Dr. Palmer’s Update: September 2011

We are all thinking big at this time of year. New friendships, expanded horizons, and invigorating challenges bring excitement and an expectation of good.

But how do we hold on to this freshness and keep thought from shrinking over time? Principia’s founder Mary Kimball Morgan raised this in a talk to her staff during the fall of 1932: “I wonder if the specific work for each of us this year may not be to grow in bigness of thought—and in grace” (Education at The Principia, p. 67). Nearly eight decades later, we are still taking up this important work of expanding thought.

While the goal is the same, our work often takes new form as we incorporate modern ideas. For example, as we switch to the semester system at the College, new student orientation has been redesigned. We’re drawing on the well-known time-management concept of “Big Rocks.” You may have seen the illustrations of people struggling to fit both big rocks and small rocks into a jar. Everyone quickly discovers: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never fit them in at all. The biggest, most important rocks have to go in first.

We’ve defined our three “Big Rocks” as Christian Science, Principia, and character unfoldment. During College orientation week, faculty, staff, and new students worked together in “families” to examine the three Big Rocks; these family groups will continue to meet throughout the year in support of these big ideas.

At the School, athletes have been digging in for the past several weeks to establish a strong spiritual foundation while also refining their physical skills in preparation for competition. It’s an exhilarating time of growth—and fun.

At the Upper School, we are thrilled to be welcoming students from 32 states and 12 countries. At the College, students from 44 states and 21 countries are living and learning together. It’s a diverse mix of great thinkers, all drawing on the common goal of practicing Christian Science on a daily basis.

I was pleased to hear recently that Principia’s commitment to our Big Rocks has been noticed. After accompanying her new freshman to orientation at the College, a Principia alum wrote to say: “I was inspired by the addresses given to the Class of 2015 reminding them of their commitment to Christian Science. This is not a school for students who happen to be Christian Scientists, but rather a school of Christian Scientists who happen to be students.”

This new College parent and alum went on to say that she “was reminded of the privilege I have had to be a graduate of such a ‘world-changing’ academic institution.”

I hope we can find ways to get more alumni and friends like you back to Principia, whether or not you have children enrolling at the School or College. Perhaps you’d like to spend a week or two taking classes at the College. Autumn Session, September 24–October 8, is just around the corner. Come live in the Guest House and learn amidst current students.

If you are an Upper School alum with a class year ending in 1, 2, 6, or 7, I hope you are making plans to be in St. Louis for the Upper School Reunion September 14–17. You can reconnect with classmates while enjoying a football game and the buzz of the School campus in fall.

Our renowned Speaker Series will kick off with Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will on Friday, September 9. If you can’t be in Elsah for the talk, tune in on Principia Internet Radio at 8 p.m. (central time).

Later this month, we are launching the second season of Principia Chats. These hour-long radio shows provide regular updates on what’s happening on both campuses. Janessa Gans Wilder, director of the Euphrates Institute now based at Principia College, will join us for a live Chat on Thursday, September 20 at 8 p.m. (central time).

Learn about the partnership between Principia and the Euphrates Institute, which Janessa founded following her work as a CIA analyst in Iraq, and hear details about the two-day conference “Our World Beyond 9/11” taking place on the College campus in October. Current College students are working as fellows at the Institute, joining the Euphrates Institute’s effort to restore trust between the West and Middle East in the aftermath of 9/11. (Click here to listen to podcasts or view video highlights of past Chats.)

We are excited about continuing to foster relationships like this one with the Euphrates Institute. Working together with Principia’s friends and partners, we are offering a remarkably rich menu of opportunities for our students, whether they are infants and toddlers learning to navigate the ramp in the Acorn building or College students flying off to study abroad in England or Greece and Turkey. Thank you for supporting the unlimited opportunities Principia provides—we couldn’t do it without you!