Directors Corner

Play your drum! by Dr. Kevin Dean

Most people have a favorite holiday song. Whether the music comes from a crooner like Johnny Mathas, a cartoon favorite like Charlie Brown’s Christmas, a choir like the Vienna Boys, or the A Cappella sensation Pentatonix, certain genres prove endearing and timeless to different people. My personal favorite was released in 1977, I know……….making it about 25 years before most of the entering class of 2020 was born!

Pairing a 73-year-old radio star turned holiday legend with a 30 year old British rocker, who reportedly only agreed to the project to please his mother, this holiday offering defied all generic classifications. The very idea of a collaboration between Bing Crosby, known for White Christmas with David Bowie, hitting the charts with Rebel Rebel, seemed to many a bizarre mismatch. Indeed, in a 2014 interview with the Associated Press, Cosby’s daughter Mary recalled, “The doors opened and David walked in with his wife, both wearing full-length mink coats, matched in full makeup and their hair dyed bright red. We were thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ ” Mary Crosby went on to share that the initial moments were indeed tense but then Bowie sat at the piano and the senior Crosby began to sing. It was then, Mary shared that “Dad realized David was this amazing musician, and David realized Dad was an amazing musician. You could see them both collectively relax and then magic was made.”

The magic she spoke of was an original collaboration which paired The Little Drummer Boy, a traditional Czech folk song arranged by music composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, and first recorded by the Austrian Trapp Family Singers (as in the Sound of Music) in 1951, with a counter melody Peace on Earth. The collaboration, Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy was to air on national television as part of Cosby’s annual holiday special. Cosby and Bowie recorded in London in September 1977, just weeks before an ailing Cosby died of a massive heart attack. The Cosby family actively supported CBS in airing their patriarch’s holiday special as a posthumous tribute. RCA would release the song as a single in 1982, topping at number 3 in Great Britain where Bowie still retained a vibrant career.

If you do not have familiarity with this work I include the iTunes link, and even if you have heard it, it is well worth a second listen

The message of this song, and the collaborative force that gave it life, hold great lessons for our honors community. First, the lyrics tell of a child’s deep yearning to make a difference, to give something of personal not for self-benefit and gratification but for the good of another. Interwoven with this young person’s passion to serve we hear a meditation for peace on earth and the wonderment of its potentiality.

We in honors at WCU are also called to make a difference, in the face of wondering if what we do amounts to any value.

The Little Drummer reminds us that the simplest of acts…for instance, passing along a drop for someone’s bucket …can indeed generate a “smile at you” from others.

Our Community Service Chair, Carlyn Crisi, will announce at the final Honors Student Association of the term, the number of service hours students have clocked since the start of classes. In spite of COVID, in spite of real questions of what we can give or do that will make a difference, so many have stepped forward---mask in place---and did what they could. Presence matters, show up, be seen, use the gifts you have, play your drum if that is what you do and play it the best you can.

Crosby and Bowie’s message for us is not just about service but service for a purpose, service towards attaining peace and collaboration. I am also deeply proud of the students who actively devoted hours this semester to study and celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize. I can think of fewer institutions on earth more dedicated towards Peace on Earth than the Norwegian Nobel Institute. What an honor to associate with their efforts. What an additional honor, on November 21, to share with Dr. Henrik Syse, Vice Chair of the Nobel Peace Committee, our students’ choice of the World Health Organization as this year’s nominee for the forthcoming prize awarded in 2021.

Beyond lessons from the lyrics comes a lesson of collaboration. In both HON 352 and HON 110 students read and study strategies for conflict resolution. All research points to an undeniable outcome: where possible, seek opportunities to collaborate. Collaboration means partnerships, relationships, engaging with others and realizing that the Lone Ranger model of leadership is not the best to embrace.

We need each other. We grow from the gifts of each other.

Crosby and Bowie provide us a shining example of how two unlikely artists contributed their unique and distinctive talents to create a beautiful and inspiring outcome. Their collaborative achievement demonstrates the power of embracing diversity, seeking interdisciplinary approaches, and taking a risk to try a new approach.

My deepest wish for each of you this season is that you embrace and celebrate your “gift to drum”. May you never doubt the amazing abilities you have to offer and that through collaboration with others you will touch lives. Thanks for sharing your gifts with this community. Happy Holidays!

Letter from the Editor

By Jodi Lamborn

Happy Holidays everybody! I hope that everyone was able to have a wonderful holiday regardless of the newer new in which we find ourselves. As the end of the year approaches us quickly, I wanted to write to reflect on the events of this year, and how we can find some good in the midst of all the darkness we’ve encountered. Let us not forget:

1. Quarantine has benefited the environment in many ways.

• The ozone layer has almost completely repaired itself.
• Endangered species have had the opportunity to repopulate.
• Various waterways have cleared.
• Air quality has increased.

In a way, we have seen life return to Earth in a way which we have never seen it before

2. We have seen more notable figures donate to charitable organizations.

• Jeff Bezos has recently donated $800 million to organizations fighting climate change (CNN).
• Celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, John Legend and Chrissy Tiegen have all donated to organizations supporting Black Lives Matter (Fox News).
• Justin Timberlake purchased a new wheelchair and a $35,000 van this month for 17-year-old Jake Sitt who lives with cerebral palsy (US Magazine).

3. Advances in medicine have made history.

• Not one, not two, but three frontrunner vaccines have been developed over the course of ten months and prove to be over 70% effective, putting the U.S. in a hopeful position (CNN).
• A record number of women will serve next in Congress (CNN).

The list could go on. The holidays are meant for realizing and paying homage to those things that we are thankful for, and although this year has been difficult for everybody, hardship also brings about necessary change. I hope you all have a successful finish to the semester, and Happy Holidays!!

Sincerely,

Omicron Delta Kappa Class of 2020

By Michael Nangle

Founded in 1914, at the University of Washington and Lee, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) – the junior/senior honorary celebrating scholarship leadership and service -- is West Chester University’s most prestigious honor society. The WCU Circle of ODK, chartered in 2000, recognizes students with a minimum 3.75 grade point average who excel in leadership across student academic organizations & research, athletics, speech & journalism, the fine and performing arts and community service, religious organizations, social organizations & campus governance. ODK inductions are held each fall by mid-November. Thirteen students, ten seniors and three juniors, comprised the class of 2020. We congratulate all those inducted, including the following students in the Honors College.

Joseph W. Bevilacqua

Julia Edwards

Mark Gutierrez

Jessica A. Hazell

Alec M. Laboski

Carly N. Lare

Alexandra “Alex” Moore

Jessica E. Mondelli

Jacqueline Sherman

Also inducted in the November 1st ceremony, as an honorary member, was Matthew “Matt” J. Leinhauser, HC XVI - 2019 and current Doctoral Candidate in Computer Science at the University of Delaware. Matt achieved this recognition for his lasting and sustained contributions to WCU, specifically: 1) working with Dr. Rich Burns, department chair of Computer Science, in creating and piloting HON 122 - Computer Science for Social Justice which achieved permanent placement in the university’s catalogue and listings as an approved distributive science course; 2) researching and filing a successful charter application to establish a chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE), the International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines; 3) demonstrating unprecedented and sustained leadership in establishing, maintaining and expanding WCU’s relationship with the Norwegian Nobel Institute (NNI) and Nobel Peace Committee (NPC), particularly through the annual Nobel Leadership Series, a joint effort between the Honors College and the Division of Student Affairs.

This year’s ODK officers include: Carrie N. Smith - BS Nursing with minors in Biology and American Sign Language - President; Michael Nangle - BSEd English with minors in Civic & Professional Leadership and Communication Studies - Vice President; and Kristen Loughlin - BSEd double major - Early Grades Preparation and Special Education with a minor in in Music Performance - Secretary/Treasurer. In addition to the three officers, the ceremony was run in part by the circle's associate advisor, Becca Shoemaker - HC XI - 2021 MA candidate - Communication Sciences and Disorders and Michelle Wills, Honors College Administrative Assistant. Outside of inducting new members each fall, the ODK executive board assumes the lead in the circle’s signature service project, the spring Outstanding Academic Advisor Celebration.

We asked Dr. Kevin W. Dean, founding and current faculty advisor, to share his thoughts on his 20 year involvement with the circle. He shared,

"Along with Mortar Board and Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa remains one of the nation’s most celebrated and recognized academic based honor societies. West Chester University gains national recognition in housing a circle and students benefit as employers and professional schools recognize the sustained academic work and dedication to leadership and service students must demonstrate to earn membership through a highly selective process. Gratitude goes to honors and chemistry/biology pre-med major, Dr. Mark Eid (2001), for providing the student leadership required to earn WCU its ODK charter.

I am quite blessed to work with such highly motivated and thoughtful student servant leaders; they provide renewed reminders that our collective futures remain bright.”

Once again, congratulations to all new inductees and welcome to our circle!

Honors Success Announcement

This month I attended the International Leadership Association’s virtual conference. Representing more than 60 countries, the ILA is committed to advancing leadership knowledge and practice by creating a trusted space for leadership learning across boundaries and providing a trusted source of leadership resources.

I am proud to say that this year I had the opportunity to work with the ILA to send two student volunteers from WCU to the conference. Jordan Avallone and Ronan McDermott represented WCU by serving as international student leadership volunteers, going through volunteer training with ILA staff and committing hours of their time to serving as virtual hosts at conference presentations from scholars around the world. Here’s what they had to say about the experience: