What is the spirit of the University of Texas at Austin? According to John Henry Newman, in The Idea of a University, a university "will give birth to a living teaching, which in course of time will take the shape of a self-perpetuating tradition, or a genius loci, as it is sometimes called; which haunts the home where it has been born, and which imbues and forms, more or less, and one by one, every individual who is successively brought under its shadow."
The spirit of U. T. is embodied in the official "Core Purpose of the University" -- To transform lives for the benefit of society" -- and its six core values: "Discovery, Freedom, Leadership, Individual Opportunity, and Responsibility."
"Leadership" is defined as "The will to excel with integrity and the spirit that nothing is impossible. 'A university both leads and is a catalyst for leadership. By its creation, expansion, and transmission of knowledge, a university leads society to beneficial changes. University faculty both demonstrate and teach leadership to new generations of students. The quality of a university's leadership helps to determine the quality of our culture. The University's challenge is to provide informed, ethical, compassionate, and respectful leadership'. Larry Temple, BBA '57; President, Ex-Students' Association 1997-1998."
P4 IS A "PRACTICE" LEADERSHIP VISION OF WHO YOU WANT TO BE AND/OR WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH.
You are to begin with this epigraph, preceding or following the title of your essay:
"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show."
first sentence, David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
RATIONALE
FOR CREATING A NEW YOU BY FOCUSING P4 ON CHARACTER TRAITS YOU WANT TO NURTURE:
Why are students of the University of Texas expected to become leaders in society?
The seal of the university features a Latin version of this statement of Mirabeau B. Lamar, second President of the Republic of Texas: "The cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy, and, while guided and controlled by virtue, the noblest attribute of man. It is the only dictator that freemen acknowledge, and the only security which freemen desire." This statement appears in the Hall of Noble Words in the Tower:
The goal of a "cultivated mind ... guided and controlled by virtue" reminds us that composing a self, building character, is the traditional focus of a college education. What exactly is meant by that? In 1984, Peter Flawn, President of U.T. and Regents Professor of Higher Education Leadership, discussing the purpose of U.T. in his annual address to the faculty, said "In thinking about this issue, I reread Cardinal Newman's John Henry Newman's The Idea of a University, a classic treatise familiar to all who are interested in higher education."
Newman's idea of a university was based on his alma mater, Oxford, whose seal appears on the Main building:
Concerning character, Newman says:
When the intellect has once been properly trained and formed to have a connected view or grasp of things, it will display its powers with more or less effect according to its particular quality and capacity in the individual. In the case of most men [and women] it makes itself felt in the good sense, sobriety of thought, reasonableness, candour, self-command, and steadiness of view, which characterize it. In some it will have developed habits of business, power of influencing others, and sagacity. In others it will elicit the talent of philosophical speculation, and lead the mind forward to eminence in this or that intellectual department. In all it will be a faculty of entering with comparative ease into any subject of thought, and of taking up with aptitude any science or profession. ... He profits by an intellectual tradition, which is independent of particular teachers, which guides him in his choice of subjects, and duly interprets for him those which he chooses. He apprehends the great outlines of knowledge, the principles on which it rests, the scale of its parts, its lights and its shades, its great points and its little, as he otherwise cannot apprehend them. Hence it is that his education is called "Liberal." A habit of mind is formed which lasts through life, of which the attributes are, freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation, and wisdom.... Moreover, such knowledge is not a mere extrinsic or accidental advantage, which is ours today and another's tomorrow, which may be got up from a book, and easily forgotten again, which we can command or communicate at our pleasure, which we can borrow for the occasion, carry about in our hand, and take into the market; it is an acquired illumination, it is a habit, a personal possession, and an inward endowment.
Let us return to the Hall of Noble Words in the Main building. Lamar's statement appears on the ceiling next to this one:
This statement is by the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston.
"The benefits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of a free government." Houston's distinction between education and useful knowledge was a common one in the nineteenth century. Newman stresses that "education is a higher word; it implies an action upon our mental nature, and the formation of a character; it is something individual and permanent, and is commonly spoken of in connexion with. . . virtue." Newman elucidates not only Houston's statement, but also Lamar's stress on a "cultivated mind ... guided and controlled by virtue."
In other words, the State of Texas is investing in your education because your leadership is essential to maintaining democracy in this state and nation.
Thus, here at U.T. you would be well advised to become conscious of your pilgrimage, and of the truth[s] that you seek and/or have found that will set you free.
As the image of the scallop shell below the motto on the tower reminds us, particularly important are pilgrimage goals that can endow you with a character and a compelling vision that inspires others to follow you. Hence especially valuable are truths that tap into that which is greater than the self, truths that enable you to make a contribution to society that can be thought of as your legacy when you are gone.
To get a sense of your pilgrimage you may have to look backwards as well as forwards. For example, consider the basic question on the Truman and Temple scholarship forms: how would you "describe one specific example of your leadership"?
Think of yourself when you began college. As Newman says, "when he is leaving for the University, he is mainly the creature of foreign influences and circumstances, and made up of accidents, homogeneous or not, as the case may be." Then, if she or he is a good student, she will have experienced at least one "sensation which perhaps he never had before. He has a feeling not in addition or increase of former feelings, but of something different in its nature. He will perhaps be borne forward, and find for a time that he has lost his bearings. He has made a certain progress, and he has a consciousness of mental enlargement; he does not stand where he did, he has a new centre, and a range of thoughts to which he was before a stranger... We seem to have new faculties, or a new exercise for our faculties, by this addition to our knowledge; like a prisoner, who, having been accustomed to wear manacles or fetters, suddenly finds his arms and legs free. ... But now [for students] every event has a meaning; they have their own estimate of whatever happens to them; they are mindful of times and seasons, and compare the present with the past; and the world, no longer dull, monotonous, unprofitable, and hopeless, is a various and complicated drama, with parts and an object, and an awful moral."
Consider to what extent this has happened to you, to what extent you have transcended the accidents of being born in a particular place and time, and begun molding your own character, finding your own truths that set you free.
For example, what you would say to a visitor if you were asked 'What is your dream?'
You may not have thought much about such questions because, like most college students, you consider yourself basically invulnerable at this age, if not immortal. Hence the most profound lesson they can learn is that taught by Willie Tichenor, a student in my 05-06 Freshman Course.
Willie Emulating His Hero: Stevie Ray Vaughan
Willie fought cancer throughout the course, until his death, half way through the second semester. He made us face our basic humanity: " les hommes sont tous condamnés à mort avec des sursis indéfinis" (Victor Hugo: we are all condemned to death with an indefinite reprieve). Willie taught this difficult truth and demonstrated to perfection the traditional way of defying death. He never sought any special status for himself, indeed never even initiated discussion of his situation. If you went by his behavior alone, you would have never known he was mortally ill. He taught us the glory and fragility of life and set an extraordinary example of leadership. The U. T. Mission is "Transforming lives for the benefit of society." Willie tranformed us and we will benefit from his lesson for the rest of our lives.
His example prompts the question, if your life were to end now what would the torch represent that you would pass on to the next generation?
What would you, as the old cowboy in the sculpture, Generations, in front of the Texas Exes, say to the next generation?
To answer these questions you may well have to accept the fact that you have many different character traits you want to nature or many different goals, ranging from perhaps one you would be willing to die for, to major directions for your future, to short terms goals for this semester. To achieve unity you might have to survey the list but then focus on just one of these character traits/goals or at least just one cluster of related traits/goals.
In any case, you would be well advised to quote from Dass on the Witness several times to make sure you are keeping the perspective of the big picture, always remembering that the trait, role, or goal you are discussing is but one of many possibilities radiating out from your center, from the core of your being.
THIS LEADERSHIP VISION IS MORE ABOUT HOW YOU CAN BECOME A PERSON WHO CAN BECOME A LEADER IN ANY JOB, ANYWHERE, ANY TIME. IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSITION OF SELF, THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHARACTER THAT is the traditional focus of a college education, as defined by Newman above. IN THAT REGARD, KEY TEXTS MIGHT BE HOW CAN I HELP? AND COMPASSION IN MEDICINE. IN YOUR ANTHOLOGY, ANOTHER USEFUL TEXT MAY BE GOLEMAN'S ESSAY ON LEADERSHIP AND EMOTONIAL INTGELLIGENCE.
To summarize , your essay should be less about short-term vocational goals, and more about the state's investment in you as a leader of a democratic society. Personally, it should be more about the questions discussed above: "if your life were to end now what would the torch represent that you would pass on to the next generation? What would you, as the old cowboy in the sculpture, Generations, in front of the Texas Exes, say to the next generation?"
As you think about this, ultimately you will be hammering your self into unity. You will be composing yourself. The word "compose" connects "pose," that is "to place," to "con" ("together"), and its root meaning is thus "to place together," "To put together (parts or elements) so as to make up a whole" (Oxford English Dictionary). As Newman puts it, your mind takes a "connected view of old and new, past and present, far and near, and ... has an insight into the influence of all these one on another; without which there is no whole, and no centre. It possesses the knowledge, not only of things, but also of their mutual and true relations." Such a mind "makes every thing in some sort lead to every thing else; it would communicate the image of the whole to every separate portion, till that whole becomes in imagination like a spirit, every where pervading and penetrating its component parts, and giving them one definite meaning. Just as our bodily organs, when mentioned, recall their function in the body, ... so, in the mind of the [student], the elements of the physical and moral world, sciences, arts, pursuits, ranks, offices, events, opinions, individualities, are all viewed as one, with correlative functions, and as gradually by successive combinations converging, one and all, to the true centre."
What is your true center? The answer should lead you to your leadership vision, hopefully one embodying the "living teaching" of your university, tapping into its "self-perpetuating tradition," embodying the genius loci of the University of Texas at Austin.
AND/OR
YOU CAN COMPOSE A PERSONAL LEADERSHIP VISION IN FOURTEEN HUNDRED WORDS OR SO IN THE SAME WAY YOUR WROTE AN ESSAY ABOUT YOUR PASSION AND YOUR ROLE MODEL. INDEED, THIS MAY WELL BE YOUR PLAN FOR APPLYING THE ENERGY OF YOUR PASSION FOR THE GOOD OF SOCIETY. IF THIS WILL BE AN APPLICATION OF THE PASSION YOU WROTE ABOUT IN P2 AND P3, FOR P4A YOU COULD SIMPLY ADD AT LEAST FOURTEEN HUNDRED WORDS TO P3B, FOCUSING NOW ON THE LEADERSHIP VISION ITSELF. TO DO THIS.......
Return to the selection from Lee's Discovering the Leader in You in your anthology to make the transition from the personal passion essay to the leadership vision essay. This time pay special attention to questions such as "Who inspires you? How would you become a leader like your hero? If you live life to the fullest, what will you have accomplished? What impact do you want to make? .... What better world do you like to imagine?" Very important for many people is the section on role models and how they have exhibited leadership.
Notice that the answers are not just about your career but also what you might want to accomplish outside your work roles. An ideal leadership vision in this regard is that which inspired Isamu Taniguchi to "write" his "book" in stone, water, grass, shrubs, and trees in his garden in Zilker park. Even if you yours is primarily a practical leadership vision with specific goals for a specific organization, remember that THIS IS NOT SIMPLY OR EVEN PRIMARILY A CAREER EXPLORATION ESSAY. LET GO FOR NOW, IF YOU CAN, OF YOUR FEARS OF NOT HAVING ALREADY DECIDED ON A MAJOR, AND A JOB, AND NOT HAVING PLANNED YOUR LIFE FOR THE NEXT SIXTY YEARS.
If you were in the Leadershape training program, your ultimate question for this assignment would be something like "What could the future look like (for my cause, community, organization, etc.) if I could have it way any way I wanted?" Your vision for the future should be vivid (a powerful mental picture), challenging, focused on something greater than the self (service directed), expandable to include others now and in the future (a "we" rather than an "I" statement), and compelling.
Adding to your personal vision (P2 and P3), you might begin by asking yourself questions such like these: What issues, organizations, or communities are most important to me?What group of people do I have a special affinity and love for?When I am most energized and focused, what am I working on?What do I like so much I would do it for free?What do I feel compelled to pursue?When you have some answers to these questions, ask yourself again where you would be most interested in serving, making a difference, or creating a breakthrough change (specifically which organization, community, or cause)? If you have a specific leadership vision, the essay could become an action plan consisting of, say, stretch goals (experiments, prototypes), manageable goals (small wins, predictable successes), action plans (timelines), etc. Stretch goals move the individual or the organization forward toward the vision. They are almost impossible (but not quite), big, bold leaps into the future. They draw not only on your passion but your ability to think outside the box, beyond your comfort zone. Nevertheless, if possible, they should have specific, with objective assessment indicators for accomplishment: dates, numbers, percentages, new services, etc.
Manageable goals are more attainable milestones that encourage you with quick wins, enabling the individual or organization to stay motivated, engaged, and propelled by a growing sense of confidence. Defined action plans and strategies for success, they are specific, measureable, realistic, and possible. Each manageable goal should begin with a first step, proceed with specific tasks, identify resources needed, and set a deadline or timeline.
evaluation criteria for P4:
1. Focus
Does the writer establish and maintain a clear purpose that is appropriate for the intended reader and topic? Does the author explicitly state his/her objective or thesis about a specific topic near the beginning of the paper? Does the writer provide information and details that are important to the topic and relevant to the focus? Does the author cite literature relevant to the thesis? Does the conclusion summarize findings from the literature and provide insight in relation to the objective of the paper?
First summarize what you perceived as the thesis so that the writer can see whether readers can discern the controlling point of the paper. Then make specific comments about what trouble you had in understanding the focus of the paper. Be sure to give specific advice for how to make the focus more effective and praise-oriented comments about strengths that made the writing good.
_______________________________--____________________________
Based on your comments above, how would you rate the focus of this paper?
7. Excellent There is a sharp, distinct thesis made about a single topic, and the body of the paper is relevant to the thesis. The conclusion clearly summarizes the literature in relation to the thesis.
6. Very good There is a thesis stated about a single topic, and the body of the paper is mostly relevant to the thesis. The conclusion summarizes the literature in relation to the thesis.
5. Good There was an apparent thesis made about a single topic, and most of the body was relevant to the thesis. The conclusion addressed the thesis.
4. Average There was a vague thesis about a topic and some evidence of the topic. The conclusion somewhat addressed the topic.
3. Poor There was no apparent thesis but some evidence of a specific topic. The conclusion somewhat addressed the topic.
2. Very poor There was no apparent thesis and minimal evidence of a specific topic.
1. Disastrous There was no apparent thesis and no evidence of a topic.
_______________________________--____________________________
_______________________________--____________________________
2. Organization
Is the organization of the paper clear through use of headings and subheadings? Is a logical order of sequence maintained? Is the order developed and sustained within and across paragraphs using transitional devices and including introduction and conclusion? Do paragraphs deal with one subject? Is the introduction inviting? Is the conclusion satisfying?
Comment on the organization of this paper. Describe how the paper is organized and explain whether you find the organization helps develop the thesis. Give suggestions for ways to improve the organization.
_______________________________--____________________________
Based on your comments above, how would you rate the organization of this paper?
7. Excellent Sophisticated arrangement of content with evident and/or subtle transitions.
6. Very good Effective arrangement of content that sustains a logical order with evidence of transitions.
5. Good Functional arrangement of content that sustains a logical order with some evidence of transitions.
4. Average Consistent arrangement of content with or without attempts at transitions.
3. Poor Confused or inconsistent arrangement of content with or without attempts at transitions.
2. Very poor Minimal control of content arrangement without attempts at transitions.
1. Disastrous No apparent content arrangement and no attempt at transitions.
_______________________________--____________________________
_______________________________--____________________________
3. Flow
Is there a smooth flow within sentences and between paragraphs? Is the writing style clear and direct? Does the author avoid the passive voice? Is every sentence important and to the point instead of using a lot of fluffy language that doesn’t add information? Does the author use language that is clear to the audience?
Provide specific comments about the flow of the paper. If the writing style is not clear and direct, give specific comments to help the author understand the weaknesses. If you point out a weakness, provide specific suggestions for improving the weakness.
_______________________________--____________________________
Based on your comments above, how would you rate the flow of this paper?
7. Excellent Excellent flow with clear language, active and direct sentences, and useful transitions between sections.
6. Very good Very good flow with mostly clear language, active and direct sentences, and useful transitions between sections.
5. Good Good flow with satisfactory language and many transitions between sections.
4. Average Sufficient flow with satisfactory language and some transitions between sections.
3. Poor Limited flow with some indirect and passive sentences, superfluous wording, and only a few transitions between sections.
2. Very poor Poor flow with many indirect and passive sentences, superfluous wording, and no transitions between sections.
1. Disastrous Very poor flow consisting mainly of indirect and passive sentences, superfluous wording, and no transitions between sections. Very difficult to understand what is being said.
"We go for a walk in nature, we see a beautiful sunset — we breathe the order in through our senses, we feel connected. The inside begins to mirror the magnificent outside. In the Vedic tradition that connectedness is called 'yoga.'”
Chris Adamason, Vedic Architecture http://www.newlifejournal.com/aprmay04/adamson_0504.shtml
‘One
day when I was twenty-three or twenty-four this sentence seemed to form
in my head, without my willing it, much as sentences form when we are half-asleep, ‘Hammer
your thoughts into unity’. For days I could think of nothing else
and for years I tested all I did by that sentence [...]” William Butler
Yeats, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature (cited in Frank Tuohy, Yeats,
1976, p.51)
