Spring 2008 Feaver-MacMinn Seminar: The Ethical Challenges of Leadership

February 27 through March 2, 2008

Joanne Ciulla, Ph.D.
Coston Family Chair in Leadership and Ethics
University of Richmond

Host Professor
John Duncan, Ph.D.
College of Liberal Studies
The University of Oklahoma

To Apply:

2008 FM Application

2008 FM Application

For more information, contact John Duncan at the College of Liberal Studies, jduncan@ou.edu or 405-325-1061.

 

About the Feaver-MacMinn Seminar

A dialogue to begin change

Many OU students participate

in the Feaver-MacMinn program, and the diversity of their interests creates lively discussions in the classroom and over coffee and lunch gatherings. The OU host professor, experienced in interdisciplinary teaching, promotes an open and stimulating environment for the visiting scholar and students.

The program is an on-going testament to the value and influence of excellence in teaching.

Exceptional teachers have certain qualities–curiosity, openness, expressiveness–and approach ideas from multiple perspectives and have a capacity for surprise. Such teachers continue to question their own positions, are enthusiastic about learning, and enjoy sharing.

Clayton Feaver asked questions impossible to answer without extended thought. With his unexpected and playful approach to discussions, ideas unfolded naturally as students gained in comprehension.

As dean of students, Paul MacMinn was a compassionate and steadfast champion of students. He integrated university housing for black students and did so without major incidents on campus-clearly a tribute to his understanding and sensitivity.

Feaver-MacMinn and the College of Liberal Studies

After graduating in 1956, McDonald earned a law degree at Georgetown University and built a successful law practice in Washington D.C. Aware of the College of Liberal Studies as a provider of nontraditional interdisciplinary education, Brad McDonald began in 1984 to endow an annual seminar at the college honoring these two extraordinary teachers.

The function of the Feaver-MacMinn program is to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on human values in disciplines such as humanistic psychology, philosophy, and ethics, and to allow students to grow intellectually while exploring these fields.

During the Feaver-MacMinn Seminar, students, visiting scholar, and host professor explore a topic in an intensive, five-day format. The host professor and students meet on two Saturday mornings for discussion before the seminar begins. In a post-seminar assignment, students write on the seminar topic, often in relation to their academic major.

There is also the Feaver-MacMinn public lecture on a related topic open to the campus and community.

The College of Liberal Studies offers both the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degrees. Its innovative interdisciplinary programs have evolved to respond to a changing educational environment. Starting with independent study and campus seminars, it has become a leader in online education nationally and internationally.

The BA in Liberal Studies is available in three program formats: 100% Online, onsite (evenings and weekends), and self-paced. The MA in Liberal Studies has two online options, Administrative Leadership and Museum Studies, and two independent study options, Integrated Studies and Health and Human Services.

From the students. . .

“I will take from this seminar a new lens through which to view the world.”

“. . . creating a dialogue to begin change.”

“. . . invigorating . . . informative . . . a forum free of condemnation.”

“Free flow of dialogue and ideas”

“. . . intellectually stimulating.”

“This has been the most worthwhile educational experience in my three years at OU.”

From a visiting scholar . . .

“This was truly one of the most important and profound teaching experiences that I have had.”
Denise Chavez

From a host professor . . .

“Simply put – students loved this class and . . . benefited from it immensely.”
Robert Con Davis-Undiano