All I Can Say

I am not really sure what day it is, my journey at sea has produced confusion to the day and time. My ship knows only the way to shore or at least I hope it does. I am the Captain, but my crew leads me. My decisions dictate our course, but inside I know that I need to be lead by something that I can’t describe. Something deeper from within… something I can’t explain, and refuse to. It is the innermost feeling of the gut that makes my decision. What is it saying now?

Charting a course becomes unnecessary, the course is now determined by the cold dark sea. I am only hopeful that I can deliver my crew to safety if the storm challenges me. I know that the storm is strong, stronger than I am, but I am built and trained for this mentally challenging situation and more nimble than the first mate that I was before this journey.

Now I push on, wondering if I should turn back, or move to a place of safety? Why should I risk security for the spoils of beating the storm, should I be enjoying the fight, the journey? Or is it something else that I am searching for? Is it the reflection of the dark water of the calm sea that I crave? Seeing my reflection in the water feeling at ease. The understanding that I have accomplished the task, or survived the trashing of the beast. Is what I see a reflection of a tired old sailor?

It is now my turn to make the move, the decision, the choice… Only I am sure that I will survive…as long as I am alive…

-JMS

I was asked by a fellow “Mac” user to post a great e-mail sent out today by Larry, Robin, Jonathan, & Genny since they didn’t get the e-mail. It is story or similar nature… (I thought that this post should have some sort of theme).

It speaks directly to me although I can say that I don’t think that it is attended for me. It is a poem that reminds us that life travels around us and gifts are sometimes more powerful when you can hold them in your heart and not your hands…..


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few members of our community are experiencing especially difficult times. To honor their requests and out of respect for their circumstances, it is not appropriate to mention their names. For each of them and for everyone, we offer this poem.

Larry, Robin, Jonathan, & Genny

“Whatever It Is”

Near the end we’ll travel as two old men

Leaning lightly on one another for support—

One of us gone a little milky-eyed,

The other a little deaf.

We’ll pack what we need in a cheap valise,

Taking turns so it’s not too heavy.

When one of us tires, we’ll stop awhile

And build a fire to warm our hands.

You’ll have then to describe to me

The woods’ deep green, the cobalt sky.

I’ll point you where the nighthawk calls

So that you see what I hear, so we know…

Whatever it is we come to,

We’ll travel toward together.

So when we’re knocked apart at last

Something of each will go with the other.

Two old men hunched to the curve of the earth

And biding a little time between them—

Here is my shoulder steady for you,

Even this long since we started the journey.

–Jim Simmerman, Once Out of Nature


Thanks guys….

Peace
-j-

A Little R&R and the "New Challenge"

I am trying to take a real short vacation… Yes, that does happen when you are a PhD student. After three unsuccessful vacation attempts in the past three years, I have finally made it and it is nice.

The sad part is that even though I am away, I am still tied to my “crackberry” and my Macbook (I guess that some things never change). Staying connected helps me to stay focused on what is ahead in the remaining two and a half months of this semester.

So… I am soaking up the rays in central New York and doing very little. In just three short days, I will be back leading the way to expanding East Coast Medical into central Florida. This is what happens when you are in a PhD program… Life happens around you and you are forced to adapt. Much easier than it sounds.

Feeling good about the semester thus far…. but I am at a point where I am starting to wonder when this will all end and I will be back to relaxing on a more regular schedule… I guess that is what post doc work is all about?

-j-

Comps...On the Other Side

At this point about half of cohort one is on the other side (that is what we call it when you are done with primary comps). With secondary comps down the road, and work on the other little project (dissertation) I am feeling good.

I have to say that the big issue that I had is power. About eight hours in to my 72 hour test period, I lost power in a major electrical storm. Instead of waiting for it to return, I went to my second “secret” location to finish the test (no the vice president wasn’t there) Funny too that Rupert had the same issue. What do we learn from this experience? Prepare for the worst case situation happening and you will be fine.

Cohorts 2-5 are wondering what it is like, I will say only one thing….. prepare for the test by listening to your professors!

I am going to hope that the rest of cohort one has some time to chime in on this one with their comments. Being trailblazers in this process was stressful. I hope that we get a special award at graduation for this!

Going back to work….

-j-

Comps, Stress, and No Comments

We are gearing up to take comps (short for comprehensive exams) in the next couple weeks. My test period of 72 hours begins at noon on the 10th (shortly after I finish up praying at Sunday Mass). As cohort #1 We get more questions from cohorts 2-5 on what will the comps consist of? Will they be hard? Are you prepared? I know that we are the pioneers, but even cohort one is in the dark on this one. I guess that we will have to wait and see. I have been studying for a couple weeks now and feel fairly prepared. I am ready to take the test today, but know that I really have some more prep to do. I want to pretend that I already know what the question will be, but I don’t have a clue? Hopefully it will have to do with the topic of leadership? Some help or hints from the Profs would be welcomed to the blog (it might also help with readership).

On that note……I get a lot of readers to this blog…(trust me I hear all about it). The fact is that there are only a couple great people (I won’t give names) that have taken the time to post a response to what I have written.

Post some comments please! You will help keep this thing cutting edge!

Now, back to the stress of not knowing what is next but having a pretty good idea…

-j-

Home...Home Again...I Like to be Here...When I Can...

I am thrilled to be home and sleep in my bed tonight. Although Dion Sanders room (The U.S. Grant Suite) at the Garfield Suites is nice, it doesn’t hold a candle to seeing my family and eating food that I cook in my own kitchen.

Now it is time to prepare for the comps and work on my proposal. I am feeling good and very organized. Looking at the rain that we are expecting on Sunday, I will unpack and start getting organized for what will be a very busy six months.

I am still open to hearing more from the other learners. Send me your posts to: jeffrey.shepard@tui.edu and I will post them.

Going silent for a bit….. but not too long…..

-j-

Friday...

I was surprised today to find out that the week was almost over. It has been a great week.

Tonight we had the final dinner of the residency and anyone who was there can attest that it was a powerful presentation. We have heard so many keynotes with inspiring speakers but this one was a bit different. Each cohort presented their summary of the week and it was something else! Hats off to all the cohorts although I loved what cohort four said about cohort one… nice work!

I also never knew that cohort two had a background in comedy. Jackie was great! Probably the best entertainment of the week.

On a side note, I didn’t purchase Iceland as John of cohort one had stated but did launch a new website last week. Check it out…. www.ecmedrepair.com. So capitalism is alive and well!

Here is a a great night!

-j-

PS: Also, I got a lot of negative reaction to my disapproval of Skyline Chili last semester. Although I didn’t go back to sample chili over noodles, we had a great conversation at lunch today about how wonderful the onion rings are in this city. So nice job Cincy!

Just Dropping In...

I would lie to say to say that I am upset that this long week is coming to a end but today we had some time to relax, reflect and think about more than just coursework, comps, and dissertations. We “dropped in” to the Drop in Center. It is a place where homeless are able to seek assistance and short term shelter.

The panel discussion that followed was interesting but a bit one sided. I would have loved to have heard from some city officials and other stakeholders in the community. Although I could understand the conversation, hearing only one side made me wonder how some good leadership and collaboration could have helped create a better setting to help with this problem. If we are all not able to come to the table to talk about the issues in a forum how will the problems ever be solved? It is easy to talk about what we can do, it is much harder to do it. I don’t have the answers, but would love to be part of the solution.

So now back to the reality of preparing for the comps. I have my reading list…. back to work…

-j-

Some Free Time...

We wrapped up classes at noon today. Having a afternoon of reflection and relaxation I decided to head down to the Kentucky room to do some dissertation work. This is going to be a short post because I am on to something… Meaning that I feel like I found a path in the dissertation process that is clear and I have some focus. I met with my Dissertation Chair, Dr. Williams yesterday and he really helped me gain some clear direction on my proposal. Everything is going to be alright… I hope….

Back to work…
-j-

Conference Day...Transformations

On our 5th residency conference day we were treated to some great panel discussions on the area of transformation. The conference kicked off with a keynote from Dr. Alvin B. Tillery Jr. titled “The Long Shadow of the GI Bill: U.S. Social Policy and the Black-White SAT Gap”. Dr. Tillery is a assistant professor of political science at Rutgers and was asked to serve as our scholar in residence this term. A very interesting conversation followed that carried throughout the day. I enjoyed it.

The second Panel discussion that I attended was titled, “Communal Approaches to HIV/Aids”. Again we had a visiting scholar, Ray Jordan lead a great discussion about the beloed community and the Prophetic Response to the HIV/AIDS crisis among black women. Fellow colleague Owen Borda discussed a paper titled, “HIV Policy Shift: Individual Rights to Communitarian Goals and the Reshaping of AIDS Exceptionalism”. This was great! Finishing the discussion was Dr. Ledbetter, discussing her paper titled “Compassion Organizing Competence: A Case Study of the Masangane HIV/AIDS Project in South Africa”. She will be heading to South Africa on Thursday to present this paper at a conference next week.

I hope to get some posts from others detailing their experiences during the conference.

Stay tuned…
-j-

Here is to you….Mr. Union Institute & University’s cohort Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies Program Creator…..

It was a very busy day filled with new classes some reflection time and we finished with a program overview and update. If you are not a new or current PhD student at Union you are probably asking what is a program overview?

In July of 2006 I had the honor of being a member of the first cohort class at Union. A program that can be completed in three years, it was the top pick for me and had all the substance and interdisciplinary options that I needed and wanted. It just worked for me!

Now in 2008, a lot has changed. With five full cohorts in the residency we now are able to really feel like a bustling university environment full of great people, great ideas and a lot of learning. The PhD cohort program at Union has made many changes to build to this point where soon there will always be six cohorts in residence at any given time. These changes (too many to count) have really helped build what I believe is a great place to grow as a academic and more importantly a socially conscience individual of society.

Hats off to all the faculty and admin that made this happen! With out your dedication and creativity we would not be where we are today!

So hear is to another great residency….. cheers!

-j-

COMPS and Cross Collaboration

Today we spent time talking in detail about what is about to happen to cohort one… COMPS…

So, this morning we had a great workshop led by Dr. Selzer on the area of comps prep and what to expect.

After a nice lunch at the only restaurant open downtown we had time to cross collaborate on the book “The Marrow of Tradition.”

On to Dr. Virgil Wood and a great conversation. I enjoyed the session and the great new people that I met with following.

I am very interested in what others are feeling and experiencing.
More to come…

-j-

Classes, Dissertations, and Comps--Oh My

So I quiet day for me where I had time to reflect on what is coming later this week. We had a great conversation about our dissertation proposal and comps and were able to have a interactive class on using Adobe Connect.

I am fortunate to have the ability to teach at Western International University where I currently use the Adobe Connect platform to share information and present our proposals to our committee. I am excited to know that we will be using this wonderful platform down the road.

Looking at the rest of our residency and the time we have to reflect I am feeling really good about the year that we have ahead.

Up next, more classes…

-j-

Here We Go...

Day one of the Summer 2008 residency.

As all five cohorts started to arrive at the Garfield (the downtown TUI campus), it was great to see friendly faces and begin to talk about the week ahead. I had a great chance to talk to a lot of the new learners in cohort 5. They have some great ideas on the direction of their study and will hopefully enjoy their first week in what we know as “residency”.

I had a lot of conversations with learners that are going to be adding content this week to the blog so feel to check this page out all week since it will be updated often.

Here is to a great week!!!

-j-

Guest Blogger #2: Meta Commerse

Guest Blogger #2 is Meta Commerse. She is a member of cohort four and supplied us with some great information that might help us get through the week a little easier.

I had a chance to talk to her briefly in the elevator tonight and thank her for her post. This is a example of the great community we have at Union!

Peace,
-j-

——
Greetings! It’s Meta Commerse, Cohort 4 here. Here are some thoughts I have to share with the larger group of learners…

We are in desperate need of some holistic self-care in this program and as cohorts. Truly, our right brains have been relegated to the designation of “other.”

Some suggestions and remedies might be:

YWCA (behind the library) membership is $25 for the week. It includes
full use (3 hours daily), indoor track, gym, pool, whirlpool, sauna,
weight and fitness room, yoga and zumba classes, etc.).
Call Amy Brown 241-7090. Perhaps we can organize some group workout times and activities.

Group meditation to quiet and relax the mind. Mornings before the activities begin is best. Anyone interested can contact me at peacemed1@aol.com. Beginners and veterans in practice all welcome.

Buddhist (SGI) gonyo gatherings (same as above) for anyone interested

Massage therapy is available by appointment at the front desk

Potluck gatherings with dancing and comedy films (at least once during the residency) would be nourishing to the soul. (all interested contact peacemed1@aol.com).

That’s my list. Hopefully some interest will generate and we can shift things a bit back into balance.

Please let me hear from you.
Blessings and gratitude.
Meta

Guest Blogger #1 - DAWN LANGLEY- COHORT 2

Guest Blogger #1 is Dawn Langley from Cohort 2. Dawn gives a great report on what it’s like to experience “residency life”.

Getting settled in at the residency always takes a bit of a paradigm shift for me. I move from being a dean at a community college, where summers aren’t necessarily quiet (I had to settle a lot of interviewing, faculty-hiring, and paperwork before leaving), to being a student at a university where we are housed in a hotel in downtown Cincinnati. It’s always exciting to start a new semester, but this one will be a little bittersweet since the first cohort will be moving on soon, and our cohort (Cohort II) will be the “most senior.” That said, it’s important to start off with some Graeter’s ice cream, so I went there first and thought about visiting the Shakespeare company theater, the art gallery, and the museum I passed along the way. That will be what I do today. (I’ll exercise the new way of seeing we were taught in our first residency . . .)

Since I’m here before anyone else is, I get a chance to chill out, do some of the reading for the seminars we are scheduled for during this residency, and have a chance to reflect on the previous semester, as well as the one to come. It’s a bittersweet time, particularly because I know this is probably the last semester we’ll have a chance to socialize with the first cohort since they will be in comps this semester coming. Once they leave and start their dissertations, our group will become the most senior cohort, which will be kind of strange, because it will also signify our move toward our own dissertations.

Speaking of dissertations, I have struggled with going over the same ground in a different way this semester. My dissertation is focused on transgender authors, and there’s very little information already published about them, so I have to take my research right down to the very basic level of uncovering the authors themselves. My outlook and my perspective on the topic have changed a bit this semester, and I’m not sure how that will affect the final product, but I’m beginning to think that it will be quite different from what I originally planned. That said, it has also opened my eyes to the lack of literature on this group of people, as well as introduced me to the small group of scholars who have made the subject their lifelong research.

One of the great things about working with a group of like learners, as the ones in my cohort, is that they offer some feedback from their own perspectives, whether they come from a policy standpoint, a leadership point of view or the humanities (like myself). We all have a strong belief in civil justice and interdisciplinarity, so whether a person is working on research about nursing in other parts of the world or about Indian-American families or about Mexican women in baseball, they have something to offer in the way of how various groups struggle with their identities.

Funny, as I wrote that last line, I realized that we, too, are finding our selves by building our dissertations . . . certainly, many things have changed in my life since starting here. But that’s another blog!

Cheers
Dawn Langley/Cohort 2, Term 4

Ten Days and Counting

May

25Yes…. You Can Have Some Time To Relax
Uncategorized No Comments » Today is Sunday…


May

19Out of the Bunker…
Uncategorized No Comments » Today is Monday…


May

12Going Into Hiding….
Uncategorized No Comments » Today is Monday…

May

09One Last Push….
Uncategorized No Comments » Today is Friday….
I am really busy today getting all my arrangements ready for what will be cohort #1’s 5th residency. It is kind of funny thinking that we have a year left and only two more residencies. Looking at the schedule for this residency, I am sure that we will have more time than ever to prepare for our comps and start getting some detailed direction on where we are headed with our dissertations. At this point I am happy to report that I have had some great conversations with my chair, and feel good about the progress that I have made in this program.

So in just 10 days I will begin to account for the daily activities at residency. I will answer the tough questions about what we do, what it is like living in a college dorm that feels like a luxury hotel, and discuss how not to eat chicken for all your meals.

Stay tuned….

-j-

Yes, You Can Have Some Time to Relax

I happen to be enjoying some nice family time. I have yet to cross all the “t’s” and dot all the “i’s” on this semester but thought that I would enjoy a little R&R before turning everything in and preparing for comps and the next residency.

Today I am heading to the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. It is in my home town of Pittsford, NY so we have had a lot of National media coverage all week keeping my focus off of work and school and on these great legends of the game.

So off for some relaxing. I will regroup on Tuesday and figure out what is still due and how it will get done. Have a great holiday weekend!

-j-

Going into Hiding

I am preparing my bi-annual trip into the bunker…

No, I will not be spending my time with Dick Cheney but I am going to a secret location where the real work starts. The work is my semester wrap up. I am hoping that it will only take me a couple days and not the rest of the week.

So I will power down the blackberry and not check e-mail and settle into to a great time with myself.

See you all soon.

-j-

Out of the Bunker

After some time away spending time away from reality, I feel really strong headed toward the end of this semester. Based on my experience thus far, you just never know what your mentality and strength will be at this point in a PhD semester. So to be in the place that I am in is great, and I have felt a real breakthrough in my dissertation research. Thank you all for your support!

So about a month and a half before we are all in Garfield Suites (Residency V). Then prep for the comps in August!

More to come….

-j-

One Last Push

I am staring my day early. I have about a week of really difficult research and writing that I will be staring on Monday. The plan is that by this time next week I should be ready to go into “slow mode” until the July residency.

This semester was a real blur. I have found that with the focus on the dissertation, and my decisions surrounding it, not much else seems to phase me. It is like the start of a long journey. You know that the journey is long so you are focused on what is ahead and not what is currently happening.

Hopefully next week I will be writing about some revelations or theory that struck me. Between now and then I just hope to be able to keep trucking!

-j-

A Real Quick "Hello"

Funny… we get to a place in the semester where we start to see the finish line. I have three classes and am working toward my final projects in all three. I am happy to report that I should have everything in on time and will get to spend the month of June away from school (before the summer residency begins) with family and friends (or those that still remember me).

It is at this point of the semester that we all seem to get distant. My esteemed colleagues are also very busy wrapping up their assignments, and we unintentionally forget to reach out and touch base regularly. Last Friday I was able to enjoy hearing most of the leadership cohort’s voices on a conference call. We had some time to catch up before the call started. I really enjoy hearing about what people are up to, both personally and professionally. Working with such “overachievers” is challenging. I struggle to keep up!

So to all of you that I haven’t reached out to recently, “hello.” I am looking forward to a break, and then it’s back to the Garfield for some more intense learning.

-j-

PS- We are due for a guest blogger… Who will it be?

The Big "F" Word

** This is a post from my other blog (”What is on Jeffrey Shepard’s Mind“). I just had to share this with other students and scholars and educators in the area of leadership.

I reflect on a week in leadership. As some of you know, I have been deeply involved in a PhD leadership program (this is why posts have been few and far between) and have learned a lot about myself and leadership.

In addition, I am caught up in a little topic that I believe is just as important as leadership…. “followership”. Funny, the big “F” word, a word that we spend very little time considering though it is just as important as leadership. Without followers, there would be no leaders.

So this week, while attending a “leadership” workshop, I stumbled upon a “consultant” who had all the leadership answers. I was quite amused by the leadership theory he used to amaze some in his audience. I sat back and thought about how I would challenge this “expert”.

I asked him what he thought about the lack of formal training and education in the area of followership? His response was very interesting, he 100% completely ignored my question. At this point I figured that my cover might have been blown. Many whispered about this but still nothing was ever said about that “F” word.

So he went back to his memory and quoting from the great “books on tape” of leadership. No mention of James MacGregor Burns or any of the other great theorist of our times.

So I went back to listening… and “following”…

As I reflected about my experience I began to understand why he didn’t respond. He was giving people what they needed and not what they needed to hear…I think that I missed my calling… There is quite possibly a place in consulting for me…

-j-

Why I Blog...

At one point I was told that bloggers were nothing more than people that were self-absorbed (I won’t say who said this… she is reading this blog I am sure). I am not saying this is always false, but in the case of this blog I had an entire new reason for wanting to share my experiences with the world (or those that have a lot of spare time). I do have a blog that is all about “Jeffrey”, but more on that later.

Since starting at “The Union”, so many people have asked me if I was getting a PhD from an “internet” college. Seeing that my life revolves around technology, it would only seem appropriate and natural that this would be the case. When I would explain that I spend between 18-20 days a year in residency in Cincinnati, Ohio they are shocked. Sure I keep tabs with my course work, professors, and colleagues using the Internet and e-mail, but less instruction is done there than in person at residency and the various one-on-ones and conference calls. This is learning in the world that we live in. I am sure that post is sounding like a commercial for Union, but it is really the truth. The fact is that this degree works for me but not everyone. We have had some students that have decided to go a different direction. This mixture of technology and personal interaction is what I like about this program and what makes it worth my time and energy.

Now, if only people could read this post so I wouldn’t have to answer this question again…

-j-

The Target is Huge, But You Hit It

This is the initial feedback that I received on my first prospectus draft, and it was great news! Metaphors are used too often in the business world to motivate and inspire. This is probably the first time that I have had them used to refer to a paper that I wrote in my academic career. I have to say that it was extremely encouraging. In the case of my paper, I need to continue to write and move toward defining my question and keying in on smaller objectives (smaller targets), questions, and ideas. This is something that a lot of my classmates are finding, too. So we keep trucking along….

Since my last post, I have been busy with the formation of my dissertation committee, as well as working on the framework of my dissertation. I had the opportunity to write a chapter in a text for another one of my professor’s books and started a new company. I only explain this to show you that, even though I am a doctoral student, life can be fairly normal. I am successful based on my ability to be very organized and focused on tasks and goals. I have a systemic approach to getting this all done. In addition, the fact that I require little sleep is to my advantage.

This was the news and the support that I needed. Back to work on building smaller targets….

-j-

Where Have You Been, Jeffrey?

This is the question that I have been getting in recent weeks from readers to my blog (Where have you been, Jeffrey?). I thought I should write a quick update as to where I am and where things stand on the blog.

I have been a Ph.D. student… that is the answer. It has been a really busy start to the semester. I am working with my dissertation chair, Dr. Williams, on this piece of work that is starting to define who I am as a person in a community at this point in my life. What is interesting is that I wake up every morning thinking about this question… and how… or if I will ever answer it.

They tell me this is all really natural. I am sure this is something that we will all have “big laughs” about when we are confirmed Ph.D.’s and learn the secret handshake?

As for comps., I am patiently awaiting the reading list in preparation for taking this 72-hour test in August. It is really too early to get concerned about it, although I know that I will feel better when they are over.

In addition, my business is in a great growth state. We are pushing the limits on building what is the best organization that I have ever worked with and for. I am so proud of my team and our recent accomplishments. We have a long way to go, but we have come so far.

So that is about it for now. It has been the best semester for me to date. I have worked harder than any other time and feel really strong mentally. “Getting it done” is the mantra now… Although I am having a lot of fun on the journey.

Peace to all!

-j-

Home Sweet Home

After a eight hour drive I arrived back in Rochester to my home and family who have missed me very much. We had a late dinner and I was able to sleep in my bed for the first time in ten days. The best part of being home is being able to read the local paper and mail that had been stacking up while I was gone. It is funny what we appreciate after being away “at school”.

What is hard to explain is how difficult it is to describe the excitement of residency with those that we left at behind home. We are able to explain what we did, but they will never understand how intense these days are without going through them. In addition, I am tired of using the words dissertation, comps, committee, chair, and requirements (I will refrain from using them this week).

Now on to some R&R today…. I will try to switch gears back to reality and start a really tough semester. I am already thinking ahead to the July Residency.

Here is to a great semester….

-j-

Final Day of Residency

Today is the last day…..of our time together in Cincinnati

I am elated that I can leave this residency with more questions than answers. As a doctorial learner in the second half of the second year, this is a great place to be.

So in just a few hours I will be hitting the road. In my eight-hour drive home, I am sure that I will come up with more questions and possibly think about some solutions. I am feeling relaxed moving forward, heading toward comps and dissertation proposals. A week ago I had a very different feeling.

Residency… A time to learn, a time to reflect, a time to grow.

Now on to the rest of the semester….

-j-

We Are Almost Done

Today we visited a great modern art museum downtown. Spending time with the cohort was very relaxing. I think this was a great week of growth for this group that has traveled a long road over the past year and a half. There was a lot of giggling and, from what I could see, everyone seemed to enjoy the change of environment.

Today I met with two professors and Dean Preston to discuss my dissertation topic. What continues to fascinate me is the opportunity in the residency to meet with professors and talk about future research ideas. These conversations can be very stimulating and tend to give you direction

At noon on Saturday we are officially “done” and will be free to go home to our respective cities. Plans have been set for a meeting of the leadership cohort to meet in Rochester (my hometown) in April to work on a group project of a social nature. More details on this to come…

So off to sleep… I will have a long journey back to Rochester on Saturday. It will be great to sleep in my own bed again.

-j-

Guest Blogger: Merry Vaughan

Today I turn the blog over to another colleague, fellow learner and friend Merry Vaughan.
Although I asked Merry to blog about her feelings on Conference Day, I should have her discuss her dissertation topic (Based on Ethics of Dr.Seuss). I think that I will ask her to discuss this in a future blog post.

Hello. As the schedule shows, today is the Academic Conference Day at our residency. It is a day where we all get a chance to share our specialized areas of interest. We also get to interweave those ideas with the interdisciplinary nature of the program. The schedule highlights those opportunities; there are presenters from all but the newest cohort, presentations from all three concentrations, and on an incredible number of diverse topics.

Today is a day I really look forward to because we get the opportunity to see how brilliant the learners at Union truly are. It is a chance to see the passions of each individual come to the forefront of the discussion. We sit as interested audience members to see how the discourse unfolds. I am not presenting this term, but many of the members of my cohort are. Throughout the past three terms, we have heard a lot from each other in our cohort about our areas of interest and dissertation topics, but the academic conference gives learners in other cohorts a chance to share the passion. We also have the opportunity to experience the universality of interdisciplinary learning.

One of the presentations today is on the novel Fledgling by Judith Butler. Cohort 1 read this novel in our first term. I am interested in how Cohort 3 interpreted and interacted with this text; unfortunately it was at the same time as another topic I found slightly more impelling to engage with. But, just the fact that this was a topic in a presentation came up at breakfast, and we were once again engaged with material that had been a part of our curriculum almost 18 months ago. That is one of the wonderful things about Union, the opportunity to revisit and re-digest information that we encountered in past courses and put them into discourse with thoughts and ideas we have experienced since.

We will leave each other in three short days, but the scholarship shared on this day will stick with us. Perhaps only in a glimpse of insight or maybe in mind-altering ways, but the passion and the scholarship of the learners at Union are unparalleled in my mind, and I enjoy absorbing the brilliance at this point in the residency.

Guest Blogger: Cohort IV

Here is a great piece from a new learner from cohort 4. I was excited to read this and remember what it was like to experience residency for the first time.

So much time has passed since the first residency for me, but I remember thinking a lot of the same things….and feeling the same way…..

Submitted by:
Edveeje Fairchild, Cohort 4

As a new student at Union Institute & University, I sat spellbound and silent, surrounded by a room full of powerful, articulate and passionate thinkers. I am not often spellbound or silent. I am a double extrovert with a lot of thoughts and opinions and I usually jump at the chance to share what I think and believe. Yet this was a singular experience in which I wanted to absorb all of the wisdom, talent, and passion that others were bringing to the table. So, I simply remained silent and listened.

But a Union education doesn’t allow for simply sitting and listening for very long. The days that followed swept me along in a rushing and lively current of conversation, debate, discussion, and dialogue in which many of our intellectual and personal assumptions were questioned. During those first four days we literally lived our way into the reality of one of our classes– “Engaging Differences.” This experiential learning is one of the most compelling things about the residencies because it forces one to come out of one’s intellectual ivory tower and step into the human experience, which is often intense, messy and open- ended.

The most profound things I’ve learned during this residency have been in those classrooms without walls where I’ve literally felt myself deepening and widening as I’ve listened to and engaged my cohort in conversation. When I leave this residency, I will be a different woman and scholar for having been here. And I will leave it with the legacy embedded in the following quote that continued to resurface throughout our classes at Union:

“I am because we are.”

A Virtual Classroom

I’m still really not sure what day of the week it is (that is, my mind keeps playing tricks on it and telling me that it is Sunday…), but I know that we are moving quickly toward the final stretch of our time at this residency. In addition, today the sun came out. I am not complaining about the lack of sun (It has been warm enough to jog in a t-shirt and shorts) but it was nice to see it and bask in the warmth. Looking for meaning in this, I also saw the light this morning in our Research Methods class when I think I identified the methodology that I hope to use in my dissertation. Although I will soon find out if I was right or wrong, it was the first time I felt really good about methodology, and something seemed to click for me personally. Even if I am wrong, I feel I am on the right path. Thanks, Dr. Williams, for helping me flip the switch!

So on to the Virtual Classroom. Tonight I will be teaching a class of master’s students in Rochester, NY, from the hotel here at residency. The topic is leadership in the E-world. How fitting. This technology that I will be using is great, and I thank the folks at Adobe for being so patient with me and my requests. Using a web-cam, chat features, and a PowerPoint slide, we are going to try to simulate what my normal classroom looks, feels, and “learns” like. With customized delivery, we hope to have a great experience. I am looking forward to hearing the reactions from folks at both ends. I am hoping that this classroom and the application of the delivery will be the start of some great dialogue on what we can do to improve learning at a distance.

I will report back with the results….more to come…

-j-

Academic Conference Day Schedule

COHORT PH.D.
ACADEMIC CONFERENCE DAY SCHEDULE (draft 5)
January 10, 2008

9:00a-10:25p

PANEL 1: Transformational Leadership Models for Service, Education and Advocacy
Kentucky Room

Chair: Dick Couto, Ph.D. Core Faculty, Antioch University

“Home Visitors: Transformational Leaders?”
Sandra Smith, Cohort 1
“Teachers Leaders: An Instructional Support Team Case Study”
Divonna Stebick, Cohort 1
“Leadership Through the Soul: Saying No to Fear and Yes to Values”
Dana Millen, Cohort 1

Discussant: Ed O’Neil, M.D. Founder/President of OmniMed

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: Butler’s Fledgling
Kroger Room

Chair & Discussant: Gloria Custodio, Cohort 3

Participants: Jeannie Carlyle, Cohort 3
Daniel Hindes, Cohort 3
Roxanne Forquer, Cohort 3

PANEL 2: Excluded Voices
Buckeye Room

Chair & Discussant: Ginger Rodriguez, Cohort 2

“Midwestern Latino Voices”
John Fraire, Cohort 2
“Cross-cultural Voices”
Pravina Gondaila, Cohort 2
“Transgender Voices”
Dawn Langley, Cohort 2
“The Voices of Minority and Immigrant Children”
Kezia Carpentar, Cohort 2
Glenn Kendall, Cohort 2

10:30a-11:55a

PANEL 1: Perspectives on Leadership: Interpretations from the Dramatic Arts
Kentucky Room

Chair & Discussant: Jim Caraway, Professor, Lynn University

“Leading By Example”
Elden Golden, Faculty, UI&U
“The Courage to Lead”
Bernice Ledbetter, Faculty, UI&U
“Power and Values: A Comparative Study of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Sarah Cole, Cohort 1

PANEL 2: Storytelling, Myth, and Morality
Kroger Room

Chair & Discussant: Chris Voparil, Faculty, UI&U

“Telling Stories as a Way of Knowing: Hannah Arendt and the Value of Storytelling in Political Theory”
Gloria Custodio, Cohort 3
“Moral Development and the Biblical Myth in Kant, Mill, and Alcott”
Robert Dunaway, Cohort 3
“Freedom and Morality in the Philosophy of Rudolph Steiner”
Daniel Hindes, Cohort 3

PANEL 3: Importance of Conflict for Effective Public Policy Development
Buckeye Room

Chair: John McGarrah, Cohort 1
“Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)”

Panelist: Marcel Kitissou, Faculty, UI&U

Discussant: Dana Millen, Cohort 1
“An Advocacy Prospective”

12:00p-1:30p

Lunch and Featured Speaker (Narrative, Community Building, and Policy Change): David Hunt
The Pheonix, Grand Ballroom

1:35p-3:30p

PANEL 1: Modernity, Postmodernity, and Possibilities of Choice
Kentucky Room

Chair & Discussant: Michael Templeton, Faculty, UI&U

“’You Come from the Future’: Postmodern Coutnernarratives in Don DeLillo’s Mao II”
Karsten Piep, Faculty, UI&U
“Political Leadership: Hard Choices, Ethics, and Poetry’s ‘Other Voice’”
Larry Preston, Associate Dean, UI&U

PANEL 2: Policy, Theory, and the Politics of Identity
Kroger Room

Chair: Sandra Smith, Cohort 1

“Globalization, Transnational Spaces, and the Politics of Home”
Kezia Carpenter, Cohort 2
“Communitarianism and Neo-Confucianism in the Grass Root Delivery of Youth Services”
Glenn Kendall, Cohort 2
“Race, Recognition, and Identity Crisis: Colorism in Maud Martha”
Sha-Shonda Porter, Cohort 3

Discussant: Chris Voparil, Faculty, UI&U

PANEL 3: Integrating Theology and Leadership
Buckeye Room

Chair: Charles Montgomery, Cohort 1

“A Feminist Theological Understanding of Shared Leadership”
Bernice Ledbetter, Faculty, UI&U
“Bi-Polar Ecclesiology: Theological Insights on Organizational Dynamics”
Rupert Loyd, Cohort 1
Discussant: Jim Caraway, Professor, Lynn University

Today Is...?

I am not sure I know what day of the week it is. Or the date. I know it is day five of the residency, and for most readers (on the outside of residency) that means very little. This is how we gauge our time away from our familiar environment we call home.

We have been going full speed ahead for six days, and I am ready to catch my breath and find out what is going on in the world around me. Being so consumed in your work/research for days is exciting, but you sometimes have to know when to step away and reflect.

Here it is 3:28 in the afternoon (I am in my 1-5PM Free Afternoon/Study Time/Reflection Time) when Donovan Myrie calls me to see if I want to venture out for a “Skyline” Chili Dog. I can’t say no….

What a great use of my reflection time…

-j-

Guest Blogger: Jonathan Eskridge

The second of the guest bloggers is someone who really has his act together. I have learned a lot from Johnathan and had the opportunity to travel with him to Vancouver in the fall. Dedication and patience are the two words that come to mind when describing Jonathan. I think that this is something many of my colleagues would agree with. I look forward to many more residencies put together with his attention to detail and architecture.

Here are Jonathan’s thoughts on what a residency is:

As the Cohort Ph.D. Program Director, I spend a great deal of my time and effort during the academic terms building and shaping each residency experience. I work five months and 22 days preparing, scheduling, re-scheduling, and creating activities and workshops for learners to experience while with us. I have no personal experience here, but it’s as close as I can imagine to the experience of having a child (if you are a parent, please disregard my obvious simple notion of “having a child”). After much work, effort, sweat, and tears, the residency is born.

Once the residency begins, my favorite part happens, though. I get to watch. I get to watch faculty offer advice to learners. I get to watch learners offer advice to faculty. I get to watch learners share in ups and downs. I watch people call home to check on their husbands, their wives, their children. I watch people articulating their viewpoints at an intellectual level that no other can compare to. Most importantly though, I get to watch people grow. They grow emotionally, academically, and intellectually. But most importantly, they grow as human beings. Wherever they’ve come from, whatever background they possess, good or bad, they’re here to make their world a better place. The best part in that whole process, though, is that the world they’re trying to make a better place is my world, too.

I count it a blessing be a small part in helping to guide learners down this path of growth.

Jonathan Eskridge

Cohort Ph.D. Program Director

The Blogger

I had a really interesting experience last night at the Faculty Open House that I have to share.

Several people approached me and asked if I was “The Blogger”?

I really didn’t know what to say at first. This blog was never designed to be about me or create this image but more about “life” as a PhD student/learner and my experiences at Union. As time has gone on, I have never felt that people were reading it and thinking about my posts.

The two comments that I got were interesting to me. First both individuals stated that it was good to hear that “it can be done” even though life would change a bit (they felt this encouraging). The second comment was that learners hoped to comment on my posts in a forum. In the next day, that feature will be open and will enrich the experience for me by getting feedback or questions that might perhaps stimulate more dialogue.

So today I look back at the first year and a half of my PhD program and wonder what I would have wrote if I had blogged the entire time. What would it say about my journey? What would it say about the transition of the person that I have become?

Today we move forward to a new place, the journey continues…

-j-

Some Time to Think

The leadership cohort had the opportunity to have a great conversation led by Peter Block. It was a great time to think. Think about where we are, and where we need to go. Peter is leading our class on leadership, and I am choosing to use this opportunity with Peter to talk about community development and how I might be able to take his ideas and meld them into my dissertation project. It is all starting to make sense to me.

On a side note, the weather is great in Cincinnati. Being able to walk outside without a winter coat is something that I enjoy doing in the month of January. Being stuck in classrooms all day, I am looking forward to taking a jog this afternoon and getting some fresh air.

In the days to come, I will have some guest bloggers. I am looking forward to reading others’ feelings about this week, and the experiences that we are having.

-j-

"The Real McCoy"--Guest Blogger

I am happy to say that I have the ability to pass the blog along to someone I admire. When I first came to Union in June of 2006, next to me sat Peyton McCoy (Peyton similar to Walter Payton, or Peyton Manning, McCoy like “The Real One”).

Listening to Peyton’s ability to tell a story and speak in public is amazing. She is a one of a kind, a real natural, and I admire her dearly.

-j-

Here is what she has to share:

My colleague Jeffrey Shepard approached me about penning this blog submission. I beamed with pride. You see, Jeffrey Shepard is an innovator par excellent. Not only that; one cannot help but beam at the distance traveled as a cohort in this parade of progress, which is evidenced in our inventions. What a marvelous family, the Union family. I kept thinking about my friend Roland, a new band director at an urban high school. I went to their football game a few weeks ago.

Round silver tubs started tapping a rhythm that converted even the non rhythmic. It could not be denied–the drum line was tight. The half-time show evangelized the audience. The drum major led 200 novice marching musicians into a frenzied exciting energy surpassed only by executed precision. It seemed that some invisible compass was navigating chaos into constructive tension. Effortless exactitude. First we sat on the edge of our seats wondering what was about to come. Then we were on our feet infused with exhilaration, invigoration. Next we were cheering and applauding with fierce urgency. But things are not always as they seem. That which appeared effortless was the result of extraordinary effort. Those novices—moving 200 strong–transformed the field, the fans, and themselves. From the player’s bench to the sky booth it became evident—there was a transformation coming on.

Simultaneously, five hundred miles west in Cincinnati, Ohio, there was another half-time going on. Admission tickets were high and expectations higher—there’s another transformation coming on:

It can be downloaded or uploaded
It’s for the information generation

It’s for the rough road and the heavy load
It’s a soulful rejuvenation

It recycles sorrow’s dump truck load, oppression’s dirty load,
And the weary blues overload

It’s a great migration towards an overdue celebration prior to a consummate transformation

It’s for the lost, the found, and the almost found
The bound, level to the ground, and the underground

There’s a transformation that’s yours (and mine) for the asking

So we’ll work longer—and care stronger—towards our transformation Union Institute style

If there’s a high road to take, take it
If there’s forgiveness to give give it
If there’s a thank you to say, say it

Then we can have a transformation, real inter disciplinary transformation–Union Institute style.

Peyton McCoy
Union Institute & University
Cohort 1