A “”promising practice”" we would like to highlight is in the area of Presidential Leadership and communication with the campus and larger community. A very successful Templeton Fellowship Forum was held at our campus Community Service House in January. It allowed our senior Templeton Fellow Michael Harms, our President Mark Gearan, and nearly 100 members of the campus and Geneva communities to engage in a lively discussion concerning service, its role on campus, and the notion of civic engagement and the mission of a liberal arts college. During the discussion President Gearan, who is the former Director of the Peace Corps, was able to articulate his support and vision of public service. It was Michael s idea to make the evening more than simply an interview of the President, but to invite the entire community to discuss the role of service and the strengths and weaknesses of the programs at HWS.
The evening was an outstanding starting point for the next day s visit by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to learn about and discuss community service at the Colleges. Mrs. Clinton s visit was the first in the President s Forum series, which has brought to campus this year a number of speakers who have engaged the campus in discussion of important issues, many in the area of student activism and civic engagement. These speakers have come from a variety of backgrounds and included former and present Congressmen and journalists. The visibility of public service on the campus has risen appreciably.
Contact person: Averell Bauder, Director of Public Service Office, bauder {at} hws(.)edu
