The Undivided Life: Part Two

Last week I posted some of the insights of Parker Palmer from his influential book The Courage to Teach that have helped me to think in a more holistic way about the art of teaching and the outcomes of a liberal arts education (see "The Undivided Life: Part One"). In this post I discuss a few concepts from some of his other writings. As with his other writings, Palmer's insights derive from a rich understanding of what it means to be fully human based largely on the wisdom of biblical teaching as understood in the Quaker tradition.

Building on the ideas in his earlier work, in The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal (2010) Palmer promotes what he calls “integrative learning” which is learning that is grounded in his holistic view of the human person. Recognizing the challenges facing higher education, and the ways it sometimes falls far short of its ideals, he asks:

"How can higher education become a more multidimensional enterprise, one that draws on the full range of human capacities for knowing, teaching, and learning; that bridges the gaps between the disciplines; that forges stronger links between knowing the world and living creatively in it, in solitude and community?" (2)

As he makes his case for what can foster such a multidimensional academic approach, Palmer explains that the type of change that is needed is one that is not a simple administrative or structural fix. He writes:

"The change we seek within the academy is not one that flows from administrative mandate, but one that arises in the energized space between caring and thoughtful human beings. When personal agendas subside, and genuine interest in the other is established, then a quality of mutual attentiveness emerges that can become the safe harbor for the new and the unexpected that may become a seedbed of educational renewal." (12)

While administrative mandate cannot bring this kind of cultural change about, there are ways that structures, policies and procedures can be developed and aligned in ways that support and encourage this kind of genuine interaction. If there is one thing I have encountered in my own experiences of higher education it is a multitude of “caring and thoughtful human beings.” Many thoughtful and caring people are drawn to education and one of the things I love about working in higher education is getting to work among such wonderful people. Higher education attracts people who are passionate about their particular area of study and are experts in it, and who are also passionate about seeing others learn and grow. What can be lost at times amid the institutional and cultural pressures of our higher education system are the concern for others and the inspiration that caused us to pursue advanced study in our academic areas of interest in the first place. In the midst of such pressures Palmer promotes the recovery of wonder and humility:

"A mode of knowing steeped in awe, wonder, and humility is a mode of knowing that can serve the human cause, which is the whole point of integrative education." (22)

This sense of awe, wonder, and humility around discovery is something that both faculty and students need, and is something that integrative learning can help foster. And as valuable as that is inherently, it also has value for humanity as it opens up potential for serving others. With this recognition Palmer points to the idea of education serving the needs of humanity—a notion which is also a feature of any education grounded in the liberal arts.

This idea of serving others also comes out clearly in the two audio-books I recently listened to about vocation and the inner life. Palmer writes about the need to connect “soul and role,” in order to integrate who we are with what we do in our professional and public lives of service. In Let Your LifeSpeak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (1999), he writes:

“Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks--we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.”

Along similar lines, in An Undivided Life: Seeking Wholeness in Ourselves, Our Work, and Our World (2009) he cites Frederick Buechner: 

“Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need.”

In Palmer’s work I find encouragement to be present in the world in a thoughtful way that recognizes that I have something to give others, and that this something comes from being who I truly am. I also find encouragement to be in the world with a deeper awareness of the dignity of all people and the inter-connectedness of all of us.

To me these ways of thinking about life and vocation are central features of what a liberal arts education provides for those who embrace it. And particularly a liberal arts education at a Christian college or university that is grounded in the centuries old tradition of wisdom, of faith seeking understanding, and the sacredness of all of God’s creation.

A complete list of Parker J. Palmer’s books can be found here. If your library has any of them and if you are looking for a reliable and also challenging guide for the inner journey, I highly recommend his work.

The Undivided Life: Part One

Years ago I read Parker J. Palmer’s The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. I recall being struck by his approach to teaching that honored the humanity of the teacher as well as the learner. In that volume he described teaching as a deeply human kind of encounter between teacher, learner, and subject. In 2014 I came across his book The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal, and I wrote a blog post about what Palmer referred to as “integrated learning.” This past month I was pleasantly surprised to discover by accident that my public library had a couple of Parker Palmer’s books as audiobooks available on the Overdrive app, so I’ve been listening to them on my commute. To top it all off, I’ve now heard two faculty members quote Parker Palmer within the last month. I am now convinced that it is time for me to explore some of the lessons I’ve learned from his writing and see what connections remain to be explored. For reflecting on the inner life and its connection to one’s vocation in the world, Parker Palmer is a trustworthy guide.

Here I want to provide a few quotes from his work that have wider applicability and that illustrate his approach. From The Courage to Teach:

“Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher” (2).

This central idea is at the heart of most of Parker Palmer’s writings. This notion of identity and integrity draws on Palmer’s Quaker spiritual roots which take seriously an understanding of the presence of God within us. For Palmer this is a radical commitment to the biblical idea that every person is created in the image of God and a corresponding belief in the possibility of finding “that of God in every person” (Hidden Wholeness, 180) including oneself. In this light the journey to discover one’s true identity is not a narcissistic detour or self-absorption; instead the inner journey is a journey toward knowing God as we discover the unique ways God has shaped us and speaks through our lives. Incredibly, the God who created the universe is the God who dwells within and speaks within our own souls. This foundational Quaker belief is part of what makes Palmer’s work on teaching and learning so distinctive and also so attractive.

With this rich view of self, Palmer advocates bringing our “whole selves” to our work of teaching. As it turns out, we all do so either consciously (with awareness of both our gifts and limitations, our light and our shadow sides) or unconsciously (lacking that self-awareness and unaware of how our limits and potentials, our light and our shadow, are affecting us and those around us). Palmer explains, “Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse” (2). In the end, as Palmer explains, “We teach who we are” (2). This is a recognition of the importance of owning our identity and embracing the reality of who we actually are, rather than who we wish we were or think we should be.

In addition, it can also be said paradoxically that “we are who we teach.” In other words, our identity is also being shaped through our encounter with our students who themselves are people of identity and integrity, whole selves with gifts and potentials just like us. Together in the classroom or university, we are whole, individual selves. But we are also individual selves in community. Along these lines, Palmer writes:

“Our equal and opposite needs for solitude and community constitute a great paradox. When it is torn apart, both of these life-giving states of being degenerate into deathly spectres of themselves. Solitude split off from community is no longer a rich and fulfilling experience of inwardness; now it becomes loneliness, a terrible isolation. Community split off from solitude is no longer a nurturing network of relationships; now it becomes a crowd, an alienating buzz of too many people and too much noise” (68)

For my part, as an introvert I find that I am much more naturally drawn to the solitude side of the paradox. Yet I at least mentally assent to the importance of community and would certainly name the fostering of a vibrant academic community as one of the primary goals of my service as a dean. Revisiting Palmer's work has given me some richer context for seeing the importance of both solitude and community, and of the need for solitude in order to be able to promote true community.

Here is one final quote from The Courage to Teach: 

“In the undivided self, every major thread of one’s life experience is honored, creating a weave of such coherence and strength that it can hold students and subject as well as self. Such a self, inwardly integrated, is able to make the outward connections on which good teaching depends.” (16)

To me, this description sounds not only like what we as educators wish for ourselves. It is also what we hope for and believe that a transformative liberal arts education will enable for our students: an inwardly integrated self that is able to make the outward connections on which good living depends.

In a followup post, I will discuss how Palmer extends these ideas and explores their potential to shape the culture of universities in his The Heart of Higher Education (2010). I’ll also draw from two of his other books related to the nature of vocation.

One Path of Mercy

Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, referred to mercy as “the principal path.” This week the Atkins Center for Ethics and the Social Justice Institutes co-sponsored a presentation by Sister Karen Schneider, RSM, MD, MPH, who was in Pittsburgh to meet our students who are going to Haiti in the spring on Carlow’s first alternative spring break trip to Haiti. In this public talk, “One Path of Mercy,” aimed at the wider Carlow community, she spoke about her work in Haiti, Guyana, Peru, Kenya, and Nigeria and how her own path of mercy was changed during an internship in the interior of Guyana as a 4^th year medical student. Today she is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, focusing on pediatric medicine and tropical medicine. For those who missed her presentation here are three points that were particularly striking for me.

First, for our students, Dr. Schneider emphasized that there are so many paths for students, even once they’ve chosen their majors. Her story is an illustration of the many different paths that one can take and how the experiences we have in life, particularly in encountering people and situations of dire need, can have a profound impact on us. Gaining such an awareness is an important aspect of a transformative education that is grounded in the liberal arts. For Carlow students, opportunities to meet and encounter people in need through service trips, service learning courses, and Mercy Service Day have the potential to be life changing. These kinds of experiences are intentionally embedded in the curriculum and are an important dimension of a Carlow undergraduate education as a reflection of our Sisters of Mercy heritage. Yet there is no single path of mercy, and every student’s journey on the path is unique, as was Dr. Schneider’s.

Second, Dr. Schneider emphasized the simplicity of mercy. “Mercy is compassionate treatment of those in distress,” she said. She developed this idea as she shared from her experiences in places with no potable water, where malnutrition and lack of access to basic medical care lead to the death and suffering of children. She explained, “There are so many places in the world where a simple intervention can save lives.” She also read a great quote from Catherine McAuley that emphasizes the realistic, action-oriented approach of the Sisters of Mercy: “The poor need help today… not tomorrow.” Her experiences provided several powerful examples of how an individual can make an impact in peoples’ lives through simple service in their area of study and future areas of professional expertise. The connection between one’s field of study and the opportunities it opens to serve others was also a timely reminder about the value of higher education in educating students to meet the complex needs that exist in the world today.

Third, she reflected on why she keeps going back to these difficult situations. In the end, it amounted to the idea that if she did not go, or if no one went, the dramatic changes in peoples’ lives that she sees would not be possible. In places where malnutrition, intestinal worms, cleft palates, and hernias go untreated, the opportunity to receive treatment can radically change a person’s life. She explained, “Surgery on one child will not change the world, but for that one child the world will change forever.”

Seeing a lecture hall full of Carlow faculty, staff, and students from nursing, biology, and other disciplines engage with her presentation was encouraging. Part of a mercy-oriented education that is grounded in the liberal arts includes expanding students’ visions of what might be possible for them in serving others. There are many paths our students can follow as they complete their degrees and pursue graduate studies or move directly into a career. Dr. Schneider shared her example as one path with hope that our students will find their way on the path of mercy as well.

Catherine McAuley’s words about mercy as the principal path are worth quoting in full to conclude this post. She referred to mercy as “the principal path pointed out by Jesus Christ to those who are desirous of following Him” (source: MercyWorld.org). Mercy is a path that is open to all, and is the path modeled by Jesus. Dr. Schneider’s talk was a challenge to all of us in the audience to reflect on our own path. Where have we seen situations of need and been able to show mercy? Who will we encounter on the path of mercy today?

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.