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I have been rereading Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems, authored by UD Faculty member Wendy Smith and Dean Marianne Lewis from the University of Cincinnati. It is a timely read, not only because Professor Smith is being recognized this year with the Francis Alison Award, but also because the idea of transforming the tension inherent in paradox to create a path forward is needed now more than ever. Both/and thinking asks us to resist the pull of either/or, to hold two truths at the same time and find a way forward through the tension between them. I have found myself doing exactly that in recent weeks. When the University failed to restore public access to a library of important academic work in a timely way, it caused real hurt to members of our community and to the scholars who contributed to it. That is on us, and for that we apologize. And yet, through that experience, I have heard from many in our community and beyond that until this recent spotlight, they were not aware of this extraordinary scholarship on the legacy of enslavement at the University and Black history in the Newark community. Both things are true. We can sit with the hurt that was caused AND we can be grateful for what it revealed. That is the paradox. And rather than choose one feeling over the other, I want to find a path forward through it. It led me to a question: How do we shine a light on scholarship that is addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time, work that is happening right here at UD? That question led me to the launch of The Presidential Shine the Light Series, intended as a mechanism for proudly showcasing academic research and scholarship on critical issues of our time. The series stands as both a testament to academic freedom and a statement of the relevance of science and academic thought and offers a stage and institutional endorsement of its importance. The series will launch this spring and be ongoing, with a curation of new events and events developed by departments, colleges, and other units whose organizers want to be included. Anticipated events thus far reflect such a mixture, including:
More information about these events will appear on this page as details are finalized. If you have an event that you would like to suggest for the series, there is a button on the website to indicate your interest. This series is a first step in our commitment to Shining the Light on the importance of our academic work. Suggestions for other ways to demonstrate that commitment are welcome; please send them my way. Here's the latest from around the Beat: We have been hearing really good feedback and suggestions on our recently published guidance for the UD community on how to respond if federal immigration enforcement officers arrive on campus or at any University location. While we are not aware of any immigration enforcement at UD locations, we developed this guidance to respond to questions we were receiving and to equip our students, faculty and staff with relevant information, resources and support. I encourage everyone to take time to review it. I am grateful to Professor Chris Williams for taking on a role as a Presidential Fellow in support of campus-wide efforts in sustainability. One component of Chris’s charge is the establishment of the Presidential Committee on Sustainability with broad representation of students, staff and faculty whose work will support the Office of Sustainability and integrate with their Sustainability Committee. Together, this work will have an impact. Upcoming events open to ALL:
Yours in UD,
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