The fourth annual International Symposium on Lasallian Research was held September 27-29 at the Minneapolis campus of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
One hundred twenty five presenters and participants gathered for the event, jointly sponsored by the University’s Institute for Lasallian Studies and Christian Brothers Conference. Attendees were members of the International
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From left, Brother Cristhian Diaz Meza, FSC, from the District of Bogota, Brother Peter Killeen, FSC, from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and Brother Cledes Casagrande, FSC, from the District of Brazil-Chile. Courtesy District of San Francisco New Orleans Communications
Association of Lasallian Universities (IALU), as well as various Lasallian educators and District administrators from the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN).
The symposium opened with a welcome from Saint Mary’s President Brother William Mann, FSC. In his welcome, Brother William stressed its importance to the vitality and mission relevance of Lasallian higher education, thanking his audience for “being part of this international cultivation of Lasallian talent.”
Continuing this theme in his keynote address, Superior General Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, began by tracing the history of the Lasallian research movement. He then outlined a vision for Lasallian research for the 21st century, offering, “Rapid demographic changes, the diverse world of the Institute today and the global transition to post modernity command our attention to research the horizons rushing at us. I suggest two areas for our current research focus: the contemporary Lasallian mission in response to today’s urgent education needs and research that promotes advocacy for those entrusted to our care.”
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Dr. Hashem Shahin, Ph.D., associate professor of human genetics at Bethlehem University, presents on September 28. Courtesy District of San Francisco New Orleans Communications
The agenda for the two-day gathering reflected this broad and inclusive focus. Plenary and breakout sessions covered the areas of educational innovation, environment and sustainability, health and nutrition, and Lasallian studies. Subjects ranged from human genetics research on incidence of cleft palate among the poor in the Middle East to the experience of Brothers living in the Generalate in Rome during World War II. Also featured was a panel presentation by representatives of RELAN’s Lasallian colleges and universities on their efforts in serving the underserved.
The symposium was launched in 2012 with the goals of exploring and advancing the field of Lasallian research throughout the global Lasallian network. Since then, the event has developed substantially, both in size and in content. Commenting on its progress, Institute for Lasallian Studies Director Dr. Roxanne Eubank said, “What pleases me most is the growing quality of the research and the presentations, and also the growing participation of university students in the research and in the symposium.”
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Symposium participants, from left, Roxanne Eubank, Alisa Macksey, Brother William Mann, FSC, all from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Marianne Gauss from La Salle University, Philadelphia. Courtesy District of San Francisco New Orleans Communications
In his address, Brother Robert quoted author Anthony Gittins’ words, “To move from the center to the edge … is to contribute to a rearranging of the world and a restructuring of relationships. In this world the first becomes the last, the master becomes the servant, and the teacher becomes the learner. And in that moment, that movement, the person who was overlooked and disenfranchised is raised up and dignified and the realm of God breaks through.”
Brother Robert then added, “This is where our research and our advocacy encounter one another. And in that encounter, we take responsibility for our common home.”
The fifth annual International Symposium on Lasallian Research is scheduled for September 25-27, 2016, at the Minneapolis campus of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Read Brother Robert’s full address here >
Submitted by Bob Carrejo, director of communications for the District of San Francisco New Orleans[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]