Why We Do What We Do. And Why It Matters.

At Fall Convocation, Religious Studies Professor Ian Bell spoke to a standing-room only crowd in St. Dominic Chapel. Convocation is the official kick-off of each new academic year and the speech by each year’s Eileen Rice Teaching Award winner is always a highlight.

In an address titled “Why We Do the Things We Do,” Professor Bell talked about why he is so deeply committed to Siena Heights—and what makes this place so special.

It all comes down to mission and identity.

Siena Heights is a Catholic university where “faith and reason walk hand in hand,” he said: Unlike many colleges, where education is considered strictly intellectual, Siena Heights actively encourages students “to ask questions about faith and religion,” without judging or forcing the answers. “The encounter with one’s faith—be it Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim or other—is not only tolerated but encouraged.”

We want you to become more competent, purposeful and ethical, Dr. Bell told the students; and to do so in an environment that respects the dignity of all. Why? Because “we desire good things for you”—a good life and the kind of success that is defined not by wealth or possessions but by whether the human community is “better off because of the choices you make and the actions you take.”

He ended with a plea: “Take your identity and mission seriously. Embrace questions of meaning. Explore the arts. Examine the workings of the world. Become a better thinker. If  you do this, you will be able to define yourself not in terms of what you do, but in terms of who you are.” And, he added, “You will know why you do the things you do.”

After Convocation, I found myself asking: Why do I do what I do? Why, like Dr. Bell, do I consider Siena such a special place?

Answers came easily: Where else could I catch a lecture over lunch that linked the 18th century Federalist debates with today’s presidential politics? Where else could I stop, on an errand, and spend 10 minutes spellbound by an art piece exploring history and women’s hair? Where else could I slip into a poetry reading, stand in awe of young athletes propelling themselves over a high bar, and hear “The Great Gates of Kiev” on the piano as I left work—all in one day?

Siena is special to me because I can be a lifelong learner just by going to work. And because I can see—in the lives of our alumni—the difference that Siena Heights makes.

One recent example: When the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation presented awards this fall, all three recipients of the Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award were Siena Heights graduates: Cammy DiPietro ‘87, Dawn Huggins ‘93 and Ryan Bills ’02. And another alum, Linda Hooker ’72, was named Michigan Art Education Association High School Art Teacher of the Year. All four alumni were lauded for innovation in the classroom, respect for their students, and going the extra mile.

Why do we do what we do?

Simple: Because it makes a difference.

Jennifer A. Hamlin Church
Associate VP for Advancement & Director of Alumni Relations
(517) 264-7143
jhchurch@sienaheights.edu