My husband Larry and I spent the fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia. It was a relief to not be in DC where we continue to be subject to a visible National Guard presence, the cheapening of our beautiful city and national landmarks, and the co-option of shared traditions for partisan purposes. In Philadelphia, we saw friends, art, and the World Cup celebrations. We felt the spirit of what America could and should be. We needed that. We returned home refreshed and still resolved. 

It’s important to spend time tasting the fruits of freedom. In my tradition, the Rabbis tell us that it wasn’t Jews that kept Shabbat, it was Shabbat that kept the Jews. In other words, it was the weekly experience of freedom—of living as if we were already in the world yet to come that made oppression bearable and hope available. 

Our dear friend, the Dutch leadership coach George Parker, talks often about how important it is to create the “survival version” of your deepest wishes. You may not be able to take that beach vacation this year, but you can almost always find a way to feel the sun on your face and enjoy a relaxing hour of reading next to your sweetie while sipping a piña colada. You might not be able to create a just world this minute, but you can live in the spirit of kindness to the stranger today. 

As leaders, we owe it to ourselves and the institutions we lead to make sure that we dwell periodically within the world we are trying to create. It makes our vision of the future more authentic, and it fills us up so we can bring it into our work. 

Questions for reflection: Where might you create the survival version of something you long for? What opportunities can your campus offer for people to experience the environment as if it were perfected? Where can you make a portion of your vision of the future a reality today? 

I celebrated my five-year CIC anniversary and was delighted to receive these beautiful flowers from the CIC staff. I am honored to work with this great team on behalf of our wonderful institutions and the more than two million students they serve each year. 

Summer is a time for faculty development programs. We held our annual seminar on Teaching Interfaith Understanding for a stellar group of CIC faulty. I am grateful to Eboo Patel and Laurie Patton for their exemplary leadership. In mid-June we gathered at CIC member Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee for a workshop on the histories and legacies of American slavery, bringing together faculty and staff from a dozen CIC members institutions along with their community partners. And before the month ends, we will host our inaugural in-person gathering of the Faculty Leadership Academy. 

The AI conversation seems draining at times, which is one reason I am proud that CIC has streamlined the essentials for our members. Our ongoing AI Ready network has added Leading the AI Charge, a new community just for those executive leaders who are responsible for driving AI change on campus. This program covers the real complexities of institutional change: governance, community trust, board conversations, and culture shifts.  

A Spark of Inspiration

I was laid low this week by a summer virus. Other than a few feverish days in bed, it meant missing our planned trip to Chicago to my family and go to see Rush in concert. A disappointment. Between that and a few other setbacks, It feels like a good time to count my blessings. 

Here are a few small things I am taking pleasure in this month: sleeveless Oxford blouses from The Shirt, which manage to stay cool and professional while being machine washable and having hidden buttons to prevent gaps; the French magic of Le Balm from Bonjout Beauty, which replaces about ten other face care products and is leaving my skin summer-ready every day; the bright yellow and white striped towels I take out to my balcony for fifteen minutes of sunbathing, skipping professional manicures and going for “soap nails,” which are both trendy and easy; iced earl gray tea; playing with Japanese water color paints, which are both intensely pigmented and flowing. 

And a few even deeper pleasures: the life-giving ways DC residents are resisting authoritarianism by engaging in everything from legal challenges, to ongoing protests, to visible support for immigrants, the U.S. Constitution, and the free press; the heart-stopping joy of recently seeing James McNeill Whistler’s small Nocturne: Gray and Silver at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; my daughter-in-law’s luscious summer flower garden and her artful arrangements.

I hope that you are also finding joys big and small this summer. 

Sex, G-d, and Rock ‘n’ Roll: Catastrophes, Epiphanies, and Sacred Anarchies by Barry Taylor



Barry Taylor writes frankly and with great beauty. His extraordinary journey from British rock roadie and musician (he toured the world with AC/DC) to a doctorate in theology and an acclaimed teaching, preaching, and writing career. The short essays offer deep wisdom for all who seek, find, and doubt. 

The Odyssey by Homer (translation by Emily Wilson) 

I am getting ready for the film by re-reading it for the first time since high school. The very readable Emily Wilson translation (the first by a woman) is a revelation. She captures the timelessness of myth, making a book that feels both modern and grounded in antiquity. If you read a few pages out loud you will find the cadence of the poetry.  

After the University: Higher Education and the Future of Work by Chad Wellmon 

German historian Chad Wellmon argues that the modern elite research university has lost its way by prioritizing external goods such as credentials, wealth, and customer service over the internal scholarly good of what he calls ‘disciplined study.” Longing for a more authentic classroom experience, he finds it in an adult ed course where the students arrive by choice and eager to learn.  

The HBCU Sisterhood: Testimonies of Triumph and Transformation, edited by Roslyn Clark Artis and Allia L. Carter  

Black women presidents at HBCUs offer frank, inspiring, and personal narratives that reveal key lessons for all leaders. The book also includes a workbook to help readers reflect and put the insights into practice. Congratulations to the authors and editors of this important contribution. 

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