May 29, 2008
A crowd of more than 700 St. John’s faculty, administrators and
staff attended yesterday’s first-ever Presidential Summit hosted by
University President, Rev. Donald J.
Harrington, C.M., in collaboration with the Office of the
Provost, in spacious Carnesecca Arena.
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The event’s major topic centered on the new age of “The
Millennium Generation” (anyone born between 1980-1995). This
generation of students, “The Millennials,” is unique and has been
shaped by realities which were unimaginable a generation ago. The
Presidential Summit tackled these issues and posed several burning
questions which face higher education today.
“We stand on the verge of another great challenge,” said Rev.
Harrington, C.M. “In the past we have asked the question, ‘Whom Do
We Wish to Serve’ as part of our key planning strategy and we’ve
made great strides to address this concern. Now the question to be
asked is, ‘How Do We Wish to Serve our Students?’”
Dr. Julia A.
Upton, RSM, Ph.D., St. John’s University Provost, welcomed the
members of the University community during her opening remarks and
served as moderator throughout the event.
The day featured two keynote speakers.
Dr. Jeff Nevid, Professor, Department of Psychology, St. John’s
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Director, Clinical
Psychology Program, and Mike Hayes, Author of Googling God: The
Religious Landscape of People in their 20's and 30's.
The four-hour Presidential Summit concluded with a lively panel
discussion with the “The Millennials” themselves serving as experts
on the subject matter. Six current St. John’s students spoke
candidly about their experiences at the University and what is most
important to them. They also took questions from the audience as
the day ended on a high note with constructive dialogue and
interaction among all participants.
“This can be a transformational moment in the history of our
University and I pose to all faculty, administrators and staff that
the greatest challenge facing us right now is addressing the needs
of our students,” added Rev. Harrington, C.M. “But before we can
answer the question – we have to know who they (the students) are.
The first step begins today.”
For more information regarding the Presidential Summit contact
Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice President for Media Relations at
St. John’s University by calling (718) 990-6185 or e-mail inquiries
to sciannad@stjohns.edu.
To obtain more information on St. John’s visit the University web
site at www.stjohns.edu/news.