In
recognition of his 26 years of superb leadership and guidance, the institute,
on May 6, at one of our celebrations on campus, honored President Davis
with a “blazing“ eagle statue. This statue is a symbolic figure signifying
courage, strength, gracefulness, and keenness of vision. Following the surprise
gift, Dr. Davis, in thanking the institute, spoke eloquently about this
honor and how proud he has been to serve Shenandoah University. Representing
the faculty, Dr. Travis Sample spoke of Dr. Davis manifesting true servant
leadership. Servant leadership that is self-affirming, essentially a true
natural law; and, if truly understood in all of its power, would be universally
accepted. How does one give air, life and creative power to the human spirit
that produces value in individual lives and certainly in organizations?
While it is possible to buy someone’s hand and back, you cannot buy their
heart. Dr. Davis’ belief in his vision of the institution, and commitment
to living a life of servant leader, has been the deciding point, the center
of gravity, in achieving our enduring success. Servant leaders believe in
basic human goodness and have both a visionary and implementation role while
creating and nurturing processes within organizations that depend on human
innovation and capacity for growth; intellectual, emotional as well as spiritual
growth. I remain persuaded that it’s really the wisdom of ages; what do
we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others remains and is immortal.
Like the lyrics of the Bette Midler song “Wind Beneath My Wings,” no one
can predict what heights you can soar; even you will not know until you
spread your wings. Dr. Davis, you are the gold standard, you were that wind...
beneath our wings and you will be missed.
Shenandoah University is pleased to have three faculty, staff and institute board members who are Peace Corps veterans. The following are their thoughts on what that service, that experience, meant to them.
Robert Kott, vice chairman, executive committee, board of directors, Institute for Govt. and Public Service
I entered the Peace Corps in the “dark ages” of the 1960s when the world was very different …not less dangerous but certainly less complex and interdependent. I was motivated by a certain altruism based on the stirring oratory of a young President who challenged Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy had the oratorical skills to motivate and inspire and many of my generation heeded the call to service. My experience, living and serving in India, was enlightening, maturing and, indeed, life-changing. That experience gave me direction, purpose and a new outlook on the world that led to a terrific professional career in the U.S. Foreign Service where I served as an American diplomat for nearly 30 years. I urge all to give of yourself; consider joining the Peace Corps and contribute to the ideals of this great nation. Do something truly worthwhile for so many others less fortunate than you. Think about it.
Dr. Richard Haag, dept. chair and professor of psychology, Shenandoah University
My first real exposure to the power and importance of serving others came from my doctoral studies in psychological assessment at the University of Hawaii in the mid-60s. This led to my working as a contract training psychologist for programs in the Philippines and South Korea. The more exposure I got during this time in my life to what the Peace Corps was doing overseas, the more fascinated I became with the challenges of overseas development work. I increasingly became interested in thePeace Corps because it seemed such a positive alternative to all the world turmoil going on in the turbulent 60s. I chose to enter the Peace Corps in 1967, serving as a contract trainee assessment officer for Peace Corps training programs and serving as a staff officer in Hawaii, the Philippines and South Korea as well as in Fiji (as a program and training officer and Afghanistan as a country director). To say the least, those years were incomparable crosscultural experiences. My later staff years were spent assigned and serving at the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., involved as a technical specialist in program planning assessment and overseas program evaluation. I will never be able to repay the American taxpayers for all the precious Peace Corps memories and lessons they afforded my family and me. And because of this terrific series of experiences, I always try, in whatever ways I can, to share some of my 26 years in the Peace Corps with my students at Shenandoah, including last semester, presenting my new course in cross-cultural psychology.
Bethany Galipeau, International Admissions Counselor, Shenandoah University
In this age of increasing mobility and globalization, the ability to more smoothly between cultures and to build bridges of understanding between people is needed now more than ever. I had always intended to live and work abroad, and as I came to the end of my undergraduate studies in finance, I began to consider volunteering in the Peace Corps. I felt that the experience I could gain as a Peace Corps volunteer would provide me with training (both linguistic and cultural) and a support structure that would make it possible to live in a part of the world that I might never otherwise consider. In August 2003, I arrived in Mali, West Africa and was trained to work as a small enterprise development advisor. I was assigned to serve as an advisor to the Malian Bureau of Tourism and the National Center for Handcraft Promotion in the capital city of Bamako. I worked daily with government officials of all levels(and even met the current President of Mali, which was neat) but also spent time with small business owners and artisans trying to get a feel for the business needs. Using basic spreadsheets and how to decide upon a competitive selling price for manufactured goods, my colleagues and I built a small business technology center where artisans could learn basic computer skills and use the Internet to do market research and communicate with potential buyers. Entering the Peace Corps where I thought I had something to give, I found that I had much more to learn from my African counterparts than I might have imagined. The importance of building relationships rather than quickly sealing a deal, the value of taking time to listen to others, and the responsibility of a community to support all of its members, not just the productive ones, are only a few lessons that I have carried with me. I remain hopeful that more Americans from all walks of life take advantage of this amazing opportunity to change their world and to be changed by the world.