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Courtesy - Cortesia: College-wide
Theme for 2006-2007
Cortesia has been identified as the theme for the 2005-2006 academic
year. At the Welcome Back celebration on August 23, 2006, the theme
was explored through the metaphors of Francis as Knight, Francis’s
encounter with the Leper, and Francis’s Care for Creation.
The theme would make an excellent focus for discussion at a unit
meeting. Readings related to Courtesy are available through the
Neumann Institute.
During the discussion following the presentation on courtesy, members
of the Neumann College community identified several ways to live
the value of courtesy this year. Highlights of the “Round Table”
discussions follow:
Begin with the personal . . .
- Be more attentive to God’s love and courtesy to
me.
- Be more intentional in my reflection of courtesy.
- Don’t assume that others know what courteous behavior is.
- Respect each person’s time and culture.
- Practice patience.
- Show genuine concern for others.
- Confront those things which make us uncomfortable so that we
can meet others where they are.
- Model good listening behavior and encourage mutual respect.
- Suppress any tendency to sarcasm.
- Show courtesy and an even temper when challenging others.
- Meet difficult and challenging situations with courtesy.
- Be open to the experiences of others.
- Send Thank You notes.
- Greet all – staff, employees, students, and visitors -
courteously.
- Always smile; say “Thank you” and “Please.”
- Set communication standards.
- “Take the ordinary things and do them extraordinarily well.”
(St. Francis de Sales)
Set an example . . .
- Model courteous behavior rather than simply demand such behavior.
- Be living examples of the true meaning of courtesy while providing
quality service.
- Set the tone for acceptance by striving to eliminate intimidation
and degradation.
- Be examples of servant leadership.
- Model courtesy in the use of technology.
Practice courtesy within departments and
divisions . . .
- Share information with departments and divisions by presenting
at their meetings to learn what is going on throughout the college.
- Hold a Thank You event for departments and divisions college-wide
to express gratitude for their support of our initiatives.
- Invite individuals from various offices with whom we interact
to meetings to get to know one another better.
- Collaborate with other divisions on new programs, degree opportunities,
etc.
- Be truly present to one another at meetings.
- Don’t talk when others are speaking at meetings.
- Leave doors open during office hours.
- Answer e-mails and telephone messages within 24 hours.
- Begin meetings with a reflection on courtesy.
- Create a “Round Table” atmosphere in meetings by a
circle arrangement and a symbol.
- Model courteous communication when providing oral and written
feedback within group meetings.
- Train student workers in phone and service courtesy.
- Remember that others are often mystified by the devices (e.g.
technology, media) with which we are comfortable.
- Introduce yourself to visitors before asking how you can help.
- Help those searching for anything – an office, a classroom,
a book, etc. - by accompanying them to locate whatever they are
seeking.
- Be courteous to others in offices and classrooms in your area;
be conscious of noise levels.
- Provide visitors with directions to campus and to various locations
on campus.
- Reflect the virtue of courtesy through reverence to all we encounter.
- Keep courtesy alive through greeting, guiding, and deeply respecting
each unique individual we have the privilege and pleasure to welcome
to Neumann.
- Thank and acknowledge donors and volunteers in a consistent
and timely manner for their time, treasure, and talent.
Promote courteous classrooms . . .
- Include the theme of courtesy on your syllabus.
- Begin classes with a reflection on courtesy.
- Discuss the virtue of courtesy with students.
- Create a “Round Table” atmosphere in the classroom
by a circle arrangement and a symbol.
- Respect students and meet them where they are.
- Have students develop a class code of conduct and discuss the
code critically.
- Have students dress in business attire when giving formal classroom
presentations.
- Have students suggest ways they can create an atmosphere of
courtesy. Then re-visit the theme and check how the spirit is
doing.
- Model courteous communication when providing oral and written
feedback.
- Keep an open mind when considering lateness and student reasons
for late assignments.
Model punctuality.
Encourage students to live and act courteously
. . .
- Reach out to students who appear lost or confused.
- Join with students and faculty to serve at St. Francis Inn and
Habitat for Humanity.
- Pitch in to help make “sandwiches for survival.”
- Model and mirror “polite behavior” for our students.
- Discuss with sports teams the meaning of the “Neumann Knights.”
- Integrate into the Dedication and Commissioning Services for
athletes a reflection on the best spirit of the “Neumann
Knights.”
- Find gentle and appropriate ways to remind students of the importance
of courtesy in dress, language, and actions.
- With calm respect, meet each student and others where they are,
not where we think they should be.
- Treat students as we want to be treated.
Care of Creation Advisory Council Initiated
The Franciscan Earth Education Together (FEET) Committee has been
re-created as a part of the Neumann Institute for Franciscan Studies.
The vision of the group, now known as the Care of Creation Advisory
Council (CCC), is to embody a welcoming and creative environment
that engenders wonder and awakens responsibility to live more consciously
a sister/brother relationship with all creation. The mission
of the CCC is to foster development of ecological understanding
and positive environmental actions within a Catholic and Franciscan
worldview.
Members of the CCC have developed a detailed action plan in support
of its goal to effect in others positive behavior for environmental
care and change that will enhance awareness of the sacredness of
all creation. Over the coming months, the CCC will create a
user-friendly website, sponsor workshops and discussions to raise
awareness of environmental concerns, and offer resources to various
academic divisions wishing to integrate ecological/environmental
awareness.
The care of Creation Council will also sponsor speakers which connect
care of Creation with the college’s yearly theme (this year
Cortesia) in October during the week celebrating the Feast of St.
Francis and also on Earth Day in April. Look for additional details
in a few weeks.
To learn more about the CCC, please contact Dr. Elaine Grose, committee
chair.
Celebration of Feast of St. Francis of
Assisi
Traditionally, the week surrounding the feast of St. Francis has
included several special activities and celebrations. Activities
scheduled for this year include:
- The Blessing of Animals
- Celebration of the Transitus Service commemorating St. Francis’s
passage into Eternal Life – October 3 at 7 PM in Our Lady
of Angels Chapel
- Morning Prayer and Breakfast - October 4
- Frances and Wesley Bock Book Award for Children’s Literature
– Library on October 4
- St. Francis of Assisi Liturgy – October 4 at noon in Sacred
Heart Chapel
- St. Francis of Assisi Liturgy and reception – October 4
at 7 PM in Our Lady of Angels Chapel
- Care of Creation Lecture sponsored by Care of Creation
Council
- Instruments of Enduring Peace Program – October
8 at Franciscan Spiritual Center, Our Lady of Angels Convent
A reminder with the time and location of all celebrations will
be posted before September 15, 2006.
Instruments of Enduring Peace Program
On October 8, 2006 from 1 to 4 PM, the Franciscan Spiritual Center
will offer Choosing Life for All: A Pathway to PEACE. Program
presenters are Helen Prejean CSJ and Marya Grathwohl OSF. You may
recall that Sr. Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking,
was a special guest at Neumann in April 2005. When invited to return
to Neumann, Sr. Helen suggested presenting a program with Sr. Marya,
a Franciscan, who has been speaking, facilitating workshops, and
giving retreats for over twenty-five years throughout the United
States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. In 1974 Marya moved to
the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations in Montana where she
was welcomed into the ceremonies and traditions of the people and
adopted into a Crow family. Marya lives in a Prayer Lodge, a solar
and wind-powered center serving Native American women.
Through provocative storytelling and spirited reflection on the
Gospel and Earth as a community of brothers and sisters, the presenters
will invite participants to re-discover the well-springs of creative
compassion and courage within each of us. Participants will explore
how peace is achieved through justice for all, and that solving
society's problems through the death penalty, war, and assault on
the natural world is self-defeating and unworthy of us. Discussion,
prayer, and song will be included in the program.
Cost of the program is $20, but Neumann personnel and students
may attend as guests of the college. To register please call or
e-mail Sr. Pat Hutchison in the Neumann institute for Franciscan
Studies (610-361-5407 or hutchisp@neumann.edu
) no later than September 20, 2006.
God’s October Surprise
During October 2005 and again this year and next year in 2006 and
2007, the celebrations of St. Francis of Assisi, Ramadan, and Rosh
Hashanah occur within a few days of each other. Persons of faith
from all over the world have joined together to utilize this convergence
of celebrations to promote greater understanding and dialogue between
and among Muslims, Christians, and Jews. To learn more about what
has been named “God’s October Surprise,” please visit
the Tent of Abraham website http://www.tentofabraham.org/
This site has links to information which may be incorporated
into classes on a wide range of issues related to inter-religious
and inter-cultural dialogue.
Dead Man Walking
On November 9, 10, 11 and 12, the Neumann College Theater Ensemble
will present Dead Man Walking, the play by Tim Robbins, based
on Sr. Helen Prejean’s book and the movie of the same name.
Focused on the issues surrounding capital punishment, the play invites
reflection and conversation around a theme of great significance
within the Catholic and Franciscan tradition. All are encouraged
to attend the play and engage in relevant discussions before and
after the performance.
Neumann Faculty and Staff attend AFCU
Conference
From June 22 – 25, 2006, sixteen Neumann College members participated
in the 2006 Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities
symposium Franciscan Academies in Conversation: Exploring our
Intellectual Tradition as a Resource for Mission. With more
than 150 members of AFCU institutions, Neumann employees deepened
their understanding of the Franciscan tradition and its implications
and applications for curriculum, student life, and mission integration.
In the keynote presentation, Responding from the Tradition:
Franciscan Universities in the Third Millennium, Sr. Mary Beth
Ingham, CSJ, challenged participants to redefine the Catholic university
as a dynamic opening circle and to re-conceptualize teaching in
light of the potential of the Franciscan intellectual tradition
to address the concerns of 21st century youth and the society in
which we live. Sr. Mary Beth’s address and several other conference
presentations will appear in the next issue of the AFCU Journal.
A number of Neumann personnel presented seminars and round table
discussions at the conference:
Franciscan Values and the Core Curriculum - Dr. Gerard O’Sullivan
Embedding the Franciscan Intellectual and Spiritual Tradition
in Undergraduate and Graduate Courses – Dr. Eileen Flanagan
and Sr. Suzanne Mayer
Incorporating Franciscan Values into the Athletic Program
– Dr. Edward Hastings
Care of Creation: A Campus Concern – Dr. Elaine Grose
Social Justice and Franciscans International – Dr. Gail
Corso
To learn more about ideas shared at the conference, please contact
any of these individuals or others who attended: Michael D’Angelo,
Len Di Paul, Sr. Pat Hutchison, Bryce Johnson, Sr. Elaine Martin,
Janet Massey, Michael Mullen, Fereshta Oboudiat, Anne Ramirez, Judith
Stang.
Villanova Conference: September 25 - 27,
2006
Villanova University is sponsoring a conference on Catholic
Social Teaching and Human Work. The topics presented at the
conference have significant implications for many disciplines. To
learn more about the conference and possible connections with your
work or the classes you teach, please visit the conference website:
http://www3.villanova.edu/mission/journal/conferences/LaboremExercens/front.htm
In addition to details about the conference, the website has numerous
articles and a valuable bibliography which may be downloaded for
personal or classroom use. In the past, Neumann personnel have registered
as a group to obtain the very significant registration discount.
If interested in making arrangements to attend, please contact the
Neumann Institute Office as soon as possible (610-361-5407 or hutchisp@neumann.edu).
Inter-Religious Pilgrimage on Peacemaking
Sr. Kathy Warren, OSF, who shared with us last February her research
on Francis of Assisi’s encounter with Sultan Malek al-Kamil,
will lead an inter-faith pilgrimage to Assisi from May 17 –
28, 2007. For more information about this experience or to obtain
a brochure, please contact the Neumann Institute for Franciscan
Studies (610-361-5407) or Franciscan Pilgrimage programs at www.franciscanpilgrimages.com
Resources available through the Neumann
Institute for Franciscan Studies
The Neumann Institute Office and the Francis and Clare Library
contain excellent resources for those who wish to deepen their understanding
of the Catholic and Franciscan tradition and develop ways to integrate
it appropriately and effectively into the curriculum. In addition,
there is a Resource link on the webpage of the Neumann Institute
for Franciscan Studies. This link includes resources related to
the Catholic tradition; the Franciscan tradition; social justice,
care of creation, and peacemaking; prayer; spirituality and the
college student; and service learning.
Peace and All Good!
Published by:
The Neumann Institute for Franciscan Studies at Neumann College,
Aston, PA
Sr. Patricia Hutchison, OSF, M.Ed., Editor
HUTCHISP@neumann.edu
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