Archives: Newsletter Post

Oliver Burkeman had tried every time-saving life hack in the book. Author of a productivity column at The Guardian, it was his job to find ways to help people make the most of their time. From experimenting with the Pomodoro Technique to scheduling his entire day in 15 minute blocks, Burkeman felt he was on […]

When Joseph Gutierrez started studying at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education, he was focused on understanding organizations. He cared about justice, but was not sure how exactly that would play out in his work. When he was invited to participate as a fellow in the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership, that changed. “I was […]

In August 2017, just a few days after a white supremacist mob marched on the University of Virginia, one of their most eminent and committed professors, Chad Wellmon, wrote a provocative piece for the Chronicle of Higher Education.1 Wellmon found himself personally devastated by the events, while also deeply skeptical that his university could respond in any […]

Is it possible to increase college students’ concern for the common good—and commitment to pursuing it—when they are faced with ethical dilemmas? Harvard’s Howard Gardner and Wendy Fischman attempted to do just that in their “Beyond the Self” pilot project, and are now helping faculty at institutions across the country adapt and implement the intervention […]

We all reach a professional peak, after which our skills start to decline.  But for many, this decline begins much sooner than they expect.  Doctors and finance professionals peak in their late 30s, writers between 40 and 45, and scientists in their mid-40s. Accustomed to (and perhaps even addicted to) career success, many respond by […]

Claire Keegan’s Christmas novella, Small Things Like These, will not only draw your imagination into the lives of characters in an Irish town during Christmas week in the 1980s; it could also be an argument for liberal education. The main character, Bill Furlong, is a coal merchant with a large family and full days of hard work. […]

How can universities encourage students to move beyond cognitive engagement with ideas about flourishing into habits and ways of being? For students in Villanova University’s Honors Program, a Living Learning Community with a focus on “The Examined Life: the Good, the True, the Beautiful,” aims to do just that, combining a series of well-designed classes […]

The Kern National Network for Caring & Character in Medicine (KNN) is a movement focused on integrating four foundational elements—caring, character, practical wisdom, and human flourishing—within the profession of medicine to ignite positive culture change. This past September, the KNN hosted its first annual conference in Milwaukee and launched an online community of practice to […]

The legal profession is currently experiencing a crisis of well-being.  According to a study of nearly 13,000 lawyers by the American Bar Association in 2016, 28% struggle with depression, 23% experience chronic stress, and as high as 36% qualify as problem drinkers, with all of these rates higher for lawyers less than 10 years removed […]

According to a recent National Business Ethics Survey (2013), almost one out of two U.S. employees has witnessed wrongdoing in their workplace. Half of them did not report the wrongdoing or take any action. Why do some individuals display courage at work while many of their co-workers — when faced with the same situation — […]