An evolving system

Thanks everyone for making tonight’s dinner event awesome.  David Cooper (‘11) and Sarah Sansolo (‘09) served up an incredible menu (great call on the peanut butter cream pie!).  The a cappella groups helped make things festive–and I didn’t realize so many RJs are in these groups (confirming my sense of the talent in this community).  And the Provost’s announcement made an already wonderful evening even more amazing.  I can only imagine that the Endowed Chair will open up new opportunities–for all of us.  I know that I will welcome the additional time to reflect (chapter 5 of Mr. Scheller’s updated edition of Think, Decide, Do) on the program, incubate new activities, and keep the program continually evolving.  You’re part of this living, breathing system.  Mr. Scheller encouraged everyone to share your assessments, ideas, suggestions, and wishes with me.  By creating this blog I hope you have an accessible way to do just that.  My door is always open–here, electronically, and in Walson 200.  How can we make this year matter?  What can we, as a community, do to make a real difference?

Look & Feel Updates Coming Soon

Hello, change agents!

In keeping with our program’s theme, the look and layout of this blog will be changing soon to accomodate more information about the program and its participants. If things seem a little strange visually (in terms of colors or layout) for a little while, it will get better — I promise!

Looking forward to keeping in touch with our honors community. 

All the best,

Sean Killeen
RJ Webmaster

Sports for Change

I’ve been thinking about the RJ athletes, many of whom have games/practice tomorrow evening that will prevent them from gathering at the RJ annual dinner.  These students often link to sports-focused community service activities, like Second Mile, or organize the sports activities for Jefferson Field Day.  This post honors the athletes within the RJ community and recognizes that sports provide spaces for positive change as well.  Just consider Right to Play.  This is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.  Right To Play trains local community leaders as Coaches to provide sport programs in more than 20 countries affected by war, poverty, and disease in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.  The organization focuses on four strategic areas:  basic education and child development, health promotion/disease prevention, conflict resolution and peace education, and community development.

“When children play, the world wins.”