Dr. Palmer’s Update: May 2010

May is harvest time in the world of education. All those seedlings planted during the early days of classes last fall are coming to fruition as students demonstrate their mastery and growth.

In a community of practice such as Principia, it’s rewarding—and natural—to see evidence of progress all around. College seniors are presenting capstone projects while Upper School seniors demonstrate their independence as they launch into month-long May projects.

Whole-man Excellence on Display
Excellence is evident across the whole-man spectrum. At the School, the boys’ track team took first place in the season-opening meet, gaining points in 14 out of 18 events. Ten Upper School band students came home from the state competition last weekend with “superior” rankings.

At the College, three students recently traveled to a conference and presented research done on the India Abroad last fall. The president of the American Anthropological Association was in the audience and commented later that she couldn’t get over the fact that these were undergraduates presenting scholarly work. In her 30 years of teaching, she said, she had only come across three or four students capable of giving the kind of presentation she heard from these students. Bravo to our exceptional Principia athletes and scholars!

Register for May 27 Coast-to-Coast Web Conference
Head of School Marilyn Wallace and I enjoyed connecting with more than 100 alumni and friends during our first live, interactive Web conference last month. It was a terrific success, generating interesting questions and proving that this new technology can help us connect across long distances. Join us for the second Coast-to-Coast Web Conference on Thursday, May 27, from 8:00-9:30 p.m. CDT. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection. Register at www.principia.edu/c2cweb/may.htm.

Christian Science Board of Directors’ Visit
We are looking forward to hosting the Christian Science Board of Directors on both campuses next week. The Directors initiated this visit, and we are grateful for the opportunity to dialogue about how we can work together in support of young Christian Scientists. While mindful of Principia’s Policy 1, which states, “It shall be made clear that The Principia is a private philanthropy and not an official activity of the Christian Science Church,” we are looking forward to this opportunity to discuss the respective roles of the Church and Principia in supporting the movement.

Leadership Institute and Euphrates Center for Middle East Understanding
As we emphasize the goals outlined in our strategic plan, “Rising Higher, Reaching Further,” I am pleased to announce the launch of two new initiatives: the Principia College Leadership Institute and the Principia College Euphrates Center for Middle East Understanding.

The Leadership Institute will emphasize our efforts to “rise higher” through enhanced character-training and character-building activities. It will help identify and develop student leaders by offering specialized training and experiential learning that will give them the skills to lead on campus and throughout their lives. As the Institute develops, we foresee it serving a broader audience that could encompass adult learners, high school students, camp counselors, and outside organizations.

Principia will be partnering with the Euphrates Institute in establishing the Euphrates Center for Middle East Understanding. As we “reach further” to understand and engage the global community, the Euphrates Center for Middle East Understanding will allow us to further the international dimensions of our strategic plan.

Principia’s emphasis on whole-man character education, combined with a high level of student involvement in extracurricular activities, means we are well-positioned to develop the next generation of leaders. These initiatives will allow us to deepen our efforts in the area of character unfoldment and offer an interdisciplinary model for leadership training and global awareness.

“Bigness of thought” Required
At the 40^th anniversary of Principia’s founding, school founder Mary Kimball Morgan refocused attention on the “underlying and vital purpose of Principia’s work”—service to the Cause of Christian Science. This is “too frequently lost sight of in the consumingly interesting business of running a school,” she said (Education at The Principia, p. 85). What a wise woman!

Running a school and college is indeed all-consuming and unceasingly interesting. However, Mrs. Morgan called for growth in “bigness of thought.” That kind of growth is just as much needed today as when Mrs. Morgan shared her ideas in the 1930s. So please join us as we grow in thought and refuse to accept limits for Principia or our students.