My Oh Maya 2012

Perhaps you’ve heard the hype that the Mayan Calendar “predicts” the end of the world in 2012. Well, the actuality is some non-Mayan thinkers influenced by Western civilization are foisting their worldview and presumptions upon a culture which entertained no such thoughts. In fact, the Mayan Calendar in actuality “talks” about the date 4772, long past the supposed apocalyptic end of the world (2012) as interpreted by some Western speculators. See this link.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33261483/ns/technology_and_science-science/

One of the things we do at Rockhurst University is require our students to take a Global Perspectives Requirement which immerses them in a non-American cultural perspective. It is essential that students recognize the danger of presuming everyone thinks like they do and holds to the same worldviews and ideologies. Healthy international dialogue, exchange, and global peace cannot exist if various parties fail to understand where the other is coming from, and what actual differences do exist, rather than supposed agreements and/or disagreements.

Rockhurst University supports a strong international perspective in courses as diverse as biology, economics, psychology, history, music, political science, business, english, management, and theology just to name a few. Check us out: http://www.rockhurst.edu/

Booked Solid

Well I'm a bit late in getting this blog out. Why? because after fifteen years of research and two years of writing (in spurts) I'm finally finished my book on feminine images of God used by saints of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The book is pretty hefty because its so comprehensive canvassing writers from the first century through the twentieth. The texts were originally written in Syriac, Greek, Armenian, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, and German. It took me quite awhile to translate them all. I just sent the prospectus out to the publisher yesterday and now begins the wait to see if my top pick publisher is interested.

Part of being a professor at Rockhurst University is doing scholarship. Our main focus is on teaching: communicating knowledge and fostering practical learning. Our second focus is on scholarship: advancing knowledge and fostering academic learning. Our third focus is on service: applying knowledge and fostering experiential learning. The whole enterprise is about the transformative and life-creating power of knowledge and wisdom. All three feed into one another and sustain one another. This Liberal Arts approach empowers a person to become a well-rounded and well-balanced person.

Well the buzzer went off this morning and woke me up. In the dream I was having at the moment, I was looking at myself laying in bed, DREAMING about getting more sleep. I think my body and psyche is telling me something! I'm looking forward to a nice long sleep in this Saturday morning, that's if our six year old daughter doesn't wake me/us up early.

Check out our Liberal Arts program at the Rock.

http://www.rockhurst.edu/academic/deansoffice/index.asp

http://www.rockhurst.edu/academic/deansoffice/liberalcore.asp

Test, Testing, Tested, but not Teased

My students probably don't realize this, but I get nervous about the first test as well. Why? because I want them to do well and I wonder if I did a good enough job when prepping them for it. I try to make things as clear and up front as possible. They even have all six essay questions right up front. Don't panic, I only pick two essays out of the six, but they never know which two I'll pick. Then there's multiple choice; I try not to have any trick or misleading questions. I even try to throw in funny and ridiculous answers to help break their tension, all the time holding them to high standards.

But tests can be stressful for some people. That's why I break down all the semester's information into four tests, all bearing equal weight with no comprehensive final. In case, somebody doesn't do well on one test, they have three other opportunities. (Today and tomorrow all four of my classes have their first test.)

Rockhurst also has a Learning Center with great staff: students and hired professionals, who can help you improve your study habits and prep for tests. We also have a Counseling Center for stress management and that has ways to diagnose if you have some challenges that require a doctor's help whether with appropriate medication for anxiety or hyperactivity, or the need for extended test time in a quiet environment.

Bottom line, at Rockhurst University we're all here to help you do the best that you can do. We set high, yet attainable, goals and "push you" to achieve those goals, to learn new skills, and hone ones you already have.

Basically all of life is a test. How will you respond in this situation? How will you solve this problem? How will you innovate and improve on that?

Check us out, as well as our Learning and Counseling Centers.

http://www.rockhurst.edu/services/learning/index.asp

http://www.rockhurst.edu/studentlife/counsel/index.asp

Juggling Life

Ok, watch this video (below) of an amazing female gymnast doing a floor exercise and catching and throwing a ball with either her hands or feet or legs and doing gymnastic tumbling all at the same time. Pretty cool stuff, if not downright awesome.

That kinda depicts my life, not that I’m that co-ordinated and graceful when juggling things in life, but it gives you a good impression of what it’s like being a professor. I teach of course, trying to foster learning in and out of the classroom. I chat with students who drop in. I serve on committees, two to be exact: I chair the Information Technology Committee and I serve as Modal Rep on the Core Implementation Committee that decides which courses should be given Core status in the university. I’m also the mentor of the Theta Alpha Kappa Honor Society for Theology and Religious Studies. Besides that I keep up a scholarly career of publishing about one to two articles per year and giving workshop lectures. I’m involved in the everyday university life and lots of behind the scenes things.

But when it comes to juggling I’m also a husband and a father. Because my wife runs a British style preschool and is thus tied down, I take our daughter to doctor’s appointments and run her to ballet practice. Every late afternoon/evening I come home and cook dinner because the daycare runs til 5:30. And then of course we have family time and activities and I have to keep up the house and yard and run errands etc.

So, you get the picture. Life is juggling. Some do it better than others. At Rockhurst University we help in-coming freshmen adapt to college life and learn how to juggle classes and activities. Rockhurst it a great place to be. Check us out.http://www.rockhurst.edu/

Rook & Rock: Don't Eat Crow

Perhaps growing up your heard Aesop's Fable about the crow that put rocks in a pitcher to get to inaccessible water that was in sight. The crow dropped in rocks to raise the water level so he could finally get a drink. (There are variations on the story.) Turns out that fable might have had more truth in it than originally thought. For the modern science experiment of a rook gaining access to floating food, and the video, click the links below.

So, are you smarter than a crow? Actually, the experiment was done with rooks, birds related to crows, and in ancient Greece they were all called by the same name. Here at Rockhurst University we'll teach you how to drop rocks into a seemingly bottomless pit so that your goals rise to the top within your reach. So what can we learn from the rook besides good moves for checkmate? The rook assessed the situation, looked at available resources, strategized and then executed a plan to achieve its desired goal. That's basically what life is all about. We have a goal and then need to figure out how to attain that goal, even when it seems to be out of our reach. A solid foundation in the Liberal Arts at Rockhurst University supplies people with the necessary rocks to fill in the void and raise the level, the playing field. We also equip you with the tools to utilize when you have strategized a plan. If the first hypothesis doesn't work, back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong and how to improve.

Of course, at Rockhurst, being a Catholic and Jesuit university we also factor in the spiritual dimension as important and vital to a well-rounded human existence.

So why not drop a rock in the bucket and check out Rockhurst? Our Rockview is coming up October 11-12. http://www.rockhurst.edu/admission/topnav/visit/index.asp


For info on the Rook experiment read this article and then see the videoclip.

http://www.rr.com/news/news/article/rr/1501/8558655/Bird_experiment_shows_Aesops_fable_may_be_true/1

http://www.youtube.com/cellpressvideo

Texted to the Limit

Okay, well this morning I'm going to sound off. I'm driving into work at 6:30 AM and I make a right turn on a green light and about forty feet past the crosswalk I nearly hit a lady. What was she doing? Standing in the middle of the road. "Standing there doing what?" (Glad you asked.) She was standing there texting! I quickly slammed on the brakes and swerved at the same time. She looked up, stunned, and had an expression on her face like: What the hell are you doing? I was already giving her one of those looks as well, and then she realized, Oh, I'm just standing here in the middle of a main road texting, aren't I?

I know texting is all the rage, has been for quite awhile. But for goodness sakes, please be conscious of your surroundings when you text! It's even come out on the news recently how studies show that texting while driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving. In fact, your chances of having an accident are 23% higher than normal and usually lead to fatalities. http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8187813

Texting in the classroom isn't a good thing to do either. You pay good money to get an education and participate in class discussions, so you can't do that very well if you're texting during class. Rockhurst University is all for technology in the classroom (http://help.rockhurst.edu/), but not that type.

Anyhow, driver beware. There might be somebody standing in the middle of the road, totally oblivious to everything else, because they're texting! And . . . it'll be YOUR fault that you hit them: involuntary vehicular manslaughter.

Chillin' in the Blazin' Heat

Well I’m back from vacation, if you could call it that. It seemed more exhausting than relaxing! Of course, since being back it’s been non-stop. We’re already wrapping up our second week of the five week summer program. Before you know it, it’ll be Fall semester already. Last I heard, we have 412 students in the in-coming class—that’s a lot of names to memorize! Thankfully, in one sense, my three classes are maxed out and that only means 85 students, a few of whom I had in the introductory class I teach. This Fall I’m doing TH 1000 Christianity I: Foundations, TH 3000 Christianity II: Development, and TH 4020 Gospel of John and Epistles. And I’ll have a new batch of advisees as well.

The summer’s just flying along. Hope you’re enjoying your time off. If you’re just chillin' and killin' time, check out our website http://www.rockhurst.edu/