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| Newsletter | October 2020
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From the Founding Director
Dear Friends of the Inspired Leadership Initiative,
I think for many of us the transition to fall has really brought home the duration of this pandemic and its impact on our lives. Summers seem, in many respects, to have their own characters, but autumn has some threads which have historically been a constant. These include returning to school, sporting events, reunions, and other social events that are either nonexistent this year or quite different than in the past.
One of these transitions for us who have the privilege of leading the Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI) would have been welcoming our third cohort to campus in August. As we noted in our last Insights, we decided early in the summer to postpone commencing the program until at least the beginning of the spring semester, and we wanted to let you all know that we have now decided to plan to start in the fall of 2021.
Our two driving considerations were the ability to provide a safe and healthy environment for our fellows and being able to have a program that brings the richness and value to our cohort that was experienced by our first and second cohorts. There are many other important, but secondary, considerations such as housing, travel, staffing, and faculty availability, but we felt if the two driving considerations were satisfied we could make the others work.
With respect to the first consideration, a safe and healthy environment, there is and will be uncertainty as to the ability to provide this based upon factors that are evolving such as the availability of a safe, reliable vaccine and broad access to rapid testing to ensure that there is a very limited presence of infection on campus. It is impossible for us to know where this will be in early 2021, as we all know this has persisted for far longer than we initially anticipated.
With respect to ensuring that the program we offer includes all of its integrated, generative, and important elements, we considered these factors:
- The ability to attend classes in one's area of interest with undergraduate and graduate students
- Engagement with speakers, forums, and conferences on campus
- International immersion experiences
- Intergenerational engagement
- Gatherings which span from social to highly intentional
- Our core course offerings throughout the year
After much discussion with faculty and university leadership, witnessing the reconfigured campus, seeing the changed academic calendar, and assessing each element, we have come to the conclusion that we would not be able to offer an experience that represents what our fellows are and should be seeking.
We hope and expect that most of those who had accepted admission into the third cohort will join us next August. I also wanted to let you know that we have a number of additional spots available and welcome you to explore further at ili.nd.edu if you are interested.
In the meantime, we are pleased to report that our new digital series featuring discussions with leaders from across disciplines and industries is off to a wonderful start and is now the most subscribed program on ThinkND, Notre Dame's online learning portal. Our speakers are sharing stories, perspectives, and lessons learned from their own experiences as leaders, both within their organizations and in their communities. while exploring the concepts of human-centered leadership—mission, empathy, courage, and adaptability. We still have a number of sessions coming up, and the past sessions can also be accessed on our website.
The "Inspiring Conversations" series captures the ethos of the ILI program nicely, as do the articles in today's issue. We have two profiles, Walter Piacsek, an ILI alum, and Martha White, the spouse of an alum, which will provide two very different perspectives on what this program has to offer. We also highlight a great example of how our fellows band together to be a force for good in the article on human trafficking (Imago Dei).
We are truly blessed to be able to focus on the opportunities that changed circumstances provide, and believe that what we are learning through this period will only enrich the ILI and those who we are fortunate to have engaged with us.
With Best Regards,
Tom
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It’s your chance to take an Inspired Leadership Initiative mini-course free of charge and from the comfort of your couch: introducing “Inspiring Conversations,” a new digital series featuring galvanizing leaders from across many disciplines and industries. “Inspiring Conversations” is co-hosted by the University’s Colleges and will address a different theme each semester. This fall, the theme is “Leading people in an ever-changing world.”
Each guest speaker will share stories, perspectives, and lessons learned from their own experiences as leaders – both within their organizations and communities. Participants will explore the concepts of human-centered leadership – mission, empathy, courage, and adaptability. Participants will walk away enriched and inspired to take action.
The series is open to all and offered exclusively through ThinkND, Notre Dame’s open online learning community.
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Experience previously recorded presentations from earlier this fall. Visit our website to learn more. Below is an example of one of the presentations.
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ILI ALUMNIA FORCE FOR GOODImago Dei
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While it’s certainly true that dozens of Inspired Leadership (ILI) fellows have successfully completed the program, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the work they begin at Notre Dame—on themselves and on the world—will never see a finish line.
One such example is the Imago Dei initiative. It’s a passion project begun by five 2019-20 fellows: Vickie Seeger, Bill Miller, Karen Cunningham, Bill Schenher, and Phil White. These are the core members, but as it is with most undertakings of this cohort, it’s an “all-in,” and they regularly share updates and progress so that the rest of the cohort can get involved from time to time.
The effort began through a series of discussions—the group sought to deepen their connection to Notre Dame by more officially joining the “Force for Good.” After research and reflection, they were compelled to take up the fight against human trafficking.
They chose to christen their effort “Imago Dei,” which means “image of God.” Read More.
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ILI ALUMNUSWalter Piacsek
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It’s the frustrated cry of anyone looking for a first job: “I keep striking out because all the employers are seeking candidates with experience. So how is one supposed to get any experience?”
Walter Piacsek is working to help these young people and help service organizations at the same time.
“My initial idea for those students was a nonprofit job marketplace—a match.com, if you will, between students who have a skill and interest, and nonprofits that need that support,” he explains. “Not for volunteer service hours at the soup kitchen, which is also very important but there are already many opportunities for students to do that, but for something related to their field of work, field of study, their future career. It would give them the experience they need, and they would also see themselves as agents of social impact.” Read More
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Outside of her time in college, Martha White had lived in the same home in Summit, New Jersey, for her entire life—until last year.
That’s when she and her husband, Phil, moved to South Bend to embark on a new adventure together: Phil had been admitted to the Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI) at the University of Notre Dame.
“He said, ‘Are you going to go for a year and do this with me?’ ” she recalls, “I thought it would be exciting. So we came to the March meeting and fell in love.” Read More
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Nominate an accomplished leader with the potential to become an ILI Fellow for a future cohort.
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