Past Programs

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Courage Circles for Colleagues

• Every other Friday, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (4/5, 4/19)

• Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

Tending to one's inner life is critical to leading well. Courage Circles are for colleagues who want to build in reflection, silence, and connection to the workweek in a structured and welcoming space. Courage Circles utilize a central element, like a poem, story, object, music, or art piece, to provide a neutral ground for individuals to reflect without the influence of specific beliefs or traditions. Participants engage with this central element to draw out insights from their own inner wisdom or guidance. 

No prep required, no forced sharing- come as you are to focus on things that matter in your work and life. 

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Book Group: "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters" by Priya Parker

• Wednesdays, January 24, & 31, February 7
• 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

Reimagine your meetings and gatherings to make them exceptional with the insights in this thought-provoking book. Thoughtful gathering design can ignite a sense of purpose, collaboration, and innovation among colleagues and students. We'll learn to transform routine meetings, workshops, and events into memorable and impactful experiences.

Sign up here by January 19 for a free copy of the book. Facilitated by Elizabeth Swallow (Integrated Advising and Career Readiness) and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership). Being named "Elizabeth" is not a requirement to be a part of this book group :).

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Colleague Book Group: "Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It"

• Your choice: Tuesdays at 1:30-2:30 (1/23, 1/30, & 2/6)  OR  Fridays at 2:00-3:00 (1/26,  2/2, & 2/9)
• Center for Teaching (duPont Library, 2nd floor)
• For staff and faculty colleagues   

The Center for Teaching and the Center for Leadership are organizing a book group for faculty and staff colleagues to read, "Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It", by James Lang. A fairly short text (250 pages), three meetings in the first weeks of the semester, and new ideas to discuss with colleagues. Intrigued? Click here to read an Inside Higher Ed interview with James Lang about his book. 

Sign up here by this Friday, Jan. 20 for either the Tuesday or Friday group so that we can get a free copy of the book to you.   

"This book will change how you think about education. "Distracted" takes us on a phenomenal ride into a much misunderstood aspect of human learning and finally into the refreshing light that science, literature, philosophy, and history bring. Anyone who cares about learning—their own or anyone else's—should take this journey." -Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Teachers Do

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CliftonStrengths Coaching Course

• January 18, 2024-March 7, 2024 (8 classes)
• Thursdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• McClurg ABC room (upstairs)

Expand your understanding of strengths-based development and learn coaching skills to assist others in discovering, developing, and using their strengths for greater productivity and well-being. This course is a deep dive into the CliftonStrengths assessment and will prepare participants to introduce a strengths-based perspective to others. It is offered annually; last year, over 25 colleagues participated- there was much learning, connection across departments, and fun! All participants receive a free code for the CliftonStrengths 34 assessment to unlock their full CliftonStrengths profile.

Co-led by emily britt (Associate Dean of Students) and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership director); both are Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coaches. Learn more and sign up here by January 11.

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Courage Circles for Colleagues

• Fridays, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
• Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

One of the challenges for colleagues at Sewanee is to feel that they are in a safe place to grow in authentic ways. Parker Palmer, an author, educator, and activist, created a method called the Circle of Trust Approach/Courage Circles to create a safe space to learn and grow together.

In an excerpt from one of his books, Palmer wrote about creating a safe space for faculty and staff colleagues: "In this (university) culture, we know how to create spaces that invite the intellect to show up, to argue its case, to make its point. We know how to create spaces that invite the emotions to show up, to express anger or joy. We know how to create spaces that invite the will to show up, to consolidate effort and energy around a common task. And we surely know how to create spaces that invite the ego to show up, preening itself and claiming its turf! But we seem to know very little about creating spaces that invite the soul to show up, this core of ourselves, our selfhood."

In Courage Circles, we are invited to slow down, listen, and reflect in a quiet and focused space. At the same time, we engage in dialogue with others in the circle—a dialogue about things that matter. This enables us to clarify our truth in the presence of others, and that truth is more likely to overflow into our work and lives. Guided conversations focused on a poem, a piece of music, or a work of art invite us to reflect on the “big questions” of our lives, allowing each person to intersect and explore them in their own way. There is no forced sharing- you are welcome to come, listen, and be. Facilitation of these events will be led by various colleagues.

 Questions? Contact lydia.reinig@sewanee.edu or elizabeth.wilson@sewanee.edu.

"I didn’t realize how much I needed Courage Circles. It gave me permission to shut out the noise of the world for a moment each week. In the quiet, I discovered that I have a wise “inner teacher” to whom I should pay more attention. The experience helped me to steady myself in a difficult time. "           - Abby Colbert, Office of Global Citizenship

"Every week, I was grateful for moments of resonance and connection. We created a warm environment that welcomed both deep questions and deep listening. The conversations that resulted were held in empathy, trust, and community."           - Cari Reynolds, LITS

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“Rising Strong” New Year Retreat for Colleagues  

• January 9-11, 2024, 9:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. (3 days)
• Centennial House (across from the football field)
• For any/all faculty and staff colleagues 
• Free (including lunch and snacks)
• RSVP here 

Start the new year with a gift to yourself: the time to reflect and plan for 2024 to support your own flourishing. 

You may have heard about Brené Brown, read her bestselling books, and listened to her podcasts and TED talks– but the most impactful way to encounter her wisdom and research is through participating in hands-on community learning experiences like the one we will host in January!

As Brown shares in her book, Rising Strong: “When we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall.” The Rising Strong™ process is about what it takes to get back up. Struggle can be our greatest call to courage and the clearest path to a wholehearted life. The Rising Strong™ process can transform how you tell your stories of struggle and, most importantly, the stories you tell yourself.  

The Rising Strong retreat will be a three-day intensive experience in self-reflection, learning, and brave conversations about vulnerability, courage, and wholehearted life. The Rev. Giulianna Cappelletti Gray, MSW, MDiv, will lead this retreat; she is a certified Daring Way™ and Rising Strong™ facilitator. 

Participants can expect a supportive community atmosphere and engagement in material around: 

1. Connecting with your values and aspirations 
2. Discovering the dynamics of vulnerability and the shields that hold you back 
3. Practice strategies for reckoning with emotion and anxiety 
4. Learn how to trust and set healthy boundaries 
5. Writing your new chapter for 2024

Rising Strong™ Three-Day Intensive Schedule  

Day 1:

• Session 1: Introduction
• Session 2: Clarity of Values
• Session 3: Act I: The Reckoning
• Session 4: Offloading Hurt Session
• 5: Strategies for Reckoning with Emotion
• Session 6: Act II: The Rumble
• Session 7: Common Rumbling Themes
• Session 8: Rumbling with Vulnerability  

Day 2: 

• Session 9: Rumbling with Shame
• Session 10: Rumbling with Living BIG
• Session 11: Rumbling with Trust and BRAVING
• Session 12: Rumbling with Grief and Forgiveness  

Day 3: 

• Session 13: Rumbling with Anxiety
• Session 14: Rumbling with Criticism
• Session 15: The Delta
• Session 16: Act III: The Revolution
• Session 17: Integrating and Creativity

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"Learn to Create a Compelling Vision: SOAR Analysis Workshop" (with Donald Abels)

• Wednesday, November 29 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
• Center for Leadership (duPont 216)
• Sign up here by November 28 at 5:00
• Lunch provided

The SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results) Analysis is a simple strategic planning tool that blends a group's current status with the aspirations of its members to craft a shared and inspiring vision for the future. In this workshop, participants will conduct their own SOAR analysis, led by Donald Abels (Director of Greek Life in Student Life). 

You've likely encountered SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis before, and you'll notice some similarities with SOAR Analysis. However, instead of putting our time and energy into identifying what's not working, we will explore the power of Appreciative Inquiry, a change management tool grounded in positive psychology, neuroscience, action research, and organizational development research. In addition, SOAR engages all levels of an organization, while SWOT is typically a top-down approach.

Donald Abels has contributed to higher education in the areas of prevention education, harm reduction, and organizational development and change. In response to an increased need for successful change management within higher education, Donald became an Appreciative Inquiry practitioner in 2019. 

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Courage Circle for Women Colleagues

• A series of four Tuesdays (Sept. 26, Oct. 5, 12, 19)
• 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Center for Leadership (duPont 217)
• For all faculty and staff women colleagues

Leading others– whether it is in the classroom or office– requires courage, a trait that can be cultivated and fortified over time. A way to achieve this growth is through engaging in Courage Circles. These Circles provide a space for colleagues to come together, fostering reflection and connections as they develop greater courage and wisdom in their leadership journey. The foundation of this approach lies in the Circles of Trust methodology.

The primary aim of these gatherings is to create a confidential, warm, and safe environment where fellow women colleagues can develop greater courage to lead with authenticity, generosity, and integrity. Through these supportive sessions, they will build the tenacity and resilience to tackle challenges head-on and instigate positive transformations in both their lives and the lives of those around them.

There is no preparation or homework in a Courage Circle- simply come as you are to the Center for Leadership classroom (duPont 217). These gatherings are co-sponsored by the Center for Leadership and the Dialogue Across Difference program, and facilitated by Elizabeth Wilson and Lydia Reinig. The Courage Circles will be for one hour on four consecutive Tuesdays. If this timing doesn't work for you this round, don't worry! There will be another Circle after this one, so indicate in the sign-up form below if you want to be on the list for the next round. It will be a joy to gather for some time of quiet and reflection so that we can listen to our inner teachers together. Please sign up here by September 22 to participate in this Courage Circle. 

 ADD TO CALENDAR

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The Enneagram: Understanding and Application to Your Work & Life

• Wednesdays for 8 weeks through the semester (9/13, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15, 11/29, 12/6)
• 9:00-10:00 a.m.
• For staff and faculty colleagues
• Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

If you've heard about the Enneagram and want to learn more, join this experiential learning group. Since many Sewanee students use the Enneagram to understand themselves and others, learning about this personal growth assessment can help us connect with them. It can also create a common language that can deepen appreciation and understanding of ourselves and the people in our lives.

All participants will receive at no cost to them: 1) A copy of The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up: Find Your Path, Face Your Shadow, Discover Your True Self by Beatrice Chestnut, PhD, and Uranio Paes, MM; 2) A code to take the CPS Enneagram Compass online assessment; 3) The option to receive personal coaching sessions to help you to identify your primary Enneagram type, clarify your subtype, and apply Enneagram theory to your life.

Enneagram-trained facilitators and colleagues Giulianna Cappelletti Gray and Robin Hille Michaels will lead this fall semester (8 meetings) group. This lively class has been enthusiastically received so we are offering it again for the third time! Please sign up here by August 31. Limit of 10.

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Bites of Knowledge: Conference Takeaways

Conference: “TICUA Advancing Leaders”, Nashville, TN (July 2022 & 2023); Participants/reporters: Kristen Cecala (Biology), Andrea Del Balso (Global Citizenship), Deon Miles (Chemistry), and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership)

• Thursday, August 24 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
• McClurg ABC Room (upstairs)
• For all staff and faculty colleagues

Each year, the VC nominates colleagues (one staff, one faculty) to attend a TICUA (Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association) conference called, "TICUA Advancing Leaders". This two-day intensive summer workshop helps campus leaders to evaluate their own skills, gifts, and calling against the primary leadership skills needs in today’s private higher education environment.

The participants are equipped with data about the landscape of higher education on global, national, and state levels, including an overview of issues about demographics, enrollment, leadership turnover, cost + affordability, shared governance, student success, ransomware attacks, global exhaustion, student engagement, student competencies, curriculum relevancy, mental health issues, college debt, and much more.

Join Kristen, Andrea, Deon, and Elizabeth for an informal lunch conversation about what lessons they learned that could be used to elevate our own campus. Bring your lunch and join the conversation- this is a great way to meet new colleagues and learn from each other!

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“Moving from Powerless to Powerful: Changing Your/Our Mindset to Lead Real Change at Sewanee” with Will Harper, C'O8

• Wednesday, August 16 from 9:00-11:00 a.m.
• For all staff and faculty colleagues

Join Sewanee alum Will Harper, C’08, a strategy advisor and leadership coach, for an engaging session tailored for Sewanee colleagues (faculty/staff/administrators) to equip us with essential tools to navigate transformative phases (like the one we are in!) effectively.   

As Sewanee embarks on a new chapter with the arrival of our new Vice Chancellor, it is evident that systemic issues still require attention. Yet, many of us may feel powerless to address these concerns, leading to frustration and disappointment.   

What's a solution? Implementing the "Responsible Mindset" – a potent shift that guides us from assigning blame to embracing personal leadership. By identifying our unique contributions, we can foster purpose, clarity, and connection. Will will lead this interactive workshop with a blend of mindset psychology theory and hands-on pair exercises. Inspired by practices used with CEOs and senior leadership teams, this session empowers you (and us collectively) to navigate pivotal moments effectively.   

Join us to gain insights, connect with colleagues, and lay the groundwork for transformation of our community. Sign up here by Monday, August 14.

Will Harper, a Benedict Scholar while at Sewanee, works with The Trium Group in San Francisco and specializes in guiding leaders through transitions. In addition to being an alum, he is the son of Sewanee alumni/community members Bill and Knowles Harper. He and his family are in town this month and Will is freely and generously offering his expertise through this workshop to Sewanee colleagues as a way of giving back. We are so lucky to have former students return to lead and teach us!

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“DARE TO LEAD” Study Group for SUPERVISORS   

• August 15 - September 26 (7 weeks)
• 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
• For colleagues who are supervisors   

Human Resources and the Center for Leadership are co-sponsoring a 7-session study group for supervisors who want to lead with greater courage and competence. Led by HR’s Jessica Welch, the group will read Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead” book together (books are provided free to all participants), then meet for 1.5-hour sessions for discussion and group exercises.   

Daring leadership is a collection of four skillsets that are teachable, observable, and measurable: 1) Rumbling with Vulnerability, 2) Living into our Values, 3) Braving Trust, and 4) Learning to Rise.  

As supervisors, this is a space to learn new courage-building leadership language, skills, and tools, and then put them into practice, including giving and receiving feedback; establishing boundaries; leading with integrity and generosity; and expressing our positional power with empathy and vulnerability. 

For a sneak peak of your strengths and your opportunities for growth as a daring leader, please consider taking the assessment found here.

Please sign up here by August 1. To allow space for interactive discussions, the group size will be limited to 12 participants.

“I enjoyed getting to know and listening to other supervisors within the University that are outside my normal day-to-day sphere. The Dare to Lead book gave us a way to do that. It helped to solidify that everything will just take time to make the changes we want to make in the University, and that slowly but surely as we bring more people together, we will continue to see progress.”     

“We had some amazing and constructive conversations about leadership within Sewanee, leading as supervisors, and learning to care for ourselves and others. Jessica did a good job by guiding us through several exercises, and also gave us plenty of time to go where the conversation took us.”   

                                                                    - 2021 "Dare To Lead" colleague participants

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"Using CliftonStrengths To Solve for Overwhelm"

• Wednesday, July 26, 2023
• 11:00-noon CST
• Online
  

Join Lisa Cummings of Lead Through Strengths for this free online workshop to explore how your CliftonStrengths can help you figure out how to set boundaries, and work the mindset and math of this challenge.  You'll take a practical look at your Top 5 talents to:

1. Get congruent with your desired commitments and your actual calendar.
2. Use a tool for saying no and setting boundaries.
3. Work out your mindset and math pitfalls that keep you in chronic overwhelm. 

Sign up here!

Note : If you don't know your top 5 CliftonStrengths, email elwilson@sewanee.edu for a free code to take this assessment (for Sewanee colleagues- faculty and staff- only, please) 

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Building Negotiation Skills Workshop

• August 2 & 3, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. each day
• For staff and faculty colleagues   

In today's complex and interconnected world, the ability to negotiate effectively is a valuable asset in academia and beyond. This workshop aims to empower you with the knowledge and techniques to navigate diverse situations, foster collaboration, and build robust relationships.

Led by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business from Sewanee, this workshop will provide you with a solid theoretical foundation and practical tools in negotiations. With a focus on evidence-based practices, you'll explore negotiation models, principles, and strategies that have proven successful across various contexts. You'll gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in interpersonal and professional interactions, equipping you with the tools to navigate conflicts, resolve disputes, and foster mutually beneficial agreements.

Through engaging discussions, interactive exercises, and realistic case studies, you'll have the opportunity to apply your newfound knowledge in a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment. Collaborating with fellow participants, you'll engage in intricate negotiation scenarios, expanding your skills and broadening your perspective on effective negotiation practices.

Invest in your professional development: reserve your spot in this workshop by July 29 here.  

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"True Colors" Workshop (with Chris Silver)

• Friday, July 14, 2023
• 11:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. (lunch included)
• For faculty and staff colleagues

The True Colors assessment is a communication tool. It can be used as a fun, effective, and quick way to help groups develop an appreciation and understanding of each person's tendencies.

The True Colors assessment was originally designed to simplify personality measurement into four dimensions related to potential personality styles. True Colors has its theoretical foundations within the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator and Keirsey's work in temperament. It divides personalities into four domains, each represented by a color.

Since its inception, True Colors has been used in both education and corporate training to build teamwork and improve open communication. By better understanding how we are perceived, we can adapt our communication styles to be more effective in communicating and collaborating with others. By understanding how others communicate, process information, and make decisions, we can collectively work more efficiently while respectfully promoting others' voices with different personality styles.

Participants complete the assessment during the workshop, and they are placed into groups for team building and cognitive reflection. While most people identify with a single color, multiple color combinations are possible, indicating contextual cognitive adaptability. Based on their questionnaire results, each group works together to identify, reflect, and collaboratively address how to facilitate leadership and communication among colleagues more efficiently.     

The facilitator, Chris Silver Ed.D., Ph.D., teaches in our Psychology department. He has conducted True Colors workshops in higher education and corporate settings for over ten years. Please sign up for this workshop here by Wednesday, July 12.

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LIFO (Life Orientation) Workshop: Align Yourself With What You Do Best

• July 18 & 19 (2 days), 9:00 a.m.-noon
• For staff and faculty colleagues

The LIFO (Life Orientation) workshop is designed to bring your behavioral style preferences – under favorable and unfavorable conditions – to your awareness, so you interact and communicate more effectively, and others can hear you better and trust you more. During the workshop, participants will also learn to understand, anticipate, and influence the behavior of others. This encourages appreciating and working with others whose strengths are different and enhances effective collaboration and team development. Some outcomes of this workshop are:

1. Identify your and other peoples’ strengths and behavioral style preferences (including students and colleagues)
2. Adapt your style to the different preferences of the people you work with
3. Learn strategies for improving communication with people from diverse backgrounds and strengths
4. Create an effective learning environment by aligning your approaches

Understanding your behavioral style preferences and anticipating those of others will help you reach your goals with less friction and effort. This workshop is led by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee, who is a certified LIFO facilitator. Please sign up by July 13 here. 

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“Developing the Art of Powerful Questions”

• Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
• McClurg ABC room (upstairs)

Whether in the classroom or the workplace, artfully composed, engaging questions have the power to open conversation, build connections, generate creative and thoughtful responses, signal careful listening, explore divergent perspectives, and hold space for diverse experiences and deepening reflection among conversants. And yet, without forethought, questions can also foreclose the possibilities for meaningful conversation.

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about the ‘linguistic architecture’ of powerful questions, and have an opportunity to reflect and practice designing questions that move toward more generative conversations. Workshop participants will leave with a heightened knowledge of how powerful questions can lead them to more meaningful dialogue with students and colleagues.

Please sign up for this workshop here.

Lydia Reinig, Ph.D., serves as Director of Dialogue Across Difference Programs in the Office of Civic Engagement. Before moving to Sewanee, Lydia was a Postdoctoral Research & Teaching Associate at the University of New Hampshire’s Civil Discourse Lab. There she developed an undergraduate curriculum in civil discourse, public dialogue and deliberation and conducted research on ways of sustaining dialogue in the face of polarization. As a ‘pracademic’, she has collaborated with municipalities and museum spaces, among other diverse civic contexts, to cultivate meaningful conversations about difficult topics and work towards more democratic processes. At Sewanee, her work focuses on facilitating spaces for individuals to build capacity to engage across differences.

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"The Power of Mindset: Shifting from Negative to Positive Thinking" with Peggy Farmer

• Friday, May 12, 2023 from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
• McClurg ABC room (upstairs)

Join this workshop led by Peggy Farmer to discover how your mindset affects your productivity, job satisfaction, and overall flourishing. Learn how to take control of your work environment by addressing your own mindset, as well as identifying what needs to change externally/systemically. Sign up HERE by May 11 at noon to gain practical strategies to cultivate a more positive mindset to reduce destructive stress.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Self Mastery International and is a therapist, consciousness coach, wellness consultant, speaker, and facilitator. She is the author of “Exploratory Surgery of the Soul, A Journey to Self Mastery” and served as the Wellness Consultant for the University of the South during the 2014-15  academic year.

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Strengths Lunches (for Colleagues)

• Tuesday, Apr. 25- "COMMAND"
• McClurg ABC Room

StrengthsLunches are for any colleagues who want to learn more about the CliftonStrength that is featured in the Center for Leadership e-newsletter that week. We will meet upstairs in the McClurg ABC room, so bring your lunch with you for this informal, lightly-facilitated conversation with other colleagues who share your Strength. It is a chance to meet new colleagues and to learn more about CliftonStrengths. Here is the list for future lunches so you can mark your calendar- no need to RSVP; just show up!  CliftonStrengths®  is a personal growth tool that identifies your top five natural areas of talent.  Request a free code here.

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Dinner & Dialogue: Courage

• Monday, April 24, 2023
• 5:15-7 p.m.
• Convocation Hall

 Join us for our last Dinner & Dialogue, as we create community, spark reconnection, enjoy a tasty dinner, and engage in meaningful conversation about Sewanee's value of Courage.

COURAGE- We strive for justice, equity, and sustainability in Sewanee and in the broader society.

How do we live out this University value that we hold? How can we further activate this powerful value so that it becomes embedded in our interactions, meetings, speech, policies, procedures, and decisions? Bring your ideas, your voice, and your presence to shape our next steps with this University value.

Join this lively but informal dinner to have meaningful connections and conversations with colleagues and students!

• RSVP by April 21, 2023: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dinner-dialogue-engaging-our-value-of-courage-tickets-600866737587

You're invited to RSVP with 'someone who is not like yourself.' Everyone who attends will receive a Sewanee coffee mug with our university values!

Background: Dinner & Dialogue events were started in 2013 by students who wanted to recreate the "porchlight" culture that existed in Sewanee's past. Dinner & Dialogue creates an environment that is warm and welcoming so that it encourages deep conversations and connections. Dinner & Dialogue was reintroduced in 2022 as an opportunity to build a more robust culture of dialogue across differences at Sewanee.

Hosted by: Dialogue Across Difference Programs, Office of Civic Engagement

Co-sponsors: All Saints Chapel; Center for Leadership; Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Offices of Campus Activities and the Dean of Students 

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Dinner & Dialogue: Flourishing

• Wednesday, April 12, 2023
• 5:15-7 p.m.
• Convocation Hall

Join us for our next Dinner & Dialogue, as we create community, spark reconnection, enjoy a tasty dinner, and engage in meaningful conversation about Sewanee's value of flourishing.

FLOURISHING- We share responsibility for the well-being of one another and the Domain.

How do we live out this University value that we hold? How can we further activate this powerful value so that it becomes embedded in our interactions, meetings, speech, policies, procedures, and decisions? Bring your ideas, your voice, and your presence to shape our next steps with this University value.

• RSVP by April 10, 2023: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dinner-dialogue-engaging-our-value-of-flourishing-tickets-600806126297

You're invited to RSVP with 'someone who is not like yourself.' Everyone who attends will receive a Sewanee coffee mug with our university values!

Background: Dinner & Dialogue events were started in 2013 by students who wanted to recreate the "porchlight" culture that existed in Sewanee's past. Dinner & Dialogue creates an environment that is warm and welcoming so that it encourages deep conversations and connections. Dinner & Dialogue was reintroduced in 2022 as an opportunity to build a more robust culture of dialogue across differences at Sewanee.

Hosted by: Dialogue Across Difference Programs, Office of Civic Engagement; Co-sponsors: All Saints Chapel; Center for Leadership; Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Offices of Campus Activities and the Dean of Students 

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Language Diversity at Sewanee

• Monday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m.
• Naylor Auditorium in Gailor 

In partnership with the E.L. Kellermann Language Resource Center, the Office of Global Citizenship, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, the Center for Leadership, and Student Life, we  invite you to participate in the Language Diversity at Sewanee Survey. So far, we've been able to document 50 languages spoken on our campus. Every language that we speak provides a different framework and worldview. Knowing another language allows us to bring that perspective to others, which enriches us all.

Please take two minutes to answer the Language Diversity at Sewanee Survey and help us gain a snapshot of the many languages spoken by members of our community. Then, come to Gailor on Monday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. where the results of the survey will be shared and hear from linguistics professor, Dr. Mark Preslar on how multiple languages contribute to our understanding and worldview, and what a gift it is to be multilingual. 

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The Advantage of Moral Leadership

• Thursday, March 2, 2023
• 4 p.m. at Convocation Hall

Does Sewanee produce leaders who make a difference? Cathy Carlisi, C'89/BCGBrighthouse Managing Director, thinks so...

Cathy Carlisi, C'89 and an art major, was a pioneer in the corporate "Purpose" movement that began over 25 years ago. She is the Managing Director at BCGBrightHouse, a consulting firm that specializes in using diverse thinking and radical creativity to unlock the power of purpose.

One thing she has noticed over the decades of working at BCGBrightHouse with Sewanee students and alumni is that they all tend to be strong moral leaders. Why? What do we do (and not do) that contributes to this? 

Cathy returns to her Sewanee roots next week to share with us what she has learned about purpose and leadership...and Sewanee. She will lead a discussion about what actions and experiences Sewanee provides (or needs to provide!) that shape us and our students into moral, purposeful leaders.

Your voice and presence next Thursday at 4:00 are warmly welcomed. We ALL lead from wherever we are, and Sewanee will flourish even more when we learn to lead from and with purpose. Please join us for this event to learn more and to be inspired!

For over 20 years, Cathy Carlisi has been invited by Fortune 100 CEOs and other senior leaders to share her guidance and insights on Purpose. On Thursday, March 2 at 4 p.m., YOU can hear from her in Sewanee at Convocation Hall. She will discuss "The Advantage of Moral Leadership," co-sponsored by The Center for Leadership and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Cathy Carlisi joined BrightHouse (a BCG company) shortly after its founding, and she has invested 20 years in growing its processes, products, frameworks, and staff into the premier Purpose consultancy. She currently serves as managing director after serving as president and chief creative officer from 2014 to 2018 and then as president of the Americas from 2018 through early 2023. Cathy has led seminal work across geographies and has industry experience in energy, financial and banking, consumer packaged goods, retail, airline, automotive, industrial goods, food and beverage, and telecommunications, with functional experience in marketing, communications, and cultural transformation. Cathy began her career in advertising, winning awards at top-tier agencies including Carmichael Lynch and Fallon.

Cathy graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Sewanee in 1989 with majors in Art and English. She has served Sewanee as an Alumni Trustee and was a first recipient of Sewanee's EQB Award. After Sewanee, Cathy attended The Portfolio Center for writing and art direction and spent two years studying poetry with Leon Stokesbury at Georgia State. Cathy is a nationally published poet and a painter and has exhibited her paintings in individual and group shows. Her poetry has appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Mid-American Review, Southern Review, The Greensboro Review, and The Atlanta Review among other journals and anthologies. 

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Conflict: Know Your Constructive/Destructive Responses and Hot Buttons" Workshop

• Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
• For all Sewanee colleagues (staff + faculty)

The Conflict Dynamics Profile is an assessment to measure conflict behaviors and can increase self-awareness and improve conflict management skills. Knowing your automatic constructive and destructive responses and your hot buttons/triggers can help you deal more effectively with conflict. Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee. Email elwilson@sewanee to sign up by February 19.

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"Conflict Skill-Building: Practicing Hard Conversations" Workshop

• February 21, 2023, 10:30-12:00 p.m.
• For all Sewanee colleagues (faculty + staff)

The goal of successful conflict management is not its elimination, but to reduce its harmful effects and maximize its useful ones. Learn techniques and tools to address conflict, then practice your new skills with other colleagues in role-playing various conflict scenarios. Practicing will enable you to be prepared to address conflict in a healthy way when it arises! Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of Human Resources Development. Email elwilson@sewanee to sign up by February 19.

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CliftonStrengths Coaching Course

• January 19-March 2, 2023, Thursdays from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; PLUS a final off-campus retreat on Sunday, March 5 from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. 
• McClurg ABC rooms (upstairs)

Expand your understanding of strengths-based development and learn coaching skills to assist others in discovering, developing, and using their strengths for greater productivity and well-being. This course is a deep dive into the CliftonStrengths assessment and will prepare participants to introduce a strengths-based perspective to others. Co-led by Emily Britt (Associate Dean of Students) and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership director); both are Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coaches. Learn more and sign up here by January 12.

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"For Women Colleagues: From Self-Doubt to Courage and Confidence”

• Friday, January 27 from 9:00-11:00 a.m.

• For all Sewanee women colleagues (staff + faculty) 

In this interactive workshop for women colleagues only, learners will acquire techniques and strategies to understand, address, and reduce self-doubt that can keep us quieter and smaller than we are or want to be. All leaders have some self-doubt so learning how to manage it can infuse us with greater courage and confidence. And because it will be led by Peggy Farmer, there will be a lot of joy and laughter as we learn together! To sign up, email elwilson@sewanee.edu by Thursday, January 26 at noon.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Self Mastery International and is a therapist, consciousness coach, wellness consultant, speaker, and facilitator. She is the author of “Exploratory Surgery of the Soul, A Journey to Self Mastery” and served as the Wellness Consultant for the University of the South during the 2014-15  academic year.

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Practicing Conflict Skills Workshop: "Responding to Colleagues Who Dominate During Meetings"

• Tuesday, November 29 from 2:00-3:00 p.m.
• Torian Room, second floor of duPont Library

This issue-based workshop will focus on how to respond effectively and compassionately to colleagues who dominate meetings by not holding space for other participants. Activities will include strategies for addressing this issue as well as practicing having these difficult conversations.  Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form.

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Your Triggers and Response to Conflict: Conflict Dynamics Profile

• Tuesday, November 1 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.
• Note: This workshop is identical to the one offered earlier in October. It is being offered again due to high interest.

The Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP), an assessment instrument measuring conflict behaviors, is an excellent resource to increase self-awareness and improve conflict management skills. The CDP is unlike any other assessment tool in that it focuses specifically on conflict behaviors, rather than styles. It helps individuals and teams understand how they respond to conflict, what triggers can escalate conflict, and how to manage conflict more effectively. This online assessment emphasizes an action-oriented approach which leads to real improvement. It provides a simple way of helping you understand more about how you respond to conflict both behaviorally and emotionally. The Center for Leadership covers the expense of this assessment for all colleagues.

Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form by Monday, October 31 , 2022. 

 

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Proactive Conflict Resolution: How to Set Yourself Up for Success

• Tuesday, November 1 from 3:00-4:30 p.m.
• Note: This workshop is identical to the one offered earlier in October. It is being offered again due to high interest.

Conflict is inevitable; it cannot, nor should it, be completely avoided. The goal of successful conflict management is not its elimination, but to reduce its harmful effects and maximize its useful ones. Learn practical tools to prepare for and address conflict, using small groups and practicing scenarios together. These will be general scenarios; if confidentiality is needed, private HR coaching is available after the workshop by contacting Jessica Welch in HR. Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form by Monday, October 31 , 2022. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by Human Resources and the Center for Leadership

 

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Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Workshop

• Wednesday, October 5, 2022 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• Torian Room (second floor of DuPont Library)

Assess and expand your ability to relate to people across cultural differences

This Intercultural Development Inventory workshop will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses in our intercultural competence, which is the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities.

This workshop will be led by Marcus Murphy, Coordinator of Global Initiatives in the Office of Global Citizenship. A qualified administrator of the IDI, he first took the assessment when exploring ways to better incorporate the teaching of culture into the Chinese language classroom. He especially appreciates the Intercultural Development Plan that each person receives and that is tailored to each individual/organization's needs for future development of their intercultural competencies. He strongly believes it can help organizations and individuals create more inclusive communities.

Intercultural competence is a critical capability for those navigating cultural differences both abroad and at home. The IDI can help us live more deeply into our Sewanee values by using inquiry to understand how we interact with cultural differences and commonalities with those in our midst. At Sewanee, we currently use the IDI to assess the development of intercultural competencies for our students that participate in study-away programs.

From Dartmouth's Tuck Business School to Berea's Office of DEI , and also groups that range from police officers to Fortune 500 companies , we look forward to joining the many institutions across the globe that recognize the helpfulness of fostering inclusivity through the IDI.

The Center for Leadership will cover the cost for each participant to take the 50-item online questionnaire that can be completed in 15-20 minutes.

Please register here and you will receive more information on how to complete the assessment prior to the workshop. 

Co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching , Office of Civic Engagement/Dialogue Across Difference , and the Center for Leadership 

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Your Triggers and Response to Conflict: Conflict Dynamics Profile

• Thursday, October 6 from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
• Torian Room (second floor of duPont Library)

Note: The format of this conflict workshop has been redesigned to reduce the time duration in order to allow for greater participation.

The Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP), an assessment instrument measuring conflict behaviors, is an excellent resource to increase self-awareness and improve conflict management skills. The CDP is unlike any other assessment tool in that it focuses specifically on conflict behaviors, rather than styles. It helps individuals and teams understand how they respond to conflict, what triggers can escalate conflict, and how to manage conflict more effectively. This online assessment emphasizes an action-oriented approach which leads to real improvement. It provides a simple way of helping you understand more about how you respond to conflict both behaviorally and emotionally. The Center for Leadership covers the expense of this assessment for all colleagues.

Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form by Wednesday, October 5 , 2022. (If you have previously signed up for the earlier workshop, you do not need to sign up again).

 

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Proactive Conflict Resolution: How to Set Yourself Up for Success

• Thursday, October 6 from 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Torian Room (second floor of duPont Library)

Note: The format of this conflict workshop has been redesigned to reduce the time duration in order to allow for greater participation.

Conflict is inevitable; it cannot, nor should it, be completely avoided. The goal of successful conflict management is not its elimination, but to reduce its harmful effects and maximize its useful ones. Learn practical tools to prepare for and address conflict, using small groups and practicing scenarios together. These will be general scenarios; if confidentiality is needed, private HR coaching is available after the workshop by contacting Jessica Welch in HR. 

Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development. To sign up for this workshop, please fill out this form by Monday, October 5, 2022.

This workshop is co-sponsored by Human Resources and the Center for Leadership.

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 Liberating Structures (Micro-Facilitation Techniques) Immersion Workshop

• Friday, Sep 30, 2022
• 9:00-12:00 p.m. AND/OR 1:00-4:00 p.m. (attend one...or both!)
• Social Lodge
• Open to all colleagues

In both morning and afternoon workshop sessions, we will dive deep into the Liberating Structures repertoire and dig into some novel strategies for working with groups in a way that is both serious AND playful, organized-yet-freeing, and stable-but-varied.

These easy-to-learn, inclusive micro-facilitation techniques unflatten learning and engage every person. They can be used in the classroom, in meetings, and in group settings of any size.

If you've never participated in a Liberating Structures workshop, prepare yourself to gain valuable tools to deepen learning, engage in meaningful conversations, create deeper connections with colleagues, and experience joy. We welcome you to this opportunity to invest in your own growth while meeting colleagues from all over the campus.

We will learn these structures by practicing them together during the workshop. Each workshop will feature several structures that are designed to:

• Support a group in generating and then prioritizing different ideas anonymously before quickly moving into action
• Focus attention on what each person has the freedom & authority to do right away without needing additional resources or permission
• Express the complementary tensions and paradoxes that give vitality to our work
• Uncover the tiny-and-easy-to-overlook behaviors that contribute to success
• Slow things down so that each person can get themselves organized and start to make sense of complex situations or topics
• Help us confront the plurality of futures that might all plausibly unfold and develop strategies for adapting and responding to all of them

You are welcome to attend the morning session, the afternoon session...or both- whatever fits best with your schedule! Each session will feature unique Liberating Structures to learn.

The workshop facilitators are Anna Jackson and Fisher Qua. If you joined in any of the virtual All-Colleagues meetings that were held during the first year of the pandemic, you will recognize these two gifted people. You can read more here about them and their company, Lucky Hunch.

Click here to sign up by September 29, 2022

Co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching , Office of Civic Engagement/Dialogue Across Difference , and the Center for Leadership 

 

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Developing Mental Toughness & Your Adversity Quotient (AQ)

Increase your ability to bounce back from challenges

• Thursday, September 1, 2022, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
• Location: McClurg ABC rooms (upstairs)
• For: All Sewanee colleagues (staff + faculty) 

The adversity quotient (AQ) is a person's ability to face situations, problems, and obstacles in life. A person with a strong AQ is able to effectively face obstacles and take advantage of opportunities. Having a high AQ is important for mental and emotional well-being, and improving your AQ can result in better productivity, capacity, performance, innovation, and morale.   

In this interactive workshop for colleagues, learners will acquire techniques and strategies that are essential to being adversity intelligent leaders (and we are all leaders). And because it will be led by Peggy Farmer, there will be a lot of joy and laughter as we learn together! To sign up, email elwilson@sewanee.edu by August 31.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Self Mastery International and is a therapist, consciousness coach, wellness consultant, speaker, and facilitator. She is the author of “Exploratory Surgery of the Soul, A Journey to Self Mastery” and served as the Wellness Consultant for the University of the South during the 2014-15  academic year. 

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"Leadership & Horses" Workshop

Interacting with horses can teach us how we influence others in our work and life. This workshop has provided important insights for colleagues into ourselves and our organizational culture. You will be observing and interacting with the horses (to your comfort level; there will be no riding. Sign up to take some time for learning and reflection! This workshop is free for any and all faculty and staff colleagues. Led by Karine Gordy, Director of Sewanee's Equestrian program. If you would like to request a workshop for your department/group, please submit this form.

• Tuesday, August 9, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Please sign up here by August 8.

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Enneagram Learning Group

Many Sewanee students use the Enneagram to understand themselves and others, so learning about it can help us connect with them. This personal growth tool also creates a common language that can deepen appreciation and understanding of ourselves and people in our lives. Enneagram-trained facilitator Robin Hille Michaels will lead this fall-semester group; the one last semester was so lively that we are offering it again! All participants receive a free book and a code to take the Enneagram Institute's online assessment. 

• Every other Thursday from 9:30-10:30 a.m., beginning Aug. 11 and ending on Dec. 15
• Sign up here by August 8

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"Handling Conflict with Colleagues" Workshop

• Thursday, May 12
• 1:00 - 4:00

Conflict is hard, but we can manage it more effectively if we are prepared and equipped with the tools to respond in constructive ways. Anke Arnaud, a visiting professor of management for our business minor at Sewanee, will facilitate this session for Sewanee colleagues on how to navigate the stages of conflict to arrive at agreement/ cooperation. We will learn 1) our own conflict approaches, 2) how to manage successful conflict conversations, and 3) role-playing managing conflict. The following issues and more will be discussed:

• How do we talk to colleagues who are underperforming, particularly if they are senior colleagues and/ or older that we are? 
• How do we all to colleagues when the department/ team is suffering as a result of their actions?
• When we find ourselves in a position of leadership (supervisor/ chair/ director), how do we handle situations where teammates undermine us, disregard us, or say something offensive (in public or private)?

This workshop is open to all colleagues. It may be especially helpful for people who lead as department chairs and managers/ supervisors, but all are most welcome to attend. Please sign up here no later than Friday, May 6 so that we can send you a code to take the Conflict Dynamics Profile online assessment. 

Anke Arnaud served as Professor of Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, O'Maley College of Business (OCOB) in Daytona Beach, FL. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in behavior, business ethics, and sustainability. She also facilitates workshops on leadership, conflict management, and negotiation skills. Anke earned an MBA (1994) and PhD (2006) in Organizational Behavior from the University of Central Florida. When not in the classroom, she studies the effect of organizational cultures and climates on ethical behavior and decision-making. Her research has been published in journals such as Organizational Science, Journal of Business Ethics, and Organizational Dynamics.

Anke enjoys training individuals and groups on how to apply organizational behavior tools and techniques in organizational settings to promote effective collaboration as well as group and individual decision-making. She is a Certified Workplace Mediator, Trainer in Workplace Conflict Resolution, and LIFO Trainer.

Sponsored by the Center for Leadership. Contact Elizabeth Wilson for more information.

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The Heart of Higher Education 2022 Virtual Conference: The Beauty That Sustains Us

• Tuesday, February 15, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Led by Elizabeth Wilson, Center for Leadership Director