Politics
God, Man and Politics—We Can Do Better
As my readers know, the purpose of this blog is to address topics related to the subject of leadership. I’ve tried to achieve that goal through short essays, book reviews, editorials, and general observations about our culture. I’ve also tried to stay away from direct political commentary. There’s already enough...
Iowa’s Failure To Address Mental Health
This post, titled; "Iowa's failure to address mental health affects more than jails", was published on September 19th in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Erin Murphy’s recent story (“Iowa sheriffs at the front lines of mental health crisis”) does an excellent job of defining part of the tragic shortcomings of...
Breaking the Silence of the Night
On April 4, 1967—forty-nine years ago—Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed an audience at the Riverside Church in New York City. The title of the address was “Beyond Vietnam” which can be found in a collection of King’s speeches entitled A Call to Conscience edited by Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard....
Accountability
ac-count-a-ble (1) required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible: government must be accountable to its citizens. See note at re-sponsible. ac-count-a-bil-i-ty/n. It is impossible to lead other people without internalizing the virtue of accountability. Of...
Authenticity
Those of you who read this blog but aren’t from Iowa may not realize that we have been in a Presidential election cycle for nearly a year. Because Iowa is the first state in the nation to hold a Presidential primary—what we know as a caucus—we have been inundated with...
The Etiquette of Democracy
Published in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald on May 17th, 2015. Expanded thoughts introduced within blog version. “Democracy can be seen not only as a type of government but as a system of manners, a form of social life.” Andrew St. George Like many people, I am troubled by the events of...
Looking Forward: Leading Beyond Your Lifetime
I recently travelled to Italy with two professors and twenty-four undergraduate students. We visited art museums, learned about Renaissance and Roman architecture in Venice, Florence, and Rome, and ate some amazing food. This was my first trip to Italy. I hope that it’s not my last. I learned a lot...
Civil Disobedience
Some rules are made to be broken—or at least tested. During the last 200 yards of a state cross-country meet, a first year student from my hometown high school stumbled, apparently due to complete exhaustion. It didn’t look like she could finish the race as her arms and legs wouldn’t...
A Cost-Effective Proposal to Improve Public Education in Iowa
Published in TH Media, Telegraph Herald - Dubuque, IA - 10/19/14 Readers who listen to Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion will recognize the close to his weekly monologue: “Well, that’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children...
Stand Up Against Violence
“Stand Up Against Violence” is a service video created by the University of Dubuque as part of our new student orientation program. We live in an increasingly violent culture and world, and college campuses are no exception. This video reminds our campus community that, together, we’re about helping our students...
