Why Advent Should Matter

I’m not much of a Facebook fan – I subscribe to it because it’s the only way I can keep track of my extended family’s activities – so when I stumbled on one of those social media quizzes that purport to demonstrate one’s expertise (“You know you are a native of X if you can correctly answer these 10 questions…”), I surprised myself by being lured into taking one designed to test how much I knew about the Catholic religion. With questions like:

·         What was the name of the last Pope?

·         What color represents Ordinary Time on the Liturgical Calendar?

·         When does Advent occur?

I quickly realized that it was not a serious exercise in religious knowledge. Needless to say, I answered all the questions correctly, producing this breathless statement by the author of the test: “You aren’t one of those people who calls themselves Catholic without knowing the religion really well – you know all there is to know!”

Would that were true.                           

Like all of the world’s great religions, Catholicism seeks to steer a line between knowing its principles and practicing them…between the facts of the faith and spirituality. It’s not unusual for many, if not all, churchgoers to err on one side over the other. I imagine most of us know someone who likes to assert: “I’m spiritual but not religious.” I suppose that statement is intended to mean that the individual eschews the institutional world of religion in favor of a vague sense of being “spiritual.” The problem with that approach is its assumption that the terms “spiritual” and “religious” can be separated from each other. At some level, someone who is spiritual (acting out of a belief in a divine being) is, to a greater or lesser extent, also religious (understanding a system of behaviors which flow from a belief in a divine being). One may only weakly follow the tenets of organized religion or even reject specific religious institutions and their practices, but being spiritual and religious go hand-in-hand.

As a Catholic school, La Salle, for example, emphasizes the importance of being both spiritual and religious. I am fond of saying that, at La Salle, we welcome students of all – and no – faiths out of our firm understanding that Catholic values can make an important contribution to the moral (spiritual) development of all adolescents. This is why all of our students are expected to study Religion each year; and it is why we expect all students to participate in our various Service programs. Knowing the Gospel and practicing its exhortations (“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”) provide an essential foundation for negotiating the unstructured, often chaotic, world our students will inherit when they leave us.

Christian churches began the season of Advent last Sunday. It is typically understood as a time to prepare for the Christmas celebration on December 25^th. Regular churchgoers know that it is more than just a time of preparation. It is equally a time for us to be both spiritual and religious – to remind ourselves of the need to consciously embrace the values that are continually transforming the world for the better as well as to participate in religious activities which focus our attention on how God can give us the grace to become better persons. Near the front entrance to the School is our version of the Advent wreath, containing three purple candles and one rose candle. A purple candle is lit on the first two Sundays of Advent. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday (symbolizing that the period of preparation for Christmas is half over) and the final, purple candle is lit on the Sunday before Christmas. On Christmas day, the colored candles are replaced with white ones to symbolize the entrance of God into human history.

I love this beautiful religious tradition because it simply and elegantly reminds me of how important it is for me to live my life as if God were about to arrive any day. It subtly reinforces the facts of my faith and encourages me to embrace them as guiding principles for how to live my life. Saint Anselm captured this dynamic when he adopted the motto: Faith seeking understanding.

So while a perfect score on a Facebook quiz won’t impress even the most casual of Catholics, it reminds me – as does the season of Advent – that it is important to be both spiritual and religious, especially now when our fragile world is beset by so many seemingly intractable challenges.

When making sense of things matters

                 

When I think about the aftermath of the Presidential election, I’m not sure how to talk to our students in order to make sense of things. Clearly the mood of the country is one of widespread anger. And just as clearly, prognosticators and pollsters got it monumentally wrong. What isn’t so clear is the why of the angry mood. While manufacturing and low level white collar jobs have been sent overseas, the Nation’s economy is in the best shape it’s been since the advent of the Great Recession. And, yes, Washington politics are more toxic than ever; but as we’ve seen in Sacramento, a divided legislature and executive branch prevents one party’s agenda from steamrolling over the party in the minority. Even the outcome of the election reflects a divided country; with one candidate winning the popular vote and the other winning the Electoral College.

As a Catholic educator, I find it especially troubling that so much attention was given to themes of exclusion, racial profiling, questioning the right to healthcare access and pursuit of aggressive military action overseas; to highlight just a few of the divisive issues that stoked the growing anger of the electorate. At La Salle, we seek to build an inclusive community in which students learn to examine both sides of complex issues. We don’t support the ease with which political opponents employ uncivil tactics to shout each other down and their tendency to encourage their supporters to do the same. Our teenagers were exposed to a steady diet of uncivil behavior during the nightly news, and on print and social media.  I don’t understand the angry mood of the country today; but I do believe it was, at least in part, encouraged by the way news of the candidates’ behavior were reported in the media. When everyone is shouting, no one is listening.

We expect our students to seek understanding of complex political, economic, social and moral issues by listening to their teachers and to each other. And as an educational community that seeks to include rather than exclude, we expect our students to recognize that, regardless of one’s political views, La Salle stands on the side of immigrants, marginalized people, middle income families and successful families who see a world where everyone should have the opportunity to succeed. I don’t know how much greater a challenge this will be over the course of the next four years; but I do know that for the last sixty years La Salle has been committed to nurturing, inspiring, challenging and motivating the students entrusted to our care to acquire the habits of responsible citizenship.

Which brings me to the purpose of the 2016 Annual Report; in addition to celebrating the financial and philanthropic success of the 2015-2016 school year, we are celebrating our sixtieth anniversary of making the La Salle Difference accessible to an economically, demographically and ethnically diverse set of students. We are proud of what has transpired here at La Salle since we first opened our doors in 1956; and we know that, regardless of the challenges of the next four or ten or fifteen years, we won’t lose sight of our fundamental purpose: to produce good students and good people who understand our commitment to Learn – Serve – Lead.

Knowing how the Dodgers got as far as they did

               

I was at lunch the other day with a group of colleagues and friends when the conversation turned to the Dodgers’ chances of going to the World Series (full disclosure: I used to live in the Bronx, so this conversation was not one that I paid close attention to). One individual asked the question: “Well, how do they get to play in the World Series?” …Really? My (unfiltered) reaction to the group was: “Who doesn’t know this? It’s almost un-American!” As an educator, I know, of course, that I shouldn’t have blurted out that response; but – really – how could anyone – given the omnipresent impact of electronic and print media – not know the answer?

                Which led me to consider this question…recognizing the virtually non-stop attention print and electronic media have devoted to this presidential election’s focus on what constitutes the state of “American Exceptionalism,” [i] I have to wonder, why are the Democratic and Republican candidates hammering the voters with the question: what makes America great? They offer two competing messages:

·         America once was great and is no longer

·         America is great because America is good

My Irish mother would have described both assertions as the intellectual equivalent of “two bald men fighting over a comb.” Really? Why is this the most important issue of the presidential campaign? Why aren’t we talking about rescuing children from poverty and ensuring that teenagers will find middle class jobs when they enter the workforce? These are the issues that concern the community of La Salle – and, in fact, ought to concern every individual of voting age.

                Lasallian values start with the rights of the child. For over three hundred years, we have always understood that success – later in life – is inseparable from a quality education. So, given the fact that this generation of children will, for the first time since the Great Depression, face an economic future that will be less secure than their parents, I continue to ask myself, why isn’t education the front and center issue of this presidential election?

                There are all sorts of facile answers to this question – not the least of which is the complicity of the media in orchestrating crowd-pleasing questions (as I write this, I am watching the third and final debate between the two candidates, and the first two questions were on the Second Amendment and Abortion – really??).  While I recognize that the political world requires politicians to focus on “hot button” issues such as gun control and right-to-life topics, I don’t understand why the electorate allows them to evade more pressing concerns which need to be addressed now in order to ensure that the next generation of voters enjoys economic security.

                Which brings me back to the tired conundrum of “American Exceptionalism.” Australian expert on American History, Professor Ian Tyrell, author of “American Exceptionalism in an Age of International History” defines the term this way:

American exceptionalism contains a complicated and often contradictory set of assumptions…In its classic forms, American exceptionalism refers to the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty…Many aspects of American history may be left out or distorted in the traditional narratives…

While most voters would wonder why this concept is important in understanding the issues being debated in this presidential election, the reality of American Exceptionalism is rooted in the candidates’ belief that their ability to secure votes is inextricably linked to the widespread perception that somehow, America as a great nation is in trouble. Any La Salle student who completed our Advanced Placement course in Civics would giggle at this notion of American greatness. They have learned that America’s place in the world isn’t so much about being “great” as it is about being attentive to the needs of the voters who elect their leadership every four years. This is what is distinctive about the American democratic experiment: the peaceful transition of power continues unabated – even in this most contentious of presidential elections. Which brings me back to, what I believe, is the central – unaddressed – issue of the campaign: how to ensure economic security for today’s teens?

                The eve of the next peaceful transition of power is upon us. It may not result in an outcome that some portion of the voters will celebrate. That having been said, I know that, at La Salle, my colleagues and I are committed to the task of ensuring that the students entrusted to our care learn how to interpret political messages through the (American) lens of social justice: focusing on the marginalized and abandoned and searching for economic security for everyone. They don’t need to know how the Dodgers (inexplicably) get to the World Series, but they do need to know why their vote matters.

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[i]  For more on this concept, please go to: https://iantyrrell.wordpress.com/papers-and-comments/

It's not an "Edifice Complex"

               

I love to read the Alumni Notes in the back of Lancer Magazine. Not only is it a delight for me to learn about the diversity of accomplishments which characterize sixty years of alumni activities, I am also privileged to have accompanied seventeen years of alums who were students during my tenure – many of whom I had the opportunity to teach. Laura Palmer ’00, for example, was recently honored as the PUSD Teacher of the Year; after earning his Ph.D. from Stanford, Matt Velasco ’04 has joined the Department of Anthropology at Ithaca College and his classmate - and my former student - Dorothy Habrat is working as an emergency medicine physician at the University of New Mexico. Of a more recent vintage, Manny Soriano ’12 earned his BS in Electrical Engineering at USC and has accepted a position at JPL in electromagnetics (go to p. x for more exciting news about our alums).

                These impressive accomplishments – as well as those of earlier eras – remind me of how relevant La Salle’s value proposition (developed as part of our recently adopted Strategic Plan) is in explaining how different students – and alums – can be successful at so many different opportunities:

What distinguishes La Salle from other college preparatory high schools in the Greater Pasadena Area is its ability to nurture students’ individual passions in academics, arts, athletics and the spiritual life. Because La Salle is the largest private high school in Pasadena, it is uniquely positioned to provide a diversity of opportunities both in and out of the classroom that is unparalleled among its peers.

                The Summer issue of Lancer Magazine is chock-full of examples of students – and alums (check out the three Drs. Nuccio ) - who were able to nurture their individual talents while at La Salle enabling them to graduate with Honors, find their passion, compete in Prague, earn a playwriting fellowship, receive a Golden Diploma and record athletic achievements. It is because we make it possible for students to pursue their individual passions at La Salle that our alumni are able to accomplish their dreams. And, we’re not done yet.

                I’ve often said that excellent programs require excellent facilities. Our current campus footprint is cramped and insufficient to support the dramatic growth in our academic, arts and athletic programs. We need new and larger spaces to continue to nurture their effectiveness in providing a diversity of opportunities both in and out of the classroom. After ten long years of pursuing Pasadena approval of our Master Plan application, the City Council unanimously approved the project on September 19^th. That approval was a product of lengthy negotiations between La Salle, our neighbors and the City with respect to mutually agreeable uses of the campus. There were many compromises – by all parties – which, I believe, produced a Master Plan which will ensure the School’s ability to effectively support our growing programs of excellence while, at the same time, enable us to continue our commitment to be a good neighbor and a contributing citizen of Pasadena. What’s in the Plan?

·         Phase I:

o   Practice Gymnasium

o   Aquatics Center

o   Fitness Center

·         Phase II:

o   Visual & Performing Arts Center

·         Phase III:

o   Field House

Clearly, this is an ambitious plan, and one that lays out our priority to support growing programs of excellence with facilities that can ensure their continued impact on the lives of the students entrusted to our care. And, we hope to begin to implement this priority sooner rather than later. We want to identify the resources necessary to launch Phase I within the next eighteen months and to pursue philanthropic support for the project as soon as is practicable, thereafter. Look to this space in future issues of Lancer Magazine for updates on our progress.

                A consultant – and dear friend of mine – used to describe Presidents of successful schools like La Salle as being tempted by an “Edifice Complex” – a lighthearted pun referring to the Freudian perspective of the Greek play Oedipus Rex. The pun suggests that it is much easier to focus on putting up new buildings (“Edifice”) than to remain true to the programmatic needs of those buildings. As I reviewed this issue of Lancer Magazine, I know that our Master Plan is anything but an “Edifice Complex.” It is a well-honed, thoughtful response to the needs of the students entrusted to our care. I am confident, that the successful implementation of our Master Plan will lead to success for our current and future graduates as they pursue their individual passions.

                I just wish more alums would let us know what exciting things are happening in their lives!

Uncivil comments in a (supposedly) civil society

NPR – National Public Radio – recently announced that it would no longer accept comments on its website (NPR.org). If you, like me, either don’t know what a Comments section is, don’t read them, or don’t understand the point of such an arena, this decision may not be of much significance. As an educator, however, I feel compelled to celebrate it. One might argue, as one Commenter did, that this decision “suppresses free speech.” First Amendment experts, however, would chortle at this tortured interpretation of the right to free speech since – as is true of the entire Bill of Rights – the intent has always been to prevent our elected government from hampering the people’s right to speak, to assemble, to worship; well, you get the idea. 

I celebrate this decision because an unintended consequence of a Comments section on any website in which people can post anonymously is incivility. Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post had this to say about the typical Commenter on his Blog: “It’s the loudest, often most obnoxious person in the room with the most time to dedicate” who dominates the Comments section.  One could, I suppose, still argue: “Isn’t that an inevitable by-product of free speech?” Yes, but free speech is protected so that the government won’t go after an identifiable person promoting an unpopular opinion – by its very nature anonymity enjoys its own protection. And, it’s the anonymity of uncivil comments which concerns me.  

At La Salle, we spend an enormous amount of time and energy teaching the students entrusted to our care healthy ways of interacting with each other and with adults. A central component of that objective falls under the heading of “civil discourse.” Whether it’s in the classroom, on stage or on the playing field, we expect our students to understand that there is a right way – and a wrong way – to disagree…and there are penalties for choosing the wrong way. Penalties exist because – as any parent knows – teenagers need to learn how to observe boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. And, while one could argue that positive reinforcement is always preferred over negative reinforcement, we need to remind ourselves that there is a reason why we adults try to avoid getting a speeding ticket on the 210 Freeway. Anonymous Commenters have no “down side” boundary maintenance for their obnoxious behavior; and, in the absence of negative reinforcement, they are passively encouraged to continue their inappropriate statements. Here’s why this ought to be a compelling concern: one Commenter on the NPR.org website, for example, had – over time - posted over 32,000 comments (I can’t imagine how one could possibly have that much available time to do that).

I worry about this because we only have four years (parents have, roughly, 22 years) to inculcate in our students a respect for the other – no matter what opinion he or she holds. I’ve noted in this space and elsewhere that the college experience for young people has witnessed a tsunami of political correctness, so much so, that highly regarded professors have been subjected to humiliating shouting matches from people half their age. Ironically, the older I get the more sensitive I become to the acquired wisdom of my elders.  I wish I could have acquired that sensitivity decades ago.

That having been said, I recognize, now, that it is incumbent upon my generation to take responsibility for educating the next generation with respect to the negotiation of the boundaries of acceptable discourse. The problem lies in the inescapable fact that the Internet can undermine every positive lesson in support of civil discourse we seek to share with young people. Therefore, it becomes all the more pressing that we adults “double down” on our responsibility to teach our children the necessary importance of developing a respect for all persons…one of the Five Core Principles of a Lasallian School.

While it is tempting to throw up our hands and conclude that the task is enormous and beyond our capabilities - that would be a mistake. Adults know – all too often through the School of Hard Knocks – that abandoning the enforcement of principles means abandoning our principles as well. La Salle exists, in part, to reinforce at school the values parents seek to instill in their children at home. Together, we can make a stand in favor of civil discourse, not only by establishing the principle, but also by reinforcing and enforcing it. Our young people grew up on easy access to Social Media. Let’s make sure they understand how to use it properly.

The stress was worth it, after all

            Registration Day for the incoming Class of 2019(!) took place only two weeks ago, but the time since has been so hectic that it feels like it was yesterday. It is a stressful time for private high schools because the admission and enrollment process is increasingly taking on the look and feel of what has been happening for years at the college and university level: multiple applications are sent to a variety of schools in the hopes of landing on one’s “Plan A or B” college/university.

Here are some startling statistics: the National Association of College Admission Counselors reports that, although the number of high school graduates has begun to decline (and will continue to do so until 2020), growth in the number of applications per student has increased. NACAC reports that 87% of fall 2010 freshmen submitted three or more applications, and 25% submitted seven or more applications. In addition, a large majority of colleges (73%) reported increased application volume for fall 2010 compared to fall 2009. With few exceptions, approximately three-quarters of colleges have reported increases each year for the past decade.

Unhappily, a similar dynamic is unfolding at the secondary school level; particularly here in the Pasadena area. As the number of school-age children continues to shrink (students going on to high school next fall will be 50% fewer than students graduating from Pasadena-area high schools in May and June), family angst around private high school placements increases. For example, even though La Salle is the largest private high school in the Pasadena area and we received over 400 applications for the Class of 2019, these students were applying, on average, to three other private high schools; meaning that at least a third of those students would end up enrolling at another school.

Happily, the Class of 2019 frustrated the statistical prediction inherent in the data: the incoming freshman class is a mere 9% smaller in number than the senior class who will be graduating in May. And, equally happily, the characteristics of the incoming class are consistent with their older counterparts:

Ø  male/female ratio is 47%/53%

Ø  29/40 applicants who qualified for Regents Merit Scholarships (scoring at or above the 96^th percentile on the Entrance Exam) enrolled

Ø  29% of enrolled students received need-based financial aid (12 students on full tuition-assistance; 11 students on 50% tuition assistance; 24 students on partial tuition-assistance)

Ø  The Class of 2019 came from 50 elementary schools (the largest number of schools in ten years) with 53% coming from 10 schools (7 were private/Catholic schools)

Ø  40% of schools sending students to La Salle are Catholic

Ø  For the first time, three of the top ten “feeder” schools were public middle schools

Ø  54% of students identify as Catholic

Ø  60% of the Class of 2019 identify as other than European descent

Ø  The freshman parent pledge program was wildly successful; bringing in well over $131,000 - the second largest outcome in four out of the last five years

Ø  Equally exciting is that the average gift from parents of the Class of 2019 was just shy of $1,000 - the best performance in 9 years

These statistics boldly proclaim that La Salle is doing just fine in the often chaotic scramble parents endure in achieving their objective of finding the “right” school for their child; which causes me to revisit an interesting finding of the NACAC study. The researchers note that:

Technology also makes it easier for students to apply to multiple colleges, complicating the job of both secondary school counselors and admission officers. The ease of applying to multiple colleges creates disincentives for students to spend time evaluating the “fit” of their college options. And the increased application volume that results makes it more difficult for institutions to predict yield.

So, while the greater Pasadena area continues to experience college-like dynamics in managing their recruitment and enrollment processes and, La Salle, like its private high school counterparts, is increasingly reliant upon technology to facilitate the application process; I am pleased to report that, based on the overwhelming pleasure parents of the Class of 2019 expressed throughout registration day, our School continues to enjoy a home/school dynamic which clearly illustrates that our newest families understand why we are the right “fit” for them.

            I guess the stress of the last two weeks was worth it…

At La Salle its okay to "leap into the dark"

Henry David Thoreau captured, I think, the significance of how transitions work in our lives when he wrote in his journal:

"We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success."

Whether it’s a transition from high school to college, one job to another or one location to another, there is always an element of the unknown that shrouds the process by which we move our lives forward. And, while we are often the agents of a transition, we aren’t necessarily its manager. Old patterns of behavior become irrelevant, new people enter our lives and unfamiliar expectations emerge.  While we think we know what lies on the other side of a transition, we really don’t.  At some point in the transition process, we must, as Thoreau so adroitly notes, “leap in the dark.”

                La Salle is in the midst of “leaping in the dark” as we search for a new principal. But that transition must be placed within the context of an extraordinarily exciting and challenging year.  At the very same time that the School is looking for a new principal, we are also in the midst of pursuing public approval for our Campus Master Plan and have successfully concluded the WCEA/WASC accreditation and Strategic Planning processes. All four moments – together - represent a significant transition in the wonderful story of La Salle High School. We are faced with hiring a principal who will, more than likely, preside over a school that – for the first time in its 60 year history – has no Christian Brother present, we are also charting the course of the next ten years through the creation of a Strategic Plan and the implementation of an Educational Improvement Plan (EIP) which is validated by the WCEA/WASC accreditation process (cf. last month’s La Salle Matters in the ParentNewsletter on our website).

                These initiatives require La Salle to “walk consciously…toward our goal” of providing a diversity of opportunities both in and out of the classroom that is unparalleled among its peers (cf. Value Proposition in the Summer 2015 ParentNewsletter).  To accomplish this ambitious goal, we must put the intellectual, financial and physical resources in place which will attract college-preparatory ready, Mission-appropriate, students who represent the economic and demographic characteristics of the San Gabriel Valley. La Salle enjoys a proud history of doing exactly that; but as the “Baby Boom Bust” continues to produce fewer school-age children, we cannot assume that they will find us attractive simply because of what we have done in the past. Rather, we must provide clear evidence to teenagers (and their parents) that they can successfully pursue their passion – whatever it is – here at La Salle. La Salle is known, for example, for its robust four-year Visual and Performing Arts program which annually draws more than two hundred students who are able to, essentially, “major” in one of five artistic disciplines (including our award-winning film and digital media program). Less visible is the four-year Honors program which results in outstanding “pass rates” in over 17 Advanced Placement courses. And, as interscholastic athletics becomes increasingly more competitive in Southern California, we know that our commitment to provide the resources necessary to build a successful sports program at La Salle will produce the kind of success that gets reported in the Pasadena Star-News (cf. the terrific coverage of our Boys Basketball journey to the State Tournament).  I am fond of referring to these elements of the School’s Mission as a “three-legged stool.” The stool (La Salle) cannot remain upright without ensuring that each leg is as strong as the other ones.

                Nevertheless, it will be for the next principal to act as “conductor” of the La Salle “orchestra,” and to support the “leap into the dark of our success.”  It will be up to him – or her – to take advantage of the recommendations found in the highly salutary report of the WCEA/WASC Visiting Committee (stay tuned – next month’s ParentNewsletter will feature a precís of their report). He – or she – will need to assure current and future families entrusted to our care that their children will not only thrive but succeed at La Salle – so much so that there can be little doubt about what college they should attend after graduation. Yes, it’s a daunting challenge – one that was characterized by a member of the Search Committee as “looking for Jesus with an MBA!” That having been said, I am pleased to report that, of the nearly 30 candidates who have expressed interest in the position, eleven fit the profile of the next principal of La Salle (cf. http://www.lasallehs.org/s/639/2col.aspx?sid=639&gid=1&pgid=1600 to read the job description). Consequently, I look forward to the deliberations of the Search Committee and am confident that I will be reporting good news regarding the appointment of the next principal before the end of the school year. Because we are “walking consciously toward our goal,” I do not fear the necessary “leap into the dark of our success.” Rather, I welcome this transition to the next chapter of La Salle’s story.

Assuring quality now and in the future...

               

By the time you read this, we will have concluded our accreditation visit by WCEA/WASC (Western Catholic Educational Association/Western Association of Schools & Colleges). Some might not be aware of the fact that La Salle belongs to two accrediting associations – one is for Catholic schools (WCEA) and one is for private and public schools (WASC).  Because we are, first and foremost, a Catholic school, we care deeply about “measuring up” to the standards of WCEA; but, because we also care deeply about meeting the standards of area private schools with whom we compete for Mission-appropriate students, we belong to WASC as well.  Fortunately for us, both agencies cooperate with each other when it comes to accrediting schools like La Salle who have a foot in more than one educational world.

                As such, we want to make sure that we are authentically Catholic and authentically college-preparatory. Accreditation by WCEA and WASC assures the community we serve that we can deliver on both counts. What does that look like? As Brother Christopher explained to the students this morning, the process involved spending the last eighteen months seeking the opinions of all La Salle constituents (Employees, Parents, Students, Alums, Trustees, Regents and Community representatives) via on-line surveys and various in-person opportunities (such as Parent Association meetings, Governance meetings, Student assemblies and Alumni gatherings) to learn from the people we serve what we do well and what we can do better. These encounters produced hundreds of pages of data which we then examined and synthesized to produce a “snapshot” of what La Salle looks like right now and what it should look like in the next five to ten years.

                What is unique about the process we are experiencing now is that, over the course of roughly the same time frame we also underwent a strategic planning process which focused on six broad initiatives we believe will position La Salle for long-term success in the highly competitive educational marketplace that surrounds the City of Pasadena.  While the two processes are not necessarily in alignment – one seeks to produce a “snapshot” of the current situation; the other makes claims about what the future will look like – they happily overlapped in one particular area: the development of an educational improvement plan designed to ensure that La Salle continues to provide a quality product for the students entrusted to our care.

                To that end, four of the six strategic goals:

1.       Expand and deepen Lasallian formation programs to better articulate the School’s Catholic and Lasallian identity.

2.       Ensure the delivery of a relevant and challenging college preparatory curriculum to address the diverse learning needs of all students.

3.       Strengthen the recruitment of a diverse faculty and staff to better align with a diverse student population.

4.       Strengthen the quality of the student experience outside of the classroom in:

•     Athletics

•     Guidance & Counseling

•     Student Life

became the basis of the WCEA/WASC educational improvement plan, while the last two goals:

5.       Ensure campus facilities effectively support the implementation of the Mission

6.       Ensure sustainability of the Mission through efficient and effective leveraging of Finance, Development and Marketing functions

anchor the Master Plan that is slowly wending its way through the Pasadena city approval process.  We are proud of the synergy created by the alignment of the accreditation, strategic and master planning processes at this particular moment in the School’s history. This alignment tells us that we have “got it right” when it comes to understanding what our community expects of La Salle in terms of delivering a high-quality college preparatory education to the largest and most ethnically and economically diverse student populations in the Greater Pasadena area.

                A fundamental component of the strategic planning process and, implicit in the accreditation process, has been the promotion of this value proposition:

What distinguishes La Salle from the other college-preparatory high schools in the greater Pasadena area is the opportunity for students to nurture their individual passion in academics, the arts, athletics and/or the spiritual life. Because it is the largest private high school in Pasadena, La Salle is able to offer a diversity of opportunities both in and out of the classroom that is unparalleled among its peers.

If one views the four goals of the EIP through the lens of this value proposition, I think it becomes obvious that the “snapshot” we have provided for the WCEA/WASC Visiting Committee and the future we envision for La Salle are not only in alignment, but offer an exciting opportunity to cement our vision of being “the school of choice in the San Gabriel Valley.”

Why I (finally) agree with George Will...

I have to admit it never occurred to me that I would agree with pundit, George Will on anything; but a column he authored just before Christmas (I read him, I just don’t agree with him) caused me to take a second look.  Will’s column focused on the current hot-button issue raging across college and university campuses: whether to define (or not) the limits of free speech.

In it he applauded the leadership of Purdue University for its efforts to receive the top ranking from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) which opposes campus restrictions on speech. This is a particularly thorny issue, in part, because understandable concerns about how to handle hate speech in the Academy have evolved to include “micro-aggressions” (conversational messages that - intentionally or not - denigrate a member of a minority group) and “trigger warnings” (alerting students that an upcoming classroom discussion topic could “trigger” in them painful memories of previously experienced trauma).

In support of his frustration with this galloping trend, Will cites Emerita University of Chicago President Hanna Holburn Gray, who summarized the “Chicago Principle” (supporting free speech on campus) this way: 

"Education should not be intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think.”

 What caused me to give Will’s column a second look was his reference to an amazing turn of events that took place on Yale’s campus last Halloween.  Erika Christakis and her husband, Nicholas, are faculty members and “Masters” of one of Yale’s residential colleges. In response to some student concerns regarding a series of instructions by Yale’s Intercultural Affairs Committee encouraging students to be culturally sensitive in their selection of Halloween costumes (think Prince Harry and the swastika debacle), Christakis sent an email to her students encouraging them to question the rationale for these instructions - largely along the lines of this notion: shouldn’t college-age students be allowed to make their own mistakes? The final sentence of her email summarized her position:

“Whose business is it to control the forms of costumes of young¨ people? It’s not mine, I know that.”

That rather innocuous statement set off a fire-storm of protest by students who were outraged at Christakis’ “insensitivity” to their felt victimization at the hands of “oppressive” attitudes seemingly prevalent throughout the University

Now, if you have hung in with me this long, I want to assure you that this isn’t an academic version of “inside baseball.” What alarmed me - and what caused me to agree with George Will - was what happened next.  In an attempt to mediate the firestorm of protest, Christakis’ husband - and co-Master - Nicholas, a tenured Sociologist and Physician, voluntarily met with concerned students on a nearby quad. It should not be surprising that, given the emotionally charged atmosphere, nothing Dr. Christakis said was going to make a dent in the students’ anger (ignoring whether their anger was, in fact, righteous). What was surprising - indeed astonishing - was the debased quality of their interaction with him. (Check out this link for a brief view of the outrageous interchange: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsgc0k594Js). I will just quote a few statements made by one student - who persistently shouted at Professor Christakis throughout her interaction with him:

“Be quiet! … “Why the f… did you accept the position”… “It is not about creating an intellectual space here” … “You are disgusting.”

After which, she stormed off, leaving the professor without an opportunity to respond…a professor with quite a pedigree - here is a snippet of his Yale Curriculum Vitae:

Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, is co-author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, which has been translated into nearly twenty foreign languages. He is a sociologist and physician who conducts research in the area of biosocial science, investigating the biological predicates and consequences of social phenomena. He directs the Human Nature Lab at Yale University, where he is appointed as the Sol Goldman Family Professor of Social and Natural Science, and he is the Co-Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science.

So - here’s my issue - assuming that these students (and the one quoted here) have a righteous complaint - how did it come to pass that young people eligible to vote, intellectually gifted college students, individuals attending one of the most elite universities in the United States - found it acceptable to shout, curse and disrespect an accomplished, renowned professor who took the time to engage in a conversation about their concerns regarding an email sent by his wife? As I watched the video of this young woman shouting at Professor Christakis, I wondered what her parents’ reaction was (the video went viral, so I assume they saw it).  I know what my parents’ reaction would have been - get on the next plane home - we’re not paying tuition for you to allow people to think we didn’t raise you to speak respectfully to your elders.

            I worry about trends like this playing out at colleges and universities across the nation (University of Missouri, Wesleyan, University of Illinois, Claremont McKenna College and the University of Michigan, to name a few) which lead to shouting matches self-censorship and forced resignations - and here’s why -  because we here at La Salle devote a great deal of time and energy shaping an intellectual environment in which students not only feel safe to articulate opposing, controversial and even unpopular positions, but - as importantly - to do so with respect for those engaged in the conversation, regardless of their placement on the ideological spectrum.

            I don’t know where this trend of anger-fueled political discourse will take the Academy, but I do know this: we expect our students - and our graduates - to anchor their intellectual debates in the Lasallian values of respect for the individual and a commitment to nurturing a community atmosphere in which no one has the right to shout at another simply because they disagree.

            In support of that principle, George Will and I are on the same page.

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¨ meaning college-age