VILLANOVA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING © 2016 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY | PAUL CRANE | PAUL UNIVERSITY VILLANOVA © 2016 © 2016 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY | JOHN SHETRON UNIVERSITY VILLANOVA © 2016 © 2016 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY | MARK HARRISON UNIVERSITY VILLANOVA © 2016 © 2016 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY | JOHN SHETRON UNIVERSITY VILLANOVA © 2016 Teaching with Augustine: CRANE | PAUL UNIVERSITY VILLANOVA © 2016 A VITAL Conversation A publication of the © 2015 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY | PAUL CRANE | PAUL UNIVERSITY VILLANOVA © 2015 Office for Mission and Ministry and the Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning © BOWSTRING STUDIOS © BOWSTRING Teaching with Augustine: A VITAL Conversation SECTION I Mission Integration Dear faculty member: What’s Your Mission? The Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning (VITAL), in partnership with the Augustinian Institute and the Center 4 Developing a mission is both an for Faith and Learning, seeks to offer faculty diverse forums and ongoing opportunities for conversations about learning intellectual and spiritual task. and teaching at Villanova University, and in particular the University’s distinctive identity as a Catholic and Augustinian Integrating personal, professional institution. and institutional goals requires effort JOHN SHETRON UNIVERSITY| VILLANOVA © 2013 and thoughtful contemplation. Veritas, Unitas, Caritas: St. Augustine, while engaged in extensive written exchange with others on God’s relation to humankind, has formulated his Villanova’s First Principles thinking about the role of a teacher and the task of teaching. His thoughts are captured in the term “Augustinian pedagogy” The Scholarly Vocation 20 You hear the words truth, unity and love frequently at and they serve to shepherd our work as teacher-scholars at Villanova. They inform questions such as: 8 What does it mean to have a vocation Villanova. How are they important to us? in the Catholic context? How does • How does being faculty at Villanova shape how we understand our roles and responsibilities? one pursue a scholarly vocation at an Seeking and Finding Truth: • How are St. Augustine and his writings relevant to us? Augustinian university? 36 An Augustinian Model Articles from Heart • How might we incorporate principles of Augustinian pedagogy into our teaching? Augustine advises that “nothing is to of the Matter, an Augustine for Today be preferred to searching for the truth.” annual publication This resource has been designed to engage you in a personal journey of discovery—reflection on and integration of 16 Who was Augustine? Why does he How did he and his friends do it? of the Office for Villanova’s mission and Augustinian pedagogy. This journey will take you to the intersections of: remain relevant to the world? How Mission and Ministry, does his experience as a teacher apply Servant Leadership: have been selected • Villanova’s mission with your personal mission and vocation as teacher and scholar to our faculty roles at Villanova? 40 An Augustinian Tradition? and arranged for • Augustinian pedagogy with your instructional work, continuous enrichment and fulfillment St. Augustine was a selfless leader. use for Teaching COMMUNITY in the Spirit When we serve as leaders, how might with Augustine: A The journey will be in community with colleagues across colleges and disciplines, as well as with those who know and 24 of Augustine his lived experience encourage us? VITAL Conversation. embrace the wisdom of St. Augustine in their personal and professional lives. Community is a hallmark of the This professional Villanova experience. How does our SECTION III enrichment program I am especially grateful to the Office for Mission and work contribute to its vitality? Values and Virtues for faculty is jointly Ministry, which provided content for this publication sponsored by the and to the Augustinian Institute, which provided funding SECTION II How Then Shall We Live? Villanova Institute for this initiative. We hope you will find this publication Pedagogical Issues 46 The Rule of St. Augustine is as for Teaching and and the program on which it is based helpful, personally relevant for us today as when it Learning and the meaningful, and inspiring. Six Pillars of was written. Office for Mission 28 Augustinian Education and Ministry. With kind regards, What is an “Augustinian” university? Ancient Wisdom on The six values identified here help 52 Friendship contribute to a concrete understanding Augustine’s understanding of friendship Gabriele Bauer, PhD of Villanova’s commitments. was influenced by Plato and Aristotle. University Director How might these concepts inspire us? 60 Mission Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning Teaching and Learning Statement Fall, 2016 32 in the Augustinian Augustine on Forgiveness Tradition 56 and Reconciliation How might Augustine’s approach to Even in a perfect community learning and teaching guide us in our there will be disputes. Augustine’s work with our students? experience of God’s mercy led him to insist that forgiveness be mutual. THE HEART OF THE MATTER | 1 GABRIELE BAUER © 2015 © 2015 SECTION I: Mission Integration NEVER be satisfied “ with what you already are, • What’s Your Mission? if you want to be what you are not yet. Heart of the Matter, Volume 4 For where you have become with yourself, • The Scholarly Vocation pleased Heart of the Matter, Volume 3 there you will REMAIN. • Augustine for Today And if you say, Heart of the Matter, Volume 7 ‘That is enough’, • Veritas, Unitas, Caritas: Villanova’s First Principles Heart of the Matter, Volume 7 then you are finished. ALWAYS DO MORE. • COMMUNITY in the Spirit of Augustine Heart of the Matter, Volume 7 ALWAYS KEEP MOVING. ALWAYS GO FORWARD. Do not get stuck. “ Do not go back. Do not get lost. St. Augustine—Sermon 169, 18 WHAT’S omeone, sometime, when you least expect it, is going to ask you, “Why are you here?” First Syear students get asked the question during Orientation on the Freshman Survey. Sizable numbers YOUR say that they come “to get a degree” or “become financially well off.” Thinking about the WHY of being here isn’t the same as knowing WHAT you plan to do while here. Freshmen plan to “maintain a B average” and to “get involved” among other things. What MISSION about the rest of us? What motivates faculty, staff and administrators to be here? Some are attracted to our emphasis on the Liberal Arts and on undergraduate education. Others are interested in Villanova’s religious affiliation or simply like the location, size and beauty of the campus. © 2014 VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY| DAVID AARON TROY AARON DAVID UNIVERSITY| VILLANOVA © 2014 4 THE HEART OF THE MATTER | | 55 DISCOVERING ONE’S TRUE MISSION REQUIRES UNLEARNING BASIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT Regardless, the questions “why” and For Bolles, a mission requires three “accept the challenge of responsible WHAT WE VALUE AND HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES. “what” don’t quite add up to finding things of each one of us. We must: and productive citizenship, in order to or having a mission. According to build a just and peaceful world.”6 Richard Bolles, author of What Color • stand hour by hour in the conscious is Your Parachute?, a mission is a presence of God, the one from For both those who have just arrived religious concept that cannot be whom our missions are derived; and for those who have been here separated from God. A “mission is the • do what we can to make this world longer, the question might well be the continuing task or responsibility for a better place, following the same: How does one begin to find his which one is fitted or destined to do or guidance of God’s spirit, which is or her own mission AND contribute is specially called to undertake.”2 within and around each of us; and to the mission of Villanova University Bolles contends that finding one’s • exercise our greatest gifts, the ones at the same time? According to Bolles, mission is not simply an intellectual in which we find most delight, in the place to start is by “taking one task, but a spiritual one as well, that the places God has caused to appeal step at a time”—even when not yet cannot be found in days or weeks, and to us most, for the purposes that seeing where each step may lead, and involves a learning process with stages God needs most to have addressed by always choosing the step that will NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU’VE BEEN AT VILLANOVA, CONSIDER THESE and steps.3 in the world.5 “lead to more gratitude, forgiveness, SUGGESTIONS TO ADDRESS KEY ASPECTS OF FACULTY LIFE: kindness, honesty and love.”7 SET ASIDE TIME FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION AND PRAYER. First, a person must reject the notion FINDING AND St. Augustine placed great emphasis on “interiority”—“finding the truth within.” Make this a priority that one’s mission on earth involves CONTRIBUTING TO MISSION When students accept admission here, in solitude or with others. Take a meditative walk. Try centering prayer or mindfulness. Look for ways DOING things. Instead, we must look The University Mission Statement is a when faculty and staff accept offers of to nurture your spiritual life while on campus. Take care of yourself. Take time to rejuvenate, to remain to BEING someone. Next, we must good place start. Maybe you were employment at Villanova, many don’t strong and productive through the year. reject the notion that a mission is drawn to Villanova University give a lot of thought to Villanova’s unique and can be accomplished because of it. As a Catholic and religious identity. But as it turns out, REFLECT ON THE CORE VALUES OF VILLANOVA. independently from others. Instead, Augustinian institution, we seek to church-affiliated colleges and indeed, As you spend time at Villanova you’ll hear about “Truth, Unity and Love” (Veritas, Unitas, Caritas)— we must acknowledge that some parts reflect “the spirit of Augustine” in all this Catholic, Augustinian university powerful words that mean different things to different people.