USD President's Report 1999

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RESPONSiB Li TY

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seek self knowledge b y reflecting on crucial quest ions: Who is this self that is leading? What is most m eaningful in my life? What is my life's purpose? Student"l are w-e ll a,,ware of the brokenne-ss in the world. Shards of p olerty , pollution, overpoJ ulation and ethnic cleansing are scattered everywhere. _J:h e extent of the problems sometimes overwhelms and imm ob iliz es. By nourishing o ur inn e r lives we gain the spirit u al energy to contin u e - r l . ·c . II . o u_, wor ror r aterlJUSt1 e 1n a arenas 1n spite 01 aipath , f istanf~an d barriers. All major spiritual traditions teach

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T h ere's a sto ry by Isaac Luria, ajewish mystic of long ago, that says when the Creator created th e universe, h e drew in a deep breath to make space for his c re at ion. Th e Creator then poured divin e light into huge vessels , but the brilliance of the light shattered the vessels an d scattered fragm e nts throughout the world. Since t ha t t ime, th e story goes, the work of human beings is to mend the vessels through the work known as tikkun olam , the repair of the world. Many of th e students who ap ply for o ur maste r's a nd doctoral programs in Leaders hip Studies in t.b_e School of Education explain that they want to b e ab le "to m ake a difference." In a va ri ety of diverse a nd creat ivec\yays th y plan to'belp repair the wodd. Our stude nts, who are teachers, administrators , business m en and women , and directors of agencies, study how they can be lea d ers in their organizations. The programs stress influence relationships and the power of one perso n to make a difference. Today and in th e future, the world needs lead ers who will u se their ta lents to achi eve greater justice in every aren a in whi ch they live and work. The supe rvi sor who o rganizes managers to protect a whistle blower's job, the community activist who advocates for safety standards in child care , and the counci l member who negotiates with citi zens to assu re that low-cost housing is not restricted to just one a r ea in the city a re each assuming lead ers hip ro les. Their actions hold the promise of greater justice . Central to this view of leaders hip is th e lea d er's relationship to se lf, which in t u rn affects relationships with others , with organ izations and with comm uni ties. For these relationships to be growth-enhancing, leaders

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that humans are co-creators. Our inner and outer wor lds interact in comp lex ways. We have the power to adjust th e world toward justice and peace instead of adjusting to the world. Vaclav Havel's experiences as a dissident and p risoner in Marxist Czechoslovakia taught him that even under severe oppression people can create dramatic change through their own consciousness, th ough t and sp iri t. As we approac h a n ew cent ury, we r ecognize and ce l ebrate the ac hi evements of the human mind . We have high potentia l for further accomp li s hm ents. Sc i ent i fic breakthroughs unimaginable a few decades ago regularly make

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the h eadl i nes. Yet comp lex problems come up to face us a t every turn . We forget that eac h of u s ha s

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