Our intention was to begin developing a Campus Life Phase
for our Possible Human, Possible Society Study. Who knows where else that might
lead beyond simply gathering data?
Our brief but inspiring meeting at Hood saw our initial
mission accomplished.
Thus, we are pleased to announce that within the coming
weeks New Horizons and its two main initiatives, the Possible Society In Motion
Project and the Small “Zones of Peace” Project will begin efforts to interact
with Hood College students on campus as our first step in investigating the
dark and the light sides of campus life, U.S.A..
We want to learn who is walking the walk for peace action in
our country on college grounds and who is just possibly sabotaging this ideal;
how and why.
If we are fortunate perhaps we may uncover some pockets of
unrest before they explode. If we find any, of course, we will offer our best community
development and violence prevention services to assist. However, we have been
informed that Hood is a very special college with an abundance of the “make a
better world” type.
At the very least, we hope to increase what we know about
citizen involvement in students in more general terms.
We are now nearing three years into the study with approximately
one hundred fifty participants. Our goal of reaching the magic number of four
hundred interviewees across a spectrum of diverse groups means that we now need
to intensify our efforts. Data gathering for the study is slated to end
December 31, 2016.
Blair Thomas has just the right background to accomplish
this goal. He will now head the Campus Life Phase of our Possible Society In
Motion. As it turns out student involvement is a natural for him. Blair, with a
Masters degree in education has umpty ump years of teaching and will be wonderfully
suited to the role. We are quite excited to have him with us.
To underscore the perfection of Blair in this selection, we
were not more than five minutes on campus before he met up with a former
student from his recent high school teaching days.
How very fortuitous!
From all angles, including numerous positive past
experiences with Hood College, New Horizons is now getting set for some new
adventures in learning. We might just end up teaching a few things too in the
process.
With much thanks to Jill Hermes ’87, Director of the Hood
College Career Center and Office of Service Learning for her most gracious
welcoming of our project and us.
More to come.
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