Reflecting on the Carlow Common Hour Meetings

This past week saw the conclusion of the Common Hour meetings for fall 2017, a new initiative of the Center for Mercy Heritage this year. This month’s meeting was a robust discussion of the Carlow University philosophy statement which was drafted in 2014-15 to support the then newly adopted mission, vision, and values statements. Taken together these statements provide a concise way of articulating the Carlow approach to higher education. A major focus of the discussion was the notion of the transformative power of a liberal arts education, which the philosophy statement articulates in a very compelling way. The discussion centered around the extent to which that is present or may be threatened in the current climate of emphasizing professional programs, highlighting career outcomes, and allowing students more choice in their liberal arts courses. While acknowledging that all those changes seem to be important responses to the changing environment, there was a concern that the transformative Carlow education grounded in the liberal arts was potentially at risk. This was an important conversation and one that will certainly need to continue. How do we foster an ongoing commitment among faculty, staff, and students to the value of the liberal arts as part of a Carlow education? As long as we are having these conversations across the university, I am confident that we can continue to offer an education that is truly transformative, even in changing contexts. I am grateful to the Common Hour committee for facilitating this one.

The previous three Common Hour session discussions each highlighted important dimensions of what is means for Carlow to be a university in the Sisters of Mercy tradition. In November the presentation focused on faculty research related to the Project to End Human Trafficking. This presentation was an excellent instance of the way in which social justice concerns, rooted in the critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy, feed into faculty/student research, the classroom, and impact the community. October’s Common Hour was a presentation on “Sabbath” and its implications for our work as faculty and staff and in working with students. Particularly with the rapid pace of change, the need for space to reflect is vital. The question was how and to what extent we are inviting students to make time for reflection. And how might we be more intentional about this. September kicked off the Common Hour series with a presentation about the Sisters of Mercy critical concerns in light of their recent Chapter 2017 meeting. In particular, Sister Sheila Carney shared their “Word of Comfort to a Suffering World” in which they “invite others to make common cause in these efforts.” The document can be found here:

Taken together, these sessions demonstrate a real commitment to creating space for faculty and staff to come together to learn about and discuss important issues facing the community. The spring 2018 line-up looks just as promising for addressing issues of importance to all members of the university community. In particular, the Feb 6 Common Hour will be focused on civil discourse in our academic community and beyond.

Many thanks to Sister Sheila and the Common Hour committee for a great semester of programming!

Some Recommended Reading for Managing Changing Times in Higher Education

A theme that has been repeated again and again in my time as dean at Carlow University has been that we are living through a period of disruptive change in the world of higher education. In addition to the urgent challenges of seeking to grow enrollment and build financial health through innovative and new programs, recent conversations throughout campus have centered around the kinds of things that an institutional culture needs in order to manage and thrive during change. Here are a few of the resources we’ve been working with and that have helped advance our conversation about these things.

Our Iceberg is Melting

For starters, before my arrival at Carlow, our president introduced the university to Kotter’s change model through his popular book, Our Iceberg Is Melting. This has been useful as a foundation for understanding some of the dynamics of institutional change. We’ve been able to take stock of the eight dimensions of his change model and consider where we are at and where we have been. One interesting dynamic has been that we have developed strong sense of urgency from nearly everyone on campus. For the most part, people understand the challenges we are facing and the need to make changes. At the same time, the sustaining of a sense of urgency can have both a fatigue-inducing dimension as well as creating some discouragement when change is happening but results are not following as hoped.

XLR8

Related to this, one new dimension of our conversations about change this year has been around another aspect of Kotter’s work, based on his XLR8 book. This book builds on his change model but suggests that an institution’s hierarchical organizational structure may not be the best way to facilitate change, and may actually work against change. He proposes that, in addition to an organization’s hierarchical structure, in fact alongside of it, a network of agile teams involving key motivated and skilled individuals from throughout the institution can help drive the kinds of initiatives and activities that can generate lasting change. This is in contrast to the kind of changes that may be imposed from the top down through the hierarchical organizational structure. We are in the early stages of putting this kind of strategic plan management mechanism into place. At the moment, it is having the effect of energizing a number of us in terms of owning specific aspects of the strategic plan and also inviting other key people to engage with us in this specific area. I am excited to see the full implementation of this model in the weeks and months ahead.

Managing Transitions

A third dimension of our discussions have been about the need to manage not just change but transition. This conversation has drawn on the book Managing Transitions by William Bridges which reflects an understanding of how people respond to change and takes account of the need to manage the various phases of adjusting to new circumstances. Of particular interest to me was the idea of listening carefully to understand the concerns that people raise during period of transition. In particular, the concerns that are vocalized may not necessarily be the real concern. Thus, rather than responding to each concern that is verbalized by individuals, it is important to listen well to discern what the real question is; and then to find ways to acknowledge those concerns and to address those root concerns, to the extent possible.

All of us in higher education, whatever our role, have been dealing with disruptive change in recent years and perhaps for many years now. Looking at these changes at Carlow with the help of the resources above—and in the context of rich conversations about these dynamics facilitated by campus leaders—has helped me (and, I think, many of us) move to a point where we have reason to be quite hopeful about the opportunities that changed circumstances present us.

The Imaginal World of Early Christian Hymns

Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature I will present a paper in the Religious Experience in Antiquity section. My paper explores the ancient rhetorical concepts of deixis and mimesis as they relate to early Christian hymns. Specifically, I will look at how these concepts can shed some light on Philippians 2:6-11, considered by many to be an early hymn quoted by Paul in his letter.

One really interesting aspect of this discussion is the distinction that some have made between what is “imaginal” and what is “fictional” in early Christian worship. By fictional we refer to something that is not real and that is simply made-up. By imaginal we refer to something that, even though it is unseen, one understands it to be real. However, it is seen only in the mind of the worshipper. A concrete example of this is the depiction in Rev 4-5 of angels and others around the throne of God offering worship to God and to “the lamb” (i.e. the crucified and exalted Jesus). Someone reading Rev 4-5 will not actually see or be able to verify the reality of what is being described. However, the reader is invited to picture the scene as one that is actually occurring in the spiritual or heavenly realm. For one who accepts the portrayal in Rev 4-5 as in some sense real, it is not fictional but rather imaginal. One has to use one’s mental faculties to imagine the reality that is being portrayed.

A passage like the hymn in Phil 2:6-11 is similar in that it invites the reader to picture the realities it describes not as though they are made-up, but as though they are real. The first half of the hymn describes the earthly life of Jesus including his death on the cross. That description, though poetic, is clearly intended to communicate the author’s understanding of Jesus’s life and death. The second half describes his exaltation and reception of the divine name, including the worship of all creatures. This second part of the hymn is where the concept of the imaginal world is useful. This picture of Jesus as the exalted lord of all is not a reality that is visible in any way in the human world. But the hymn paints this portrait of reality that the reader is invited to accept not as fiction but as real. It is a glimpse into the imaginal world of early Christian belief.

While this heavenly worship can only be imagined, nevertheless there is also a concrete link between the imaginal world and the real world. The description of heavenly worship certainly mirrors to some extent that of the worship of the early Christians through the confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” If, according to Phil 2:6-11, every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will eventually bow in acknowledgement of Jesus, and every tongue will eventually confess his lordship, the early Christians were already participating in that reality. In fact, as they recited this hymn (if it was a hymn that they recited), then they would actually be confessing that “Jesus Christ is Lord” even as they were describing an imaginal scene of heavenly worship. In their experience of worship they were participants in this unseen reality. This appears to be one way that early Christian hymns bridged the conceptual space between the earthly and the divine.

It is this connection between the real and imaginal worlds that the concepts of deixis and mimesis can help to tease out. I’m looking forward to some good discussion around this topic next weekend and I'll post some further thoughts soon.

Aspects of the Liberal Arts in a Day at Carlow

Sometimes the disparate events in a day fit together and tell a compelling story. Upon reflection, three things today wove together in a really interesting way to remind me of what a unique privilege it is to work at a place like Carlow University.

First, the first Tuesday of the month at Carlow University the noon hour is designated as the Common Hour—a time for faculty and staff to gather to reflect on a significant topic, idea, or aspect of our mission and values. Today Mary Burke spoke about her work with the Project to End HumanTrafficking. The statistics and realities of these crimes against vulnerable individuals are startling for those of us who don’t encounter this information on a regular basis. But the work that is being done on a variety of fronts is inspiring and the idea that a Carlow education is one that prepares students to take on these kinds of social justice issues was a powerful reminder to me of the importance of our kind education.

Second, today the Office of Mercy Heritage partnered with the Carlow Art Gallery to bring in renowned poet Sam Hazo to read from his book on Pittsburgh along with the themed exhibit “Kane/Qualters: My Pittsburgh.” His reflections and readings were wide ranging from the humorous to the philosophical including reflections about what makes a university education so significant. He ended with his reflections on how we as a nation deal with national tragedies. He read his poem “September 11, 2001” as well as taking us to the day when John F. Kennedy was assassinated and describing how that day unfolded for him and many others. Though I had a full plate of meetings and obligations today, sitting and listening to Sam’s stories and poetry was time well spent.

Third, on the way home today I started into A Practical Education: Why Liberal Arts Majors Make Great Employees, a book recommend by one of our history faculty. In this book Randall Stross tells the stories of numerous humanities majors from Stanford who have gone on to demonstrate the value of the liberal arts as preparing them for all kinds of career opportunities. This book is timely in that we at Carlow are seeking to find new ways to express to students, parents, and employers the value that a liberal arts education adds and the ways in which it prepares students to be creative, engaged, problem solvers and leaders who are able to adapt to change and to be lifelong learners who can face new challenges with skill and confidence. Stross’s book looks to have some good insights to add to our current conversation within the humanities faculty in particular.

From addressing societal issues, to using artistic talent to reflect on one’s place and time, to thinking deeply about the value of the liberal arts as preparation for a good and successful life, this was a day that reminded me of the great environment that I have the privilege to be part of each day.

St. Jerome: Patron Saint of Biblical Scholars / Catherine McAuley: Sister of Mercy

Just received an email from Joe Atkinson at the Catholic Biblical Association pointing out that Sept 30 is the feast day of St. Jerome, the patron saint of scholars. I thought I'd share some of Joe's email:

Saint Jerome is a Doctor of the Church and the Patron Saint of Scholars and in particular of the Catholic Biblical Association. He was born in 331 AD in what is now known as Croatia and eventually lived the last 30 years of his life in a cave in Bethlehem, dying in 420.

Arguably, his most famous line is "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" which occurred in his commentary on Isaiah.

His learning was a way of purification for him. He is most famous for his translation of the Scriptures in Latin (the Vulgate).

May the Lord richly bless all our endeavors and keep us faithful. May our work help in the building up of His kingdom.

Always encouraging to think of the work of those who have gone before. And a good reminder to look up from my grading and administrative work for a moment to keep in mind the larger tradition of scholarly work on scripture that I am fortunate to be part of as a biblical scholar in the 21st century. Also, a good excuse to make an (increasingly rare) post to my blog...

By a similar token I just received an email from Sister Sheila Carney reminding those of us at Carlow University that today is Catherine McAuley's birthday, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. She was born on this date in 1778, and her legacy continues in the work we do here at Carlow University, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929.

The final days of September are rich with opportunities to remember these remarkable people from centuries ago whose impact is still felt today. Thankfully, my inbox contained these timely reminders!

An Easter Reflection

Each year the Office of Campus Ministry at Carlow University creates a Lenten reflection journal comprised of reflections on the daily scriptural readings by students, staff, faculty, and alumni. This year I was invited to provide the reflection on the readings for Easter Sunday. Here is what I wrote for this year's journal:

These Easter Sunday readings (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Col 3:1-4; Mt 28:1-10) remind us that the resurrection changed everything. To the early followers of Jesus, God’s raising Jesus from the dead was not just a one-time miracle; it signaled that the long-awaited renewal of all things had begun. The promises of the prophets were in the process of being fulfilled. As they reflected together on the significance of this event they became convinced that all who followed this risen Savior could live into the mystery of the resurrection even as they wrestled with the painful realities of life in this world and still awaited the ultimate renewal to come. Remarkably, today’s readings remind us that followers of the risen Jesus are to consider themselves as already “raised with Christ” (Col 3:1). This new view of our lives calls forth a heavenly perspective in which all are invited to live now as citizens of the new age; to go “all in” on God’s priorities for this world, and to live accordingly. The command to “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Col 3:2) is thus not a call to ignore this world, but rather to live in this world in light of the ultimate reality of the resurrection. This same idea has inspired Carlow’s motto: Ad superna non superba. Easter reminds us that we can live our lives in the present as renewed people awaiting and participating in the renewal of all things.