Dave

New beginnings

As the old year ends and we all look forward to the uncertainties of the New Year I just want to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year.  2008 was certainly full of difficult and challenging times around the world, around the US, around VT and yes, around Saint Michael's College.  The worldwide economic crisis is on the minds of all of us and I hope that families were able to see past that and enjoy the time spent with family and good friends over the holidays.  While the economy and the political situation around the world dominates most discussions, being with good friends and with family reminds all of us about what is important in our lives.  Classes ended on a good note, my students did pretty well and I have already heard from many who will be in my classes starting on January 12th.  Whether it is to find out what books we will be using or to let me know that they are excited about being in my classes, it is always good to hear from my students.  I have also had a chance to keep in contact with many colleagues and it seems that while we were all exhausted at the end of last semester (why do we assign so many papers/projects/presentations all due at the end of the semester :) we are all looking forward to this new semester.  The challenges that we face at the College certainly mirror what many across the country are experiencing as we all look with some hope and some fear at those challenges.  Colleges and Universities across the country will be forced to re-think priorities, establish new policies, challenge every member of their communities to deal with the financial crises that confront all of us in higher education.  I have great confidence in our administrative leadership and appreciate the transparency that President Jack Neuhauser has instituted at Saint Michael's College as we too look at programs, budgets, priorities and our own future.  He will continue to include all of us in the dialogue which will be necessary to continue the excellent education that students who attend this institution will receive.  I also have great confidence that together we will be able to weather this "financial storm."

What will a new President Obama bring to the United States and the rest of the world?  How will others around the globe look to us as all of us face the economic challenges?  How will families deal on a personal level with their challenges?  How will our seniors deal with their stress and the anxiety of leaving SMC and entering into such an uncertain time job wise in May 2009?  What can we all do to assist our students as they deal with the stress and anxiety which seems to be impacting everyone across the country.  Fortunately there is such a sense of belonging here and our students know that they are surrounded by good people who care deeply about them.  Keeping friendships in mind, making good use of our resources and continuing to develop the relationships that have always made SMC unique will get us all through the coming months.  All of that is thankfully helped by the member of the Society of Saint Edmund who continue to live and work among all of us.  Fr. Mike, Fr. Marcel, Fr. Ray, Fr. Stan, Fr. Brian to name a few, provide us with a perspective that not only helps many of us through the day but they also serve as great models of spirituality, patience, care and compassion as we are reminded that as bad as things may sometimes seem to us, there are others in our area and in our world who are much worse off than we are. 

Thanks to all of you who continue to read my blog - a very Happy New Year to all of our friends and let's hope that the new year will bring with it some sanity in the political world, the financial world and PEACE in OUR own worlds.  As always, please keep our military women/men and our veterans in your thoughts and prayers.

Take good care

Dave

December graduation

I just came from Alliot where there was a Recognition of December Graduates attended by graduating students, their families, faculty, staff and administrators and members of the Society of Saint Edmund.  We have 31 students who have either taken an extra semester (or two) or who have accelerated their program and are graduating this month.  Patrick Gallivan, Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement served as MC and welcomed the new graduates into the ranks of SMC alums.  He spoke of the connections that have been made and that will hopefully continue for a lifetime between the College and these students.  President Jack Neuhauser added his comments and, as always, reminded all of us of the sacrifices that many people make to obtain an education today - he also thanked all of the parents because without their love and support, our students would NOT be where they are today.  He too expressed his hope that these new graduates will return to the College often and maintain their relationship with us.  Dean Jeff Trumbower called off the names of each December graduate in attendance and they came up to receive a handshake and a small gift from the President.  All in all, a very nice breakfast and a great way to recognize our students.

Classes ended on this past Friday and exams begin tomorrow.  The weather is quite cold but warming up with rain predicted for the near future.  We have all been paying attention to those around us who have been hit with massive power failures and destruction from the ice that fell over MA, ME, NH.  This is always a difficult time of year for our students as they work to finalize projects, papers and prepare for exams - the added pressure of concern for what is happening at home is not needed at the moment.  I have finals to give on Thursday and Friday and posted review sheets in eCollege and expect that students will take full advantage of those review sheets AND working with classmates as they study for their finals.  It has been a great semester and I appreciate the hard work that most of my students have put into my classes.  I find that the more I expect from them, the more that they produce.  I still have a few papers to grade and then I can begin planning second semester classes as I wait to give exams on Thursday and Friday.  We have a shorter break between semesters this year as Thanksgiving came so late in the calendar so revising syllabi and getting prepared for a new semester and a new group of students will occupy much of this coming week.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday Season and good times with your family and friends.  The current economic situation in our world is producing incredible anxiety and worry and while most of us can't do anything about this on a global level, we can simply make sure that we do have quality time with those we love and give thanks for what we do have.  Our students make Saint Michael's College a wonderful place to be and I am always grateful for what they bring to this place I continue to call home.

take care, God Bless and please remember to keep our service men/women in your thoughts and prayers.

Dave

Finishing up another semester

We have two weeks of classes remaining and then a week of finals.  On Monday and Tuesday of this week I received 64 papers from my students.  One could easily ask what I was thinking to have all of these papers due at the same time AND during the last rush of the semester - I have asked that myself.  However, that is just the way things work out sometimes - now I have the task of grading all of those papers.  Fortunately I use a tablet pc and so my papers are all submitted online using Word Documents and email  This makes my life so much easier as I no longer have papers all over the place - a "paperless" classroom is so much better after having graded papers since before many of you were born.

My Theories of Counseling class had to respond to aNew York Times article on the recent move by the American Psychological Association to ban its members from participating in torture of prisoners held by the United States military.  Stanley Fish wrote a convincing article and since we have discussed many of the complex issues of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in class (with the amazing number of veterans returning home with PTSD or TBI counselors MUST be aware of these issues and their impact on not only the veterans, but on our whole society) I thought that this would be a good article to have them read and respond to.  I believe strongly that critical thought and analysis are major components of a Liberal Arts education.  I stress this to all of my students (ad nauseum according to them) and hold them accountable to not only think critically, but to be able to look at all sides of any argument instead of merely having a "knee jerk" reaction to what they see, hear and read.  Thus far I have read four of these papers - I didn't give them a set number of pages and only asked them to respond critically.  Kelsey, Rocky, Eric and Anne's papers have been exceptional.  They have all shown a depth and breadth of understanding and an ability to express their thoughts critically and succinctly.  What a joy it is at the end of a semester with these young people to see that they HAVE learned, they HAVE matured, they HAVE and continue to struggle to understand human behavior and their response to it.  There are times when our society questions the value of a liberal arts education.  There are times when our society questions the commitment and behaviors of our young people.  I understand those concerns from a societal perspective but have to say that this semester, all three of my classes have been exceptional and while reading 64 papers in the next week IS a daunting task, it is also what makes teaching at Saint Michael's College such a joy for me.

Back to grading papers - take good care.

Dave