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Courtesy Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
More than 120 Lasallians from around the world gathered for the third annual Symposium on Lasallian Research on the Minneapolis campus of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota September 28-30.
Participants came from the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, France, Spain, Andorra and New Zealand. While most of the participants represented colleges and universities, others came from District and Regional offices, secondary schools, middle schools, ministries providing youth and family services, Lasallian Volunteers, Brothers’ communities and the Generalate in Rome.
Brother William Mann, FSC, president of Saint Mary’s University, invited participants to forge research partnerships so the work of the symposium would continue well beyond its conclusion.
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Dr. Rebecca Proehl
In her Sunday evening keynote, “The Transformative Nature of Lasallian Research,” Dr. Rebecca Proehl from Saint Mary’s College of California shared recent research she led regarding the Catalyst Schools in Chicago. The research sought to identify the challenges faced and lessons learned when transferring the Lasallian charism into public schools. Among other conclusions, Dr. Proehl noted the ongoing challenge for Catalyst Schools to find ways to nurture the spiritual development of their students in a public school setting.
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Dr. Thomas Clasen, Courtesy Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
On Monday morning, Dr. Thomas Clasen, a graduate of Saint Mary’s University and a professor of environmental health at Emory University as well as a reader in water, sanitation and health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, addressed the role of Lasallian universities in the global water and sanitation challenge. In addition to reporting on research, Dr. Clasen discussed how this type of research is important to the Lasallian mission.
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Panelists Chris Fay, Phil Pusateri, Jolleen Wagner and Bill Wolff, led by Dr. Sue Hines
The symposium also included a panel of Lasallians representing secondary schools, Miguel schools, Lasallian Volunteers, Young Lasallians, and youth and family services. Panelists offered ideas of research needed to enhance the mission, including fund development and communications strategies; effectiveness of particular programs on student/client success; the role of technology in providing a quality Lasallian education; and sustainable funding models for schools.
Participants also attended numerous breakout sessions and enjoyed informal networking opportunities and round-table discussions. Those discussions included topics such as community-based curriculum, teacher formation, and water crises.
The number of participants and presenters at the Lasallian Research Symposium has grown with each year, starting with 43 Lasallians in 2012. Dates for the next symposium are September 27-29, 2015.
Read about the 2013 symposium >
Read about the 2012 symposium >
By Greg Kopra, Director of Formation for Mission for the District of San Francisco New Orleans. Chris Fay, principal of Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this story.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]