435 Lasuen Mall
Stanford
CA 94305
This conversation will focus on the civic community essential to democracy, and how we, both individually and collectively, contribute to cultivation of this community. Elam, Palmer and Schnaubelt will explore the relationships among contemplative practices, secular higher education, and the interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies necessary for “We the People” to be able to “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” By delving into the Five Habits of the Heart detailed in Palmer’s book “Healing the Heart of Democracy” this conversation will examine the role of educational institutions in both creating the civic community and inculcating the habits of the heart, both at Stanford and in liberal education more broadly. Public service as a form of experiential education designed to foster civic identity and civic competence will be highlighted. The panelists also will reflect on their direct experience with contemplative practices as a framework and as self-development tools that cultivate interpersonal and intrapersonal skills—habits of the heart—necessary for civic community and democracy.
Parker Palmer, PhD, is a highly respected writer, lecturer, teacher and activist whose work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life. He is a senior advisor to the Fetzer Institute and founded the Center for Courage & Renewal, which oversees a “Courage to Teach” program for K-12 educators across the country with parallel programs for people in other professions who are looking for ways to reconnect who they are with what they do. Palmer is the author of seven books, including the bestsellers The Courage to Teach, Let Your Life Speak, and A Hidden Wholeness. Named one of the “most influential senior leaders” in higher education, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Thomas (Tom) Schnaubelt, PhD, serves as an Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Haas Center for Public Service. Prior to coming to Stanford, Tom served as dean for Community Engagement and Civic Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and was the founding executive director of Wisconsin Campus Compact. He also established the Mississippi Center for Community and Civic Engagement, a statewide center based at the University of Southern Mississippi designed to foster and support educational partnerships between K-12, postsecondary, and community-based organizations. Tom began his career in higher education as a service-learning coordinator at the University of Southern Mississippi. Tom serves as resident fellow for Branner Hall, Stanford’s public service-themed dorm. He received a PhD in Higher Education Administration from the University of Mississippi in 2001.nbsp;
Prof. Harry J. Elam, Jr., PhD, is the Senior Vice Provost for Education and Vice President for the Arts at Stanford University. Professor Elam is the Olive H. Palmer Professor in the Humanities and the Freeman-Thornton Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. He is the author and editor of numerous books on theater and performance and has directed professionally for over 20 years. At Stanford, he has served as an award-winning teacher in the Drama department and he is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. In 2019 he was elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Vice Provost Elam received his A.B. from Harvard College and his Ph.D. in Dramatic Arts from the University of California, Berkeley.