Mercer Associate Provost Peter Brown will join some of the nation’s leading scholars of leadership studies and representatives of some 50 liberal arts institutions in gathering at Claremont, Calif., June 14-15 for a conference on “Leadership Across the Liberal Arts Curriculum.”
This unprecedented gathering is the capstone of a three-year initiative funded by the W.M. Keck Foundation. The project has been dedicated to integrating topics of responsible leadership across the liberal arts disciplines.
“The conference should provide a forum for stimulating, thought-provoking discussions among scholars on best practices for teaching leadership across the liberal arts curriculum,” said Ronald Riggio, director of the host institution, the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College.
The Kravis Institute, the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond collaborated on the initiative, which included a 2006 summer workshop, fellowships for undergraduate students and faculty, and new interdisciplinary courses developed in the arts, sciences and social sciences that focus on leadership themes.
Keynote speakers at the conference include Thomas Cronin, president emeritus of Whitman College; J. Thomas Wren, the interim dean of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond; Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College; Michael Genovese, director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University; and Ronald Riggio, director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College.
Sending representatives to the conference, in addition to Mercer, are:
Allegheny College, Averett University, Azusa Pacific University, Barnard College, Bates College, Beloit College, Bimingham-Southern College, Claremont McKenna College, Colgate University, Colorado College, Cornell College, Creighton University, Doane College, Fairfield University, Fisk University, Harvey Mudd College, Hendrix College, Hollins University, Indiana University, Kalamazoo College, Loyola Marymount University, Marietta College, Milsaps College, Muhlenberg College, Neumann College, New College of Florida, Pomona College, University of Puget Sound, Purdue University, Rhodes College, Rollins College, Savannah College of Art, Skidmore College, Smith College, Southwestern University, Spring Hill College, St. Augustine’s College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Olaf College, St. Peter’s College, Trinity College, University of Richmond, University of Texas at Arlington, Washington & Jefferson College, Washington College and Wells College.
A collection of essays “Educating Future Leaders for the Modern World” will be discussed at the workshop and then published. Contributors to that volume are: Thomas Cronin, president emeritus, Whitman College; Richard Ekman, president, Council of Independent Colleges; Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago Divinity School; Michael Genovese, Loyola Chair of Leadership Studies, Loyola Marymount University; Elizabeth Kiss, president, Agnes Scott College; Richard Morrill, president emeritus of University of Richmond, Centre College and Salem College; Elisabeth Muhlenfeld, president, Sweet Briar College; Ronald Riggio, director, Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College; Ken Ruscio, president, Washington & Lee University.
The discussion that begins at the conference is expected to continue. Faculty are invited to find resources, contact, syllabi and course outlines at www.keck.richmond.edu.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has 7,300 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; four regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial Health University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
