at WSIU to mentor students that I know that that's such an important thing in addition to raising funds, to help them go to college and be successful in college.

Often, students miss that mentorship.

And it's so crucial.

I know for me, I really make an effort in that, personally, because I felt that I didn't have enough of that while I was an undergraduate.

I had mentors later in life at, when I was employed, and I would've benefited more from having them earlier.

You do so much in that area as well.

And so it's great.

The council has a big event that's coming up, Saluki Women's Weekend, and I know anyone can be involved in this.

But you do have to register.

It's registration is online and it's available till September 16th.

This event, I understand, is beginning with an SIU alum, Erin Jackson, who's an American Airlines pilot.

Tell me about it.

- Yeah, we're super excited.

Well, first I wanna double back though and tell you about your mentorship experience because you're absolutely correct.

Three out of four women in the professional sector of any organization are gonna tell you that they have a mentor and that adds to their success.

Yet only 20% of college students even have a mentor and much less than that even think about getting one or asking.

So that's-- - Only 20%?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- So I wasn't, I wasn't unusual.

I wondered about that.

And I, of course, data helps, right?

That puts it in context.

- Data does help.

That's exactly right, Fred.

And I feel like that's a huge part of what we do, because in my book, you can't give back any other way than giving your time like that.

Right?

I mean, it is just a one-on-one, and you can really dedicate some great pearls of wisdom to them.

So aside, let's talk about the weekend.

It is our third Saluki Women's Weekend.

We're very excited.

And yes, we love to highlight women that are doing some exciting things in non-traditional women-dominated industries like aerospace, aviation.

So we're gonna start out there Thursday night and it is gonna be cool.

We are going to even let her talk about her journey and speak to us and inspire us.

So that's Thursday night, then Friday all day we'll be there.

We have all kinds of cool things coming up.

Friday, we actually have the day kicked off with Sheryl Tucker.

She's gonna be our keynote about vision and women and leading at SIU.

And then we're gonna have a deep dive on artificial intelligence.

So we're gonna talk about that.

Then we're gonna have panels on wellness and how to plan your career.

Then we're gonna have a networking afternoon.

We have vendors that are all female and, and women initiative vendors.

So that's exciting for the fair.

And then we have an ask the expert, and then a cocktail hour.

So that's Friday.

And then of course Saturday, we have a lot of interesting things going on.

We mentor with the group and the students they have there.

We actually started a student RSO Women's Leadership Council.

And so we're gonna meet with them.

And then we have all these fun activities and then leads up, of course, to tailgating, where the Dogs are gonna certainly kill SEMO.

So we're excited about that.

Not that women would be violent or anything.

- (laughs) Gotcha.

- But we're excited.

It's gonna be a great weekend.

And yes, everybody does need to register, but every woman has a story and every woman has a part in this.

And so I encourage everyone to step out for, it's gonna be a lot of fun.

- Outstanding.

I know another presentation at the event deals with artificial intelligence.

Tell us about that.

- It is, it's scary, right?

Everybody hears about it, but they don't really know.

And I know I didn't, and I spent 10 years, almost 10 years of my career in tech.

So I, for one, was scared of it too.

And I think just like everything, it's got a positive and a negative, right?

So it seems like we're hearing more about the negative, but that's why we wanted to bring it into this forum because it's a powerful tool.

And I personally think it's great to be at the crossroads of utilizing this technology for pedagogical innovation, right?

That's what we're really talking about.

How do we use it in the classroom?

How do we use it as women that are busy today?

How do we get it all done, right?

Well, we get it done with technology.

We all have a phone.

But how do we use that technology to the best of our advantage is what we're gonna talk about with AI.

I think it's interesting because when I think about the impact, it's a revolutionary time.

It's a teaching tool.

It can really jumpstart a lot of things, memos, you know, engagement with materials that you may be working on a presentation.

So we're gonna highlight that for women and really kind of give them an idea about what it is and how to harness it to their advantage.

So it's gonna be exciting, I think, a little different too.

- Yeah, very interesting, and something that a lot of people are, you know, looking for more information on.

And we should say, you know, you don't, a lot of Salukis and Saluki alums will attend, but you don't have to be a Saluki or a Saluki alum to attend this weekend.

We're hearing a lot about AI in the workplace, remote and hybrid work, and so many other issues.

You recently retired, but I want to give you a chance to tell us about your work in human resources and how it changed after covid.

- Yeah, thank you.

So, retirement is busy.

I mean, if anybody tells you retirement is not, they're lying to you.

It's busy.

But I'm really happy to be able to be a part of things that I love, which is SIU, right?

One of the things that I do.

Yes, my work was focused in HR around strategic consultation with customers and certainly, you know, on a lot of digital workforce transformations that they would do, obviously you need technology to enable that.

But then I, my last couple years I spent coaching board area and board member executives around advisement and how they want to translate their people strategy into an operational capacity.

So that's what I've done in my career.

And it's been a great ride.

(laughs) And I can tell you that HR has changed a lot since post-covid, right?

I mean, we had to scramble to figure out how we were going to live in a world where all of a sudden nobody could be face-to-face anymore.

And so probably one of the biggest things that we relied on technology to do is enable us to continue running businesses, but not in the traditional way that we were used to.

So all of a sudden we had everybody at home and how do we still make it work, right?

How do hospitals still run when we know nurses have to touch patients, right?

How do we run an organization when we know we wanna get to our customers?

So, I use the technology and that's why one of the reasons we wanna talk about AI is you can really use it to maintain engagement with your employees.

Because of course, that's our number one focus usually in HR, but also the customers.

They can be back to your company and you want 'em attached.

So for us, the biggest thing has been remote work.

And I think that's kind of a hangover, if you will, from covid.

And I just read a survey from SHRM.

SHRM is the Society for HR Management.

It's kind of one of our benchmark places that we go to as a professional, one of our professional organizations.

And they did a study around what was important to employees today.

And it's still around the ability to have flexibility in their work.

Because we all know work-life balance is kind of a joke.

I mean, right?

(laughs) Like you have to love your work because then there becomes no balance.

'Cause it's not like you can shut it off at five o'clock 'cause our minds are still running, right?

So that's kind of how we in HR really have embraced the change of post-covid, is adjusting to things that we know our employees really want.

Because it's very difficult to recruit today.

I mean, it's really hard to find great people.

And so what you wanna do is create a package that really resonates with them.

And part of that is remote work, and that came from covid.

So we're, that's why we're talking about AI because a lot of that's AI-generated.

Your chat bots are AI.

- Yeah.

- A lot of people don't know that, right?

- Yeah, absolutely.

It's a way to have assistance for customers 24/7, which allows for that work-life balance that you were talking about, which is so important.

And also, reduce unnecessary, you know, capacity that some businesses have.

So very, very important to have that, that kind of thing in certain industries.

Wellness, as you know, is not a new trend at all in the workplace, but there is certainly more focus on wellness by employees.

And I see that the Saluki Women's Weekend also has a presentation on quote, "How to be well, a well woman in today's society."

- Mm hm.

So just like when we're talking about post-covid and how HR had to adapt and what employees want, right?

That all remote work now, 'cause most companies are two days in the office, maybe three days at home or something of a hybrid model.

What it comes down to is the role, the individual, and the culture.

And that also is what it comes down to when you look at wellness.

But every woman I know struggles with that balance.

They struggle with how do I feel good some days?

And so, it's not a new trend, but I will tell you, we're gonna focus on it because I don't think you can focus enough.

And it pumps me up when we do talk about it, because frankly, I mean, when I looked at the survey, the SHRM survey, the number one thing that employees want is health benefits.

But they're not just talking about health insurance, they're talking about gym memberships.

They're talking about mental health access, you know, to coaches, to advisors, all kinds of things that come with wellness.

And so we're gonna talk about all the opportunities, what companies can do to really motivate and structure their employees around a benefit solution that works for them.

Because when I read a survey that says 88% of employers, you know, are finding it extremely important to maintain employee satisfaction through wellness benefits, then we need to be talking about it.

And we need to get our employees armed to know what to ask for.

But the biggest thing, of course, is your mental wellness right now.

And, I know through post-covid, this has been a very difficult trans, you know, transformation for a lot of people.

You know, you go from being a, so we're social creatures.

So you go from being socialized every day to nothing, right?

And so that's, that's another piece of how we've had to change the wellness model.

And again, in this survey I even discovered that they're having conversations around menopause and menopausal benefits, even though that only represents, that class and age of women only represent about 9% of the total workforce.

So that tells me that organizations are getting out there and they're really thinking about their employees and what it's gonna take to retain them.

But aside from all of that, we as individuals have to maintain our own wellness.

So that's why we wanna talk about it.

And we've got some great experts.

We've got three doctors on the panel, all alumni, that's great.

And some other supportive experts as well.

So it's gonna be a good talk.

- I'm sure a lot of people looking forward to that.

Another presentation deals with career planning.

Tell us about that.

And let's provide our viewers with your advice from your years working in human resources.

- Can you plan a career?

(laughs) I mean, I have a lot of people ask me.

- [Fred] You can try.

- Exactly, right?

I have a lot of people say to me, you know, "How'd you get where you are?"

And I'm like, "You know, I don't know."

I mean, the books will tell you, you know, put a plan together, follow the plan.

My personal tips are much less glamorous.

And I think it's important that you have to, again, now we're back down to the person, and the role, and the culture.

And you know, when I talk about my career, I have a lot of mentors to thank, which is one of the reasons why I believe in giving back so fiercely.

Because that's what it takes.

It takes somebody that's been there.

And until you need that experience, you're not gonna pay attention to it, right?

So, you can create the plan and you can work the plan.

But I think what it takes is a mentor to be successful in your career, and that's why we do the program.

It's why I talk about mentorship being one of my tips.

So again, not so glamorous, but if you don't have a board of directors, I suggest you get one.

A personal one.

- Yeah.

- Or a professional one, get a mentor.

I also talk a lot about finding your passion.

And I definitely know what mine is, and it feels like I'm having fun at work.

It doesn't feel like work anymore.

And so that's what I always say.

And then another key is be a go-to person.

Be that person that you can be counted on, right?

You may not know the answer, but be the one that says, "I'll find somebody that does or I'll help you get it."

So those are a couple pearls of wisdom from me.

But that's what we're gonna talk about on this panel, is all women that have had these experiences.

And again, some of this stuff, a longstanding joke in HR is that you can't make this up.

Okay?

(laughs) - Yeah.

- You can't.

And I think that's what's beautiful is that we have a panel of women that are really ready to share their mistakes because that's where the real growth happens, right?

When you mess it up and you go, "Okay, here's what I've learned and now here's how I'm gonna apply it going forward," that's actually a moment of pure perfection.

So we're gonna talk about that on the panel.

- Well, you, I understand will also be part of an ask-the-experts panel discussion at the Saluki Women's Weekend.

What can we expect there?

- I don't know.

(laughs) I'm kind of scared.

- So you can ask anything is what you're saying then.

- That's exactly right.

- Oh boy.

That could be a little scary, right?

- I know, right?

You never know who's in the audience.

- Yeah.

- No.

We do, we've assembled a panel too.

Because once again, I think when you're in an organization, sometimes you can't ask the vulnerable questions.

You can't ask the tough questions.

Those questions that make you look vulnerable, it gets dangerous, right?

And again, women don't want to, don't wanna put themselves in any kind of position like that in today's world.

So, we've created this panel that is literally, you can ask anything.

And we've got a heavy hitter set on there.

I don't know how I got on there, but I am, and again, I expect everything from HR to personal finance.

Because when I talk about wellness, I talk about financial wellness too.

I don't just talk about emotional, and physical, and spiritual, but financial, these building blocks that you need to be successful.

So, I don't know what we're gonna get on ask-the-expert, but we're pretty excited about it because for us, again, it's a way to share the mistakes, not so much our successes.

- Dawn, tell me about your work in philanthropy and getting more women involved in philanthropy.

- Oh my gosh, okay.

Here's my plea to all the women out there that hear me.

You all have a story.

You all have something to give back.

And it is powerful.

And I ask that you consider the WLC.

I mean, if it's a dollar, it will work.

Because what we do with this money is we take it and we put it towards scholarships for our students.

And it isn't the scholarships that you and I probably were familiar with in our day and age, right?

It was the ones that actually paid for tuition.

I'm talking about the ones that fill those gaps, that in the semester you may not be able to afford your books.

You know, you may not be able to have enough leftover to have a solid, you know, sustainability plan to eat.

So these are things that we're doing with the dollars that we raise.

And this weekend happens to be one of our biggest fundraisers.

Obvious the Day of Giving is another that we really ask other women to dig deep and think about how you want your legacy to be.

You know, that's another tip of mine in HR.

I always talk about what do you want people to remember about you when you're gone?

Gone from the organization, gone from a room, gone from this earth?

This is a way to make sure that you still give back to a place that mattered in your heart when you came here, and it matters to the people that are here now.

So this is a big opportunity for us to raise dollars.

And it isn't just the students.

We also support faculty microgrants.

We have a tight process.

They all can apply.

And we've awarded several.

So that's another big piece of Friday is when we award Saluki Women's, we have several award categories, and then we also award microgrants and scholarships.

So it's a fun day.

And again, we can't do it without everybody thinking about how they can help.

And again, it doesn't have to be money.

The other thing I always talk about is time and treasure too.

You know, it's, it takes that as well.

And the 19 women that sit on this board with me, they selflessly give their time.

And I'm thankful for that.

So it doesn't just have to be the fact that you can write a check, 'cause I can tell you that's pretty easy.

It's time and talent where it gets tough, right?

- Right.

Absolutely.

- Yeah.

- Well, certainly there is a great need for funding in higher education.

States across the country have reduced public investment and many students are choosing to attend classes online.

So I understand that the need for funding is great.

If you can just briefly give us the big picture there.

- It absolutely is.

And again, you know, students utilize a lot of ways to supplement the tuition, meet that gap, whatever they need to do.

But our dollars that we raise through this weekend all go back to SIU.

Nobody on this board is paid.

Nobody on this board does anything other than receive applications and encourage women to write them.

Both faculty, staff, and students.

And so every dollar that is raised goes back and it goes back in a way that they know it will be sustaining.

Again, we're not, we're not just supporting fun things that some women may think, oh, well, you know, you sponsored someone in an event.

Yes, but we've also sponsored grants and things like that too.

So the dollars are needed.

And again, it, it's scary the basics that we help students with sometimes, but it matters.

And they will be able to stay at SIU if we are empowering them to be there.

It's just like a lift.

- Yeah.

- And that makes me so happy.

- Yeah.

You spent also 25 years in the college classroom.

Tell me about that and how it has changed over the years.

- Well now we're back to AI, right?

Like when I taught, there was no ChatGPT.

(laughs) - Right.

- Right?

And then for those of you that are watching, going, "What's ChatGPT?

", it's a Microsoft product.

It is a artificial intelligence tool.

And it certainly helps students begin to write papers and gives them structure.

And frankly, the software's intelligent enough to create a paper.

So I'm thankful that I'm not grading those anymore and I have to, you know, detect that.

But it was a lot of fun.

And I spent the majority of my 25 years at St. Louis University in the College of Social, in the College of Health and Social Justice, teaching in their MHA program.

So for individuals that wanna go run a health system, it was great.

A lot of fun.

And again, another way that I feel I can give back.

I mean, if you ask me what my passion is and what my purpose is, it's teaching.

And I love it.

And this program gives me that opportunity too, to create these relationships for women to mentor current Salukis.

So it's kind of like teaching too.

But I still have lots of good college.

They were in college and now, of course they're into their professional lives and we're all very good friends.

And that makes me happy too, because then I know what I did worked, and I enjoyed it.

- That is so, it is so rewarding.

I know what you're talking about from teaching for many years to hear from former students and hear about their success.

And we learn, we learn from them.

We, our mentees learn from us, but we learn from them.

- Isn't that the truth.

- It is.

- And what greater?

I mean, what greater way than you standing in front of a classroom of 25, 30 kids, I call 'em kids, college students, that you are mentoring, right?

That's a powerful place.

- Yes, it is.

- And it's a trusted place.

It's a vulnerability place.

'Cause you get into their heads as the instructor, right?

More than they understand you sometimes-- - Yeah.

- As faculty.

And I think that's a great place.

'Cause then you can really see what the knowledge transfer that you're delivering in the classroom where it's working.

You can see that.

- Yeah.

- And it's great.

- Great way for us to end.

With 90 seconds to go, one of the lessons I share with my students is that no matter how much change we experience, there is always a constant.

How we adapt to the change is key to our success.

It's only a minute left.

Tell me about adaptability, how important this is in life and work.

- Critical.

Mission critical, actually.

Mission critical.

I always joke, the only person that wants to be changed is a baby in a dirty diaper, right?

The rest of us are like, "Meh."

We'll take it to a point.

We're adults, right?

We're human.

We'll change to a point.

And that's why it's absolutely critical that we learn and adapt and grow in this life.

And when I think about adaptability, the key to that is having a growth mindset, being open to hearing feedback and then applying it to grow.

That's adaptability.

- Absolutely.

Dawn, thank you so much for being with us.

- It has been a pleasure.

Thank you for having me today.

- Great to have you here.

My guest was Dr.

Dawn Korte of the Southern Illinois University Women's Leadership Council.

The council has a big event coming up, Saluki Women's Weekend.

Once again, registration is available online until September 16th.

That's "Eye On Education".

I'm Fred Martino.

For everyone at WSIU, thank you for joining us.

Have a great week.

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