Last week I heard a hard truth about something important to me. It came from someone I respected and it was offered with both urgency and love. It struck me that this is the blessing of the prophetic voice. Every once in a while, a prophetic voice sounds on our campus. It can be difficult to hear amidst the other forms of noise. But leaders who develop an ear attuned to campus prophecy can return much needed vigor, love, and shared mission to the daily work of campus life.

The prophetic voice comes from inside and aims itself toward “we” rather than “they.” It knows the difference between what we profess and how we actually act toward each other. The words of the prophet have the ring of deep truth and insider knowledge. Those words may seem harsh at first, but they are grounded in deep love of the place and its people. Most crucially, the prophet is never in it for personal gain. She (or He or They) is not a sower of conflict, a mere whiner, or a striver after personal comfort. She calls us to look inward and to love what is greater than ourselves and our self-interest more completely. 

Prophecy might take the form of a deeply engaged faculty member calling out a culture of faculty bullying. Or it might be a trustee noting the ways the board has become disengaged. An alum might call on fellow graduates to champion the college. A student might challenge other students like himself to act in healthier ways. A trusted advisor, colleague, or a member of your team might insist you open your eyes to your own shortcomings.

It takes great courage to stand in the midst of one’s own community and challenge it to do better. Prophets need the sunlight and moral support that good leaders can bestow. They need safety and encouragement. Open your ears, lower your defenses, and pay attention to those who are calling on you and your community with both love and challenge.

Questions for reflection: Where have you heard the prophetic voice on your campus? How can you create space and support for prophetic dialogue? What actions might the prophetic voice be calling you toward?

We have released our new CIC Insights Tool, an updated and interactive successor to our traditional Financial Indicators Tool (FIT) and Key Indicators Tool (KIT). Free to CIC institutional members, this new online product lets users customize benchmarking groups, see the impact of various financial decisions in an instant, and focus the data toward meaningful insights.

Our 2026 Presidents Institute was held during the first week in January. I was delighted to see so many old friends and colleagues among the record attendees. The conversations were deep as presidents tackled the toughest issues of the moment with clear-eyed determination and a love of their mission. This generation of CIC presidents understands the challenges and are moving ahead with courage and creativity.

A Spark of Inspiration

It’s almost surreal to watch bootleg videos of the Iranian uprising next to the protest footage coming out of Minneapolis. Two different visions of civilian resistance to two very different kinds of authoritarianism. But in both situations, observers are asking the same question: “Is this the event that turns the tide?”

We’ve been here before. I remember the courage of the 2022 Iranian Women, Life, Freedom movement that erupted after Mahsa Amini’s death at the hands of the morality police. It was a potent movement and one that may have lain important ground for the current resistance, but it left the despotic government intact and in power. In the U.S., there have been many potential turning points in recent years. Yet our collective faithfulness to the significance of George Floyd’s murder has waned in the face of a resurgence of white nationalism. And even the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, failed to spark enough ongoing counter-resistance to prevent an energetic resurgence of authoritarianism.

It’s easy to think that tipping points lie in the severity or shock of some inciting occurrence—that something happens that is somehow big enough to create revolutionary activity. But that is not accurate. Alain Badiou is the philosopher who has most fully reflected on the nature of transformational events. Badiou argues that political Events—those “capital E” happenings—are made only in retrospect. Moreover, they are not formed from the magic of circumstances but through the fidelity with which we hew to them. In other words, the power of an Event comes from our willingness to be faithful stewards of its meaning and to act in its name over the long haul. Any one of a hundred occurrences might serve as the spark. It is only the ongoing insistence on an event’s meaning and the willingness to act in its name over time creates a revolutionary political Event.

One of the barriers we face today is that the diffusion of social media, and the ubiquity of happenings with which we are presented in the modern world, undermine the very habits that Events require: fidelity, persistence, and focus over time. Whatever catches our attention one week is likely to be superseded the next. Our current administration understands this and foments daily upheaval to distract us from making any of its actions an Event. Moreover, many potential resistance leaders make their living from following the hyperactive news cycle rather than from patient faithfulness. Our modern way of life makes it harder for us to turn even an outrageous or shocking event into the kind of Event that will, in retrospect, come to signify an historical turning point.

In Iran and in the United States, the question isn’t “has an action occurred that is potent enough to re-establish freedom and democratic norms?” The question is, rather, “can ordinary citizens remain faithful to the hope of a better future and act with courage over enough time that together they mold a significant Event out of the clay of an occurrence?” I am praying for that focus and courage.

The New Year

On another note, long-time readers may recall that I eschew new year’s resolutions in favor of choosing a theme that will guide my study and reflection over the year. Previous themes have included Presence (2023), Awe (2024), and Hope (2025). My theme for 2026 is Love and I aim to be guided by the words of Saint Teresa of Ávila: “Do whatever most stirs and awakens you to love.” 

Ruth

by Kate Riley



I loved this novel about the inner life of a Hutterite woman in all its beauty, curiosity, and ordinary tedium. It poses deep questions about what makes for a happy and fulfilling life. Reviewers who think this is about life in a cult or the ways religion oppresses women completely miss the point.

An Intimate Good: A Skeptical Christian Mystic in Conversation with Teresa of Ávila

by Laurel Mathewson

A book about what it means to live a life of fidelity to religious insight and commitment. Mathewson is a translator of Teresa as well as an interpreter and student.

Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential

by Muriel M. Wilkins 

Wise advice from an experienced executive coach about how to get out of your own way.

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