Wilks Leadership Institute

Check out this historical information about Elliott Hall!!

2011-11-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

Miami University
Oxford, Ohio

Elliott Hall

The oldest resident hall on any Ohio campus, Elliott Hall (named for Miami professor of Greek, Charles Elliott) was built in 1825 and for 113 years was known simply as North Dorm. In the early years, room rent was $5 a term and a student provided his own furniture. At first rooms were lit by candles and heated from fireplaces, later by iron stoves. Each room had a woodbin, a supply of cornmeal and potatoes under the bed and an apple box in the corner. In these spartan quarters, students studied Latin, Greek, algebra, modern geography, and Roman history. They would leave Miami to become statesmen, industrialists, diplomats, jurists, eminent churchmen, journalists, and educators. Among them, was Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States.

By steps and stages, the old hall was modernized though unchanged in structure until 1936. Under a matching grant from the Public Works Administration, Elliott and its twin structure Stoddard Hall (1835) were rebuilt into modern residence facilities within the weathered walls.

Today, Elliott and Stoddard are scholarship residences for student scholar-leaders. Rooms in the historic halls are endowed through the philanthropy of Miami alumni and friends, ensuring their continued maintenance and furnishing. The endowment also provides housing scholarships for students who live there.

Beta Theta Pi Campanile

Standing north of Elliott Hall is the campus landmark, “Beta Bells”. The campanile is a gift of the fraternity in 1939 to celebrate the centenary of its founding. The Beta Bells ring the quarter hour from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. The bell tower’s unadorned clean lines reflect the Georgian architectural style of the campus and the simplicity of Elliott Hall.

*Historical information from The Miami Years by Walter Havinghurst. Photo obtained from Miami University Archives in Withrow court

2011-10-28T13:48:00.001-07:00

Wilks Leadership Institute is making a quilt to represent the theme "Love is our Resistance" from the Unite Miami Festival that happened last Tuesday. Students and community members created squares that depicted what unity, love, and diversity meant to them. If you would like to create a square to be included on the quilt, stop by the Wilks Leadership office in 109 Warfield anytime!! Check on our Facebook for some of the squares that have already been made!

Lessons in Leadership #1

2011-10-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Wilks Leadership Institute recently held its first meeting of its new dialogue series Lessons in Leadership on Wednesday, October 12th. The program featured American Studies Professor Dr. Kelly Quinn who led a discussion entitled “Lessons in Followership: Civic Engagement through Artistic Expression”. Dr. Quinn talked to students about the use of puppet-making to engage the community and have community members work together to express an idea. She also led the group in talking about the role that followers play in the overall picture of leadership. It was a fabulous way to start off this new series!
Stay tuned for more upcoming information about our second Lessons in Leadership Event on Wednesday, November 16th led by Mr. Clark Kelly and Mr. Nicholas Cattin from the Office of Career Services.

Leadership as Passion, Collaboration, and Dialogue

2011-10-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

I’m a junior student in zoology and molecular biology. I am also the co-president of African School Advancement Program (ASAP). This organization is dedicated to advancing primary and secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Tanzania, and domestically to enhancing cross-cultural understanding and raising awareness of the education crisis in Africa. My position as president of ASAP has allowed me the opportunity to apply and put to practice leadership techniques that I have gained as a result of my time as a Scholar Leader and through my involvement with Wilks Leadership Institute. The incredible people in these two communities have taught me a wealth about leadership and how it is most successfully practiced. Leadership is about passion. Leadership is about collaboration. And leadership is about dialogue.

After spending a month in Tanzania as a volunteer teaching English I became intimately aware of the toll of the education crisis, which is so prevalent in many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. Reflecting on my experiences I developed a passion for this cause that I wanted to share and voice. Despite seemingly unbridgeable boundaries between culture, background, and even language, I have joined the students and teachers of Ngyeku Primary School in our shared passion and vision for advancing these students’ education opportunities. As current co-president of Miami’s African School Advancement Program I hope that my excitement for this cause and belief in the impact we can make will filter into our new members and the Miami community. In sharing responsibility, my co-president and I have established an excellent dynamic of cooperation that has been hugely successful. We are constantly encouraging each other and reminding each other of how appreciative we are of what the other can contribute. Part of this involves an understanding and intuition of the other, realizing when offering commitment and stepping up to handle a particular task is necessary. Being honest with yourself and others about what you can handle is also critical.

Collaboration goes much further than merely between two co-presidents; it involves all members as having unique and insightful perspectives to contribute as a sum of their individuality. As a leader it is vital to promote an environment of dialogue. This environment facilitates active and engaged discussion that views each contributor as an equal and important piece of the dialogue. It is incredible to see what ideas and insights may be surfaced through a group of individuals dedicated to dialogue. The Scholar Leader community taught me much about how collaboration leads to successful and meaningful dialogue. As a community structured not around one specific passion or interest but around the common ideals of engagement, motivation, encouragement, and intellectual growth and discussion - these ideals are able to transcend specific interests and allow a dynamic and vibrant community of individuals the opportunity to interact and learn from each other. This is a model we should all strive to follow in our involvements!

-Caitlin Troyer

The Start of a New School Year!

2011-08-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

It’s the start of a new school year and the Wilks Leadership Institute is gearing up for an exciting year! Over the last two weeks, we’ve made appearances at new student orientation, Mega Fair, the Resident Assistant Resource Fair and have already had two open houses for students to come and learn more about the Institute and get involved in what we do. Tomorrow, September 1st, we have our last Open House from 10 am – 12 noon in our office, Warfield Hall 109 (on the first floor). FREE food!

Can’t make it to the Open House? No problem – go to our website (http://www.muohio.edu/wilks) and learn more about our programs and events. Now is a great time to apply for our High School Leadership Program. We are currently accepting applications for those students interested in becoming a High School Leadership Coach. The program allows Miami students to develop their own leadership skills while helping high school students identify, understand, and take steps toward solving a community issue that is important to them. Through this process, coaches empower high school students to develop their own leadership skills and ability to make change in their communities. To learn more about the program and to view the application check out our website: http://community.muohio.edu/wilks/. Applications are due Monday, September 12th at 5:00 pm. If you have any questions, please e-mail High School Leadership Program Coordinator, Justin Woodard at woodarjm@muohio.edu.

This year we are also excited and busy preparing for our future events and initiatives, including the monthly dialogue series Lessons in Leadership, Scholar Leader recruitment, the annual Regional High School Leadership Conference, and collaboration with the Social Action Center. Keep your eyes open for updates about our events!

We hope to see you there! In the meanwhile, be sure to find our bedsheet banners all around campus!

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – William Shedd

The Citizens' Toolbox National Student Conference

2011-03-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Wilks Leadership Institute is hosting a national student conference beginning today on Miami's campus. The conference -- The Citizens' Toolbox -- will focus on the tools that students/young people can access to become better citizens.

Over 100 students, faculty, staff, and professionals in the field of civic engagement will be traveling to Miami to participate. On the evening of Thursday, March 17, participants will be traveling to Cincinnati to explore the National Underground Railroad Museum and Freedom Center and to learn about the work that it does in the community.

Other sessions explore the connection between art and civic life, the National Conference on Citizenship's Civic Health Index, and a project at IUPUI called Democracy Plaza.

The Citizens' Toolbox is the sequel to a conference held in Point Clear, Alabama last year called "Connect the Dots."

You can follow the conference's Twitter backchannel at #ctb11, and the conference's Twitter account is @citizentoolbox

Everything's Political - The Need for Problem-Solving-Focused Education

2011-01-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

As a graduate student in a Student Affairs in Higher Education program, I endeavor to eventually work on a college campus, encouraging students to mind their civic habits and responsibilities, while simultaneously teaching them about life throughout that journey. In working with the Wilks Institute, I have managed to perform bricolage, mixing two seemingly disparate elements together: politics and education. Through Pondering Politics, I have organized a series of discussions in which students having no knowledge of politics can contribute to a conversation on what politics means to them. I guess one could metaphorically associate this effort with the training wheels needed for what is hopefully a life-long career marrying civic responsibility with education.

My motivation for pursuing what can be an all-too-frustrating task was initially selfish. I was a political science major. I didn't have the guts to denigrate characters in political attack ads or the logical skills needed to practice the law. I liked living and working on a college campus as an undergraduate. Voila. Student affairs allows me to straddle the line between politics and education.

But, as many a graduate student has come to know, this line I speak of is fictional. That's the lesson I have learned this year, perhaps nowhere better than these dialogues. Navigating a curriculum rooted in social constructivism, understanding that there is never a "right" answer, but merely socially-constructed knowledge, has sharpened my realization that politics is in everything we do. Yes, it's in presidential elections every four years. It is in the partisan bickering and strategizing that goes on in Washington. But it is also in fraternity and sorority elections. It is in where you get your coffee in the morning. It is in the choice of news you wish to consume. Politics is everywhere.

My experience with undergraduates at my former place of employment and Miami reveals to me that I was not alone in seeing the line. Politics can be compartmentalized into a convenient box. Students associate politics with Washington DC, voting, Congress, and the like. In one of our political dialogues, one of the students expressed boredom with politics. "Whenever I see politics on TV I change the channel," they explained. "It's just not fun. I don't really want to get involved." Yet, the act of channelsurfing itself is political. They did get involved in their decision to forgo public affairs programming.

I am recognizing that while higher education staff and faculty spend quite a bit of time on social justice education, we tend to spend less time on civic education, developing the set of tools needed to engage in one's community. While service-learning and voter registration drives have been trendy on college campuses during the last two presidential campaigns, engagement in local and state politics continues to suffer. It's no wonder students associate politics with dysfunctional Washington.

If we were to take a problem-solving approach to learning, we might make some headway, ridding higher education of the “mind/body split” that compartmentalizes intellectual discussion from one’s public actions (hooks, 1994, p. 16). A problem-solving approach would require the construction of deep and sustainable relationships between student affairs employees, faculty, and administration; a problem-solving-based model would necessitate an emphasis on the common good, meaning that students would see departments and offices role model this approach by collectivizing agendas as much as possible and placing the institution’s mission (which would ideally emphasize problem-solving) above their own. In addition to the construction of strong relationships, a problem-solving approach would encourage student affairs educators to create Freirian relationships with students; with an emphasis on community problem-solving, student/teacher and teacher/student “learn from and teach each other” – “doing ‘with’ rather than ‘for’” (as cited in Manning, 1994, p. 95).

In this model, collaboration is the name of the game. The common good is at the heart of this effort, with problems uniting academic disciplines, student affairs staff, and students as opposed to egos, departments that are siloed off from each other, and disengaged students. To get here, we do need to re-examine our social justice efforts.

In order to face society’s problems today, our students must first begin the process of understanding and exploring their identity, their values, and how they view difference. In addition, the educational nature of problem-solving demands from students the ability to see an issue from another’s perspective. Following these tough lessons, students also need to learn about power and privilege, the source of many of the problems our students will be trying to solve.

As we redouble our efforts to solve these problems, politics does not have to be perceived as a bad thing. The derivation of the word -- “polis” is the Greek word for a city or state, thus “politikos,” or politics, means affairs/issues of the city/state -- is hardly negative. What is bad is that college students associate the broken system currently in Washington with politics; consequently, "politics" gets a bad name and other, more positive opportunities for political engagement become invisible. With just a bit more effort, all of us associated with higher education can reveal the other side of politics -- civil conversations, learning from others, changing their realities to help themselves and others -- and align programs with our institutions' "citizenship"-laden mission statements.

References:

hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge.

Manning, K. (1994). Liberation theology and student affairs. Journal of College Student Development, 35, 94-97.

Scholar Leaders Plunge into Chicago

2011-01-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

The week before Spring semester classes started, twenty-eight members of the Scholar Leader community, including myself, bundled up against the cold and headed to Chicago for an annual trip the program takes called Plunge. Plunge provides Scholar Leader members the opportunity to visit a city in order to do service, meet with community leaders and organizations, and generally "plunge" into the environment and culture of a city separate from Oxford.

Having never been to Chicago, I immediately fell in love with the city: its picturesque position on Lake Michigan, the entrancing skyline, but most importantly, the people. People of a variety of colors, sizes, cultures, mindsets, values, and lifestyles, all blustering past me in the frigid Chicago air. Coming from a considerably small town compared to Chicago, where buildings are considered tall if they are four floors, it was thrilling to be in such an energetic and different environment from what I am used to.

It was clear from the first day of our visit that Chicago would provide life-changing experiences. Our visit began with the option to explore the city for a few hours. This exploration opened our eyes to typical attractions such as Cloud Gate, or more commonly "The Bean," in Millennium Park as well as the Art Institute of Chicago. However, it also opened our eyes to the bitter reality of homelessness and poverty in Chicago, as we encountered many people battling the cold in order to find enough money to have a meal for the evening. These encounters were some of the first connections to the theme of our trip: power and privilege. This theme was continued in full force that evening when we met with the organization LIFT, which fights poverty in Chicago and works to give those living in poverty the resources needed to begin changing their situations. The discussion made us even more committed to making a difference in Chicago during our time there.

The next day found us at the Greater Chicago Food Depository boxing food for senior citizens that would help feed them for three to four days. Lined up in a very energetic assembly line, we packed these boxes for almost three hours generating a product of 880 boxes, each containing rice, cereal, mixed vegetables, condensed milk, and canned salmon. We all left in high spirits knowing that we were now involved in the fight against poverty in Chicago and were helping to feed 880 people. This experience was followed by a conversation at DePaul University about power and privilege, which was continued spontaneously throughout the rest of the trip.

Our final day of Plunge was last Friday and began with a visit to Access Living, an organization that works to find independent housing for those with disabilities and advocates for disability rights and opportunity. After a tour of Access Living's building, built following universal design, we had another discussion on power and privilege with members of the Access Living staff, and how this theme relates to those with disabilities.

All of these experiences were complemented by community bonding adventures including visits to China Town, Little Italy, Shedd Aquarium, and the John Hancock Observatory, which also gave us the opportunity to explore the many cultures and sights that make up the city of Chicago. The trip came full circle when we were able to see the Miami University Glee Club perform Friday night at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Despite being in a city much different from Oxford, we were able to connect our experiences in Chicago with our lives at Miami and see that our impact is in no way confined to a single area.

Plunge was a wonderful success this year. It showed how much one can grow in just a few days and also that a place may be incredible, but it is the people you encounter who truly make an experience worthwhile.

Read to Lead

2010-12-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

This past week our “Read to Lead” leadership book club finished its second book. The book chosen for this month was Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. The book follows the story of a fictional island of Nollop. The island of Nollop, located off the Southeastern coast of the United States, is named after Joseph Nollop, the creator of a sentence which contains all the letters of the alphabet: “the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” The island commemorated Joseph Nollop with a statue of himself with his name and sentence in letters underneath. The problems arise when the letters begin to fall off the monument. The incident was proclaimed, by the islands council, to be the divine intervention of Joseph Nollop who is conveying that the island should no longer use the letters in their language. As more and more letters begin to fall people on the island become more enraged by the council’s action to remove the letters from the alphabet. The council however takes stricter regulations to any people who use the letters. The island residents must band together to try and change their course and get the island council to stop their current path and reinstate the letters to the alphabet.

Throughout the book the residents are faced with the dilemma of how to address their elected officials. As letters began to fall off the monument, the elected officials refused to take responsibility and replace the letters by declaring it to be divine intervention. At first the island residents do not really question the response of the island council. The first letter that fell was the letter Z and Ella is quoted by saying, “Who really uses the letter Z anyways?” She even goes as far as throwing it a going away party. Her cousin Tassie however sees that the island council could be set on a slippery slope that would be devastating to the island residents. The dilemma is often faced in real life when citizens do not know how to properly engage with their elected officials. While reading this book a phrase from the movie, “V for Vendetta,” kept popping into my head: “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.” This book highlighted the fact that while elected officials to government ultimately have the power to create law, the people are the ones who should inspire legislation that can be supported by fact and certainties. This is why deliberative dialog is always an important aspect within any community.

MYOC - Make Your Own Community

2010-10-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Elizabeth discussed leadership, discussing in particular the merits of a non-hierarchical style. The Wilks Institute has adopted this style in its "public leadership" philosophy, a principle grounded in an acknowledgement that effective leadership in a democratic society relies on collaboration, compromise, and dialogue. Through a variety of programs -- the Public Achievement program at Hamilton High School, the Scholar Leader program, and the Acting Locally and Shaping Sustainable Communities, for example -- students working with the Wilks Institute develop these skill sets in preparation for leading a productive, civically-engaged life.

Sometimes when we discuss public leadership, we might not think of how these accompanying skills and values look in practical, everyday terms. NPR recently highlighted one example taking place this fall in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

On a recent evening, an abandoned gas station with a curb blocked by cement barriers is the meeting point for a group of people who appear to be pulling chairs and tables from the trunks of their cars. It's almost dark. Some boxes are set on the sidewalk; linens and dishes and food are pulled out; and what moments ago was an eyesore has been transformed into a popular place to eat. It's called BYOR. That stands for "bring your own restaurant." It's not quite an established venue, but the food is very good.

It's free to those who share. And the ambiance is unexpected, as the outdoor location keeps changing. People learn where BYOR is going to be via Facebook. In the mild weather, it's "open" every other weekend. No reservations required — just an appetite and some extra chairs if you have them.

BYOR started out of a frustration with limited restaurant options in Holyoke. The town's depleted economy has taken a toll on many businesses in the Holyoke community, and with crime picking up, many community residents have elected to withdraw from community life in hopes of staying safe. As a consequence, local restaurants close promptly at 5:00 to minimize their losses. When a couple wanted to attend an art opening and grab dinner beforehand, they could find no open restaurants. So they created their own, eating a home-cooked meal outside near the art gallery.

BYOR has since grown from its humble, simple beginning. The most recent BYOR gathering had over 40 attendees cooking and eating dinner in a public location. BYOR's success has largely been a consequence of its visibility. One participant was drawn in by others who literally took their food from the outdoor site to the streets, enticing drivers with some of the food. Each gathering takes place in a different location, with the goal of discovering the community and engaging more residents in the event. Participants, while getting to know each other and enjoying new friendships, are also pursuing another goal: demonstrating a demand to local restauranteurs for authentic, good, local food.

This example of community-based leadership demonstrates the power and scope of public leadership. While the founding couple could have chosen to ignore their dissatisfaction with restaurants or to complain (probably unsuccessfully) to local officials, they took matters into their own hands. By engaging various others within the neighborhood, they create their own dinner table and restaurant and effectively make their own community.

Democracy, Empowerment and the High School Engagement Program

2010-10-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

According to the Public Achievement curriculum, leadership is equivalent to action and is an attribute that any citizen (i.e. any person) can develop and use. This definition of leadership not only compliments that of the Wilks Leadership Institute, it defines the goals and purposes of Wilks. It is no wonder, then, that Wilks uses Public Achievement for the High School Engagement Program. The core of the Wilks High School Engagement Program lies in educating and empowering high school students to recognize areas for and make positive change, whether it be in their communities, school, personal interactions, or self (possibly even all of them at the same time). The most empowered people are generally those who do the most within their communities/schools because they know their potential and their rights. Most students, unfortunately, don’t know what they are capable of nor do they take the time to care. This apathetic attitude presenting itself in high schools everywhere is manifested in the real world as well. A person’s voting habits, involvement, expression of ideas and drive to complete tasks are all affected by how empowered a person is/feels. In order to maintain the involvement of citizenry in democracy, people must be empowered to participate at an early age. This is a cultural initiative. It starts at home, continues in the schools, and in the community at large. For this to truly work, it is necessary that all individuals be treated equally. Everyone must be shown their strengths and be able to capitalize upon them. Idealistic, you say? Yes. Impossible, you ask? No, not in theory. And besides, we are nowhere near ready to give up.

Leadership and Miami's Culture

2010-10-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

After becoming involved in Wilks about a year ago, my definition of leadership has been altered, to the benefit of my future career as an educator and to my collaboration with others. Once an independent leader, I now value the leadership capabilities that all members of a group, including young children, can bring to the table. In other words, I adhere to the Wilks position of public leadership. Having never discussed the concept of public leadership before last year, I find it interesting how many ways it has affected the way I lead my everyday life.

All people are members of a range of cultures: ethnicity, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. Each neighborhood, place of work, and educational institution has a culture. The list could extend infinitely. Lately, I have been more cognizant of the many cultures I belong to here at Miami. There is the culture of my residence hall, of my major in Early Childhood Education, and of the group of friends I predominantly do things with. But I am also part of the culture of Miami University as a whole, which is built not only of the cultures I am a part of but of hundreds of other cultures as well.

When looked at this way, the way we lead within our more specific cultures at Miami affects the culture of Miami as a whole. Knowing that our actions influence Miami's culture, we must take care to lead ethically. In my view, this involves public leadership, accepting the views, styles, and capabilities of others as valuable contributions to achieving a goal. Once I began to develop an understanding of public leadership, I noticed that it has affected my leadership in a wide range of contexts, from working with children to planning events in my residence hall, and it has made me more appreciative of collaboration.

The culture of the Wilks Institute and Scholar Leader community affected my leadership, and now I am able to apply what I've learned to other cultures I am a part of, which in turn affects them as well, even if only in very small ways. So I encourage all students at Miami to consider the effect their leadership has on the University's culture as well as how the cultures they are a part of affect their leadership.

Government in Our Lives

2010-09-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

When you hear the word "government," what is your first reaction?

On Wednesday, September 15, 25 students gathered in the living room of Stanton Hall to answer this question in the most recent session of Pondering Politics.

The students' views reflected our nation's divided views on government. While some students argued the need for government to safeguard the liberties of oppressed groups in the United States, others cited inefficiency and frustrating bureaucracy in critiquing government. The U.S. Postal Service and Bureau of Motor Vehicles received particularly low marks in the discussion.

One interesting theme taken from the discussion was the repeated association of the general concept of "government" with the federal government. Asked about this, students expressed that they did not see how local and state government influenced their lives.

Miami upperclass students Alex Schaefer and Jacob Westfall, who were present to discuss Miami's Governmental Relations Network with students, quickly interjected, sharing their experience within the network of working directly with the state government. Both cited higher education funding as one example of the state's influence on Miami students among others.

Genuinely thinking and philosophizing about government is not exactly in style these days, as we mindlessly consume the latest cable TV-molded sound bytes. However, in this program, the second installment of Pondering Politics, students were given the opportunity to meet other people, think critically, and share and further hone their opinions. We hope this continues as we move forward with this initiative.

The next Pondering Politics is scheduled as a joint "Let's Talk" dialogue with the Office of Diversity Affairs on Wednesday, September 29 at 8:30 p.m. The topic: Power and Privilege in Politics. Be sure to show up, grab some pizza, think, listen, and learn!

What is Leadership?

2010-09-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

This pivotal quote by John Quincy Adams is pasted on nearly everything associated with Wilks. But what does that really say about the nature of leadership? What this quote does best is linking the idea of leadership to that of challenge. It implies that leadership is, by nature, critically thinking and challenging others to do the same. Anyone with a mind can do that. This means that leadership is not exclusive to one type of person or to any singular position or title. Leadership is the essence of challenging – the status quo, the accepted ideas, tradition, etc. Leadership is scientific in the fact that it necessitates experimentation. But more than that, it is creative. Combining methodology with innovation, leadership is broadly defined and broadly applied.

This quote, however, embodies a rather non-traditional view of leadership which tends to be much more inclusive and all encompassing. Many people would define leadership by positions and titles. This is traditionally what leadership is assumed to be, and in the minds of many, there is a direct correlation between leadership and title, as well as leadership and formal power (i.e. financial, political, social, etc.). Non-traditional definitions of leadership, like John Quincy Adams’ involve power, just in a different light. Adams’ leadership philosophy assumes that leaders have more inherent power over themselves than over others. Because of this, true leaders influence rather than control. This dynamic places leaders and followers on a level of equality rather than hierarchy.

Personally, I find it amazing that leadership can be defined in such broad terms, yet, when asked what leadership is, most people point to positional leaders. I guess that is why Wilks is here – to educate people on the different types and styles of leadership. :)

Re-Establishing Dialogue in Our Politics

2010-09-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, September 1, sixteen Miami students gathered in the Benjamin Harrison Room in the Shriver Center for the introductory session of Pondering Politics.

After introductions and an explanation of the program's rationale, students explored the differences between dialogue and debate through a visualization exercise. Students agreed that politics today resembles a debate in which people seek to win the argument as opposed to come to a better understanding on various issues.

In addition, many of the participants stated that they felt disconnected from politics, finding it difficult to gain access to understand many of the topics discussed.

The next session of Pondering Politics is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15, in the Stanton Hall Living Room. The topic to be discussed is government and its relationship with students.

Pondering Politics

2010-07-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

"That’s some politics being played by Hillary Clinton," the candidate yelled, shirt-sleeves rolled up and smiling on the stump in Pennsylvania. In the middle of an intense campaign for the Democratic nomination in the spring of 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was responding to Clinton’s charges that the Illinois senator was not as agreeable to Western Pennsylvania voters as she was given remarks Obama made about their being "bitter" and "clinging to guns and religion."

At a contextual level, Obama’s invocation of the "playing politics" phrase is most likely a claim that Clinton’s comments were disingenuous; instead of expressing honest concern for the average Pennsylvania hunter, Obama seems to accuse Clinton of deceiving voters by acting as if she is more preoccupied with gun rights than she actually is. Yet, at a more textual level, Obama makes an interesting assumption: "politics," as it appears in Obama’s statement, is a game in which one retains the option to participate. Obama also paints it as being negative in nature. Thus, Obama appears to argue that Clinton, by playing politics, should be perceived as less valuable to the voters.

Obama’s not alone in his view of politics. One can observe this definition at work on the comments streams following news reports on many news websites. One recent comment on an online forum’s bulletin board declared, "To be honest, I think the way Obama has been approaching this debate has been wrong. The guy is great and intelligent, but he's being too political." Glenn Beck, a Fox News political commentator, provides another example of this contemporary connotation of politics: "They're playing politics with the national security of the United States." We repeatedly define politics as a negative activity in which one can opt to participate.

Interestingly, in its original Greek form, the definition of politics carries less baggage; with polis meaning "city state," politikos roughly translates to “of the citizen,” signaling a citizen-centered view of politics with a focus on those things concerning city or state affairs. Aristotle argues that politics consists of the interplay between people from different backgrounds and interests, holding different views, while aiming to complete a task. In other words, politics is a constant that citizens cannot ignore; in fact, political involvement and engagement ("playing politics") forms the heart of democracy.

In 2010, the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute created "Pondering Politics," a dialogue series for Miami students, because we believe politics is anything but a game that people periodically join. Politics is at work in everything we do, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. This realization attributes a new importance, then, to developing listening, thinking, and communication skills within ourselves, the hallmarks of a liberal arts education. Given Miami’s liberal arts foundation, this particular university is well-positioned to challenge students to think about politics and current issues and to mutually exchange these ideas with their peers.

In the fall of 2010, Pondering Politics will be composed of eight sessions, each with a different focus, and each with a different campus or community partner. A typical session will allow students and other participating community members to introduce themselves and get to know each other. Following this opening period, a facilitator will provide a brief introduction to the process of dialogue and to the topic being discussed, setting the context for the discussion; following this, the facilitator will pose a question to the group to commence the dialogue.

The schedule for the Fall 2010 edition of Pondering Politics is provided below. Please e-mail Craig Berger (bergercr@muohio.edu) with any questions.

Wednesday, Sept. 1st - 8:00 p.m. - Introduction
(Benjamin Harrison Room, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Sept. 15th - 8:00 p.m. - Miami’s Government Relations Network
(Stanton Hall Living Room)

Wednesday, Sept. 29th - 8:30 p.m. - Exploring Power and Privilege in Politics with the Office of Diversity Affairs
(Center for Black Culture and Learning, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Oct. 13th - 8:00 p.m. - Midterm Elections: What Do They Mean for Us? Conversations with Political Science Faculty
(Bystrom-Reid Room, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Oct. 20th - 8:00 p.m. - Talking with Student Party Leaders on Campus
(Benjamin Harrison Room, Shriver Center)

Wednesday, Oct. 27th - 7:00 p.m. - How Do Regional Issues Impact Students?
(Wilks Conference Center, Miami University Hamilton)

Welcome to the Blog!

2010-07-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute Blog! This blog was started to give a more personal touch to the programs and work that goes on here at Wilks. We wanted to give the Wilks staff the opportunity to reflect a bit more in depth on the events that they take part. We hope that you enjoy all the future posts and thanks for stopping by!

To begin here is a bit more info on what the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute actually is:

The Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute is an endowed institute committed to promoted community-based learning experiences that prepare students to become engaged public leaders and informed global citizens while also enriching and giving back to the communities that surround and support Miami University.

By connecting students and communities, in Southwest Ohio and around the world, the Wilks Leadership Institute advances the understanding and practice of the types of engaged leadership necessary for building a vibrant democratic society today and in the future.

The Wilks Leadership Institute sponsors a series of curricular and co-curricular civic engagement programs, including courses focused on public engagement and community learning, a high school leadership program, international leadership capacity development, engaged scholarship, and a series of speakers and symposiums promoting leadership for the public good.

Through these projects, the Wilks Leadership Institute attempts to:

Deepen student, faculty, and institutional understandings of various approaches to public scholarship and leadership;
Infuse public engagement and the study of the arts of leadership into the curriculum through the creation of new courses and the re-design of existing courses;
Build relationships between students and community members, including schools, community organizations, and neighborhood residents with a focus on Southwest Ohio;
Explore and develop comparative perspectives on leadership through local and international engagement;
Seamlessly connect student experiences in and out of the class in all aspects of our programming; and
Conduct innovative research and share lessons learned for leadership, civic engagement, educational reform, and institutional change on a national platform