Originally published in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald on November 20, 2022. At a very critical point in my life, late in my teenage years, I was fortunate to have moved in with a couple that I eventually came to know as my adoptive parents. My adoptive dad was a Presbyterian...
Originally published in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald - June 19, 2022 I am still trying to process the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Perhaps like some of you, I find myself with more questions than answers. With predictability, pundits and politicians will offer us their analysis and opinion. ...
I have had the privilege of traveling with one of our University’s International Studies classes this week. We are studying the Art and Culture of Spain. It has been a wonderful trip full of beauty and exploration so ably led by my colleagues. And, yet, nearly everywhere we go, every...
As some of you know from previous posts, I am attracted to the early 20th century Hebraic philosopher, Martin Buber. In one piece titled “My Mother,” which is taken from a collection of autobiographical fragments later titled Meetings, Buber uses the backward glance as a way to describe late-life...
I am still struggling to understand the real “why?” behind members of Congress being the first in line to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. The official response from the government is that they were complying with a National Security Council directive which gave lawmakers priority in order to ensure continuity of our...
Editor’s Note: the original version of this post was distributed to the University of Dubuque community in mid-January 2021. This version has been edited slightly for my blog. Several of you have inquired about whether I have any plans to offer remarks on the recent events in our nation’s capital...
Cancel culture is a modern from of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles online through social media, in the real world, or both. Those who are subject to this ostracism are said to be to “canceled.” It is an act of publicly shaming another...
Friday, March 13, 2020 was the day I last remember feeling normal. Along with our youngest son, my wife and I were returning home from a college visit in North Dakota. Winter was still with us in the Midwest, but hope for less snow and more warmth was in the...
I'm happy to have Michael D. Tanner on the podcast to talk about poverty, economic growth during Covid-19 and entitlement reform. Michael is a Senior Fellow at the CATO Institute, a public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Michael heads...
Published in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, July 19, 2020. As have peers in higher education leadership, my colleagues at the University of Dubuque and I have been trying to manage the safety, health, contingency planning and financial ramifications of COVID-19. We have learned a lot in five months. This virus...
