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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Our Life Belongs to Our Dreams

The semester is winding down and we have less than two weeks left. This has been quite a transformational set of months. I started out with the idea of gaining a competence and certification in Elementary Education, then slowly moved away from this already defined path and into a self-designed competence called Sustainable Community Development. Lately, I have been researching more of what this means.


Overall, life moves fast here at Prescott College. I came here in the fall of 2008, and it has been superbly engaging since then. I have gone to many amazingly beautiful places, discussed various topics with the utmost passion, rode a horse 800 miles, changed my course of study, and participated in countless events, all since I took my first step on orientation.

It is an interesting opportunity to be able to attend a school like Prescott College, and the school is changing, much like everything else; for change is the only constant, and in order to not become stale, we must move with the river of energy. As for immediate change, President Dan Garvey will be retiring at the end of June, and Dr. Kristin Woolever will be stepping forth to fill the position. Dr. Woolever comes to Prescott College from the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, where she is currently Dean and Director of the Campus. Prior to UNH Manchester, Woolever led the Antioch Center for Creative Change at Antioch University Seattle in a reorganization that included the development of alternative course delivery models and innovative, cross-disciplinary graduate programs in environmental studies, management, organizational psychology, systems thinking, and strategic communication.

Moreover, the college has acquired the alley way that previously split the campus in half. Now, we have purchased this piece of property and will be reinvigorating it by taking down the telephone poles that expose various wires putting them underground, and the ecological design class has been planning what we will see in the near future. This will greatly beautify the campus, and will create a more integrated environment. Currently, the alleyway has been closed to cars, and has begun the process of redefining the current nature of the campus.

In terms of residential options, there are a few ideas in the works that will include a dormitory for around 150 students, but this has yet to be set in stone. The college will probably not see this for another year.

As for the summer class schedule, this has been changed from a block and quarter system to a semester filled with four block classes. Examples of these classes are: Public Art-Mural Painting, Expeditionary Sailing, Surfing & Oceanographic Principles of Wave Dynamics, Aboriginal Living Skills, Jungian Studies…. Moreover, there will still be classes that take up most or the entire summer, which include: South America – Land of Contrasts, Maasailand – A Study in Community Activism, Sustainable Nepal, Studies in Alaska, Ecological Design at the ECOSA Institute….

In essence, our world is constantly changing, and if we are going to be active in our environment we must move with the belief that our life does not belong to us, it belongs to our dreams.

Peace be the journey

Jordan

P.S.
If you ever think you are too small to make a difference, you have never slept with a mosquito in the room.
                                                                                                                -African Proverb

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