Here in Minnesota the State Fair ended yesterday which means that summer has 
unofficially ended and all of our schools have started again. Many of you sent your own family members back to school and all of us have watched as new and returning students have started fall classes at our own schools. After taking the month of August off from our blog we are also starting back and looking forward to sharing our thoughts on leadership in higher education with you.
The excitement of a new school year reminds us of the importance of our leadership work in higher education. All of our students at our schools are taking steps to create and improve their futures and we are stewards of the resources that help them succeed in their journey! 
During September our focus will be on the leadership competency of Demonstrating Good Stewardship. At Minnesota State Colleges and Universities we describe that as:
- Understanding general principles of budgeting, finance and human resource management
- Making informed decisions regarding resource allocation
- Communicating decisions regarding resources in an effective manner to stakeholders
Stewardship of resources may not seem like the most strategic thing that leaders do, but our work setting priorities, managing resources of all types effectively, and helping our people understand priorities and decisions determines the quality of education our students receive from our schools.
I know I enjoyed going down the giant slide with my daughter at the State Fair and taking a short blogging break during August! 
I hope all of you are also feeling refreshed as the school year starts and are ready to dive back into learning more about leadership in higher education.
Todd Thorsgaard
Higher EDge 