Overview
In my view, there is a certain reciprocity in the educational space. Teachers bring their expertise to the context, imparting their knowledge, spirit, curiosity and love of learning. Students arrive in the same space eager to learn and grow from a range of experiences designed to promote their intellectual and personal growth. In this dynamic process, the student’s development propels the learning environment forward as students generate new ideas, new perspectives and new challenges that are uplifting not only for themselves and their fellow students, but may be inspiring and edifying for their teachers as well. The secret is that we teach to learn and what we learn we teach. So, in the educational space, then, all are learners and all are teachers.
Students and faculty are drawn to Adler University’s devotion to social responsibility. My approach to the social justice emphasis of the university is that I begin with human rights. Regardless of the individual social justice issue under consideration, I view human rights as fundamental, underpinning the range of social justice concerns. These rights are universal, indivisible and inalienable. They provide the foundation for our aspirations to create a world characterized by justice, equality and human dignity for all persons and all peoples. If we work toward the realization of respect for these rights, we will be contributing to a more socially just world, uplifting all of humanity, locally, national and globally.