Recent Projects and Programs of the Mann Center: 2012-2013 Year in Review

Following are significant highlights of the Mann Center's work during the 2012-2013 academic year. A full review is available in our newly-released progress report, available online.

Academic integrity was a recurring focus of the Mann Center's work during the 2012-2013 academic year, with more than 400 freshmen in attendance at a student-led Courageous Conversation on academic honesty in September. In February, Mann Center program manager Azalea Hulbert presented at the 2013 conference of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI); the center is now leading a regional consortium on academic integrity, which was launched at an April conference on Samford's campus.

The center sponsored several significant speaker programs during 2012 and 2013, starting with Dr. Mark Douglas' October lecture, Faith and Politics: Do We Need Religion in the Public Square? and Rwandan Bishop Laurent Mbanda's November presentation on the role of church leadership in promoting change. In January, the center co-sponsored the Alabama Social Business Forum at Tuskegee University, which featured Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. The final lecture of the academic year, Abraham Lincoln and the Challenge of Emancipation, was presented by the 2013 A. Gerow Hodges Lecturer, Dr. Richard Carwardine.

The Mann Center's signature Better World Theatre pedagogy, which debuted in 2011, was incorporated into an introductory nursing course in November 2012 and used successfully for the first time in a co-curricular context during the spring 2013 semester, with students performing for professional audiences during two April conferences. The pedagogy allows students to identify and lead dialogue on ethical issues they will face in their careers, and is consistently given high marks by participating students.

In July 2012, Samford students participated in the second annual South Africa service practicum, facilitated by the Mann Center. The students developed basic business curriculum for Living Way, a Cape Town-based NGO, which runs an Agri-Academy for aspiring farmers. A team returned in July 2013 to complete the project with the Agri-Academy. A final update on that project is available here.

South Africa, July 2013: Final Update

This July, five Samford students traveled to South Africa to complete a long-term service project conducted with Living Way, a Cape-Town based micro-enterprise center. The purpose of the project is to develop leadership competencies of Samford students through active engagement and service. Updates from South Africa are available here: update one and update two.

The service project started in 2011, when three Samford students worked with Living Way to develop an entrepreneurship screening tool. In 2012, a team returned to begin developing curriculum for students who had been selected to participate in the organization's Agri-Academy, a mentoring program for aspiring farmers. This year's team, which included Samford undergraduates Tracy Knapp (as team leader), Clarissa Donaldson, Natalie Bennie, Rachel Eller, and Brittony Mays, completed the basic business curriculum that was started in 2012.

During the trip, students also had the opportunity to visit many significant historical and cultural sites, and spend time with their peers at Stellenbosch University, located near Cape Town. This fall, the Mann Center will continue the dialogue with students and faculty at Stellenbosch's Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert Leadership Center through long-distance conversations that focus on similarities between the end of apartheid and the civil rights movement.

Photographs from the trip are available on the Mann Center website.

The Frances Marlin Mann Awards for Leadership and Character: Recognizing Outstanding Student Leaders

In November, the Mann Center will host the inaugural presentation of the Frances Marlin Mann Awards for Leadership and Character, a recognition program for students who consistently exhibit exemplary leadership and strong character. One student from each school will be selected as an award recipient by his or her respective dean, with one additional recipient chosen by the department of athletics.

Of these students, one will be chosen to receive the Joe McDade Scholarship, a generous gift provided by Mr. Joe McDade, Samford alum and long-time supporter. The ideal student will demonstrate a life and character lived in the spirit of Christ; a contribution and commitment to the long-term development of the University; and leadership ability.

An award ceremony and reception will be held on Friday, November 15th, during Homecoming weekend festivities. All are welcome to attend; more information will be available online as it becomes available.

Addicted to Violence: A Year-Long Series

A number of Mann Center programs during the 2013-2014 academic year will focus on the theme, "Addicted to Violence." The center will partner with both on- and off-campus partners to explore various aspects of ethics and violence, including health, public policy, business, the arts, and theology.

Currently planned programs include a series of Courageous Conversations on violence against women, and a Better World Theatre performance focusing on workplace bullying. Other lectures and panel discussions are being planned; an updated schedule of events is available online.

One of the most significant programs of the year will be the presentation of the Mann Medal to an internationally recognized leader whose work addresses the culture of violence. Nominations for the Mann Medal will be accepted on an ongoing basis until a recipient is selected; more information and a nomination form may be found online.

South Africa, July 2013: Update 2

It's been a busy week and a half in South Africa! During the first week, the entire team was able to visit several significant sites, including the Robben Island prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years. We also sat down for a conversation with students at Stellenbosch University, a traditionally Afrikaans-speaking university that has welcomed a diverse population of students since the end of apartheid.

The work with Living Way is progressing extremely well. Our team is working with the Agri-Academy, a mentoring program that is part of Living Way. The Academy currently has 13 students, all of whom are in the first phase of the program. During this phase, they are learning the basics of working in an agricultural business. Those who graduate from this phase will leave well-prepared to engage in the formal economy, while those who continue on will receive further training in management and entrepreneurship. Our role in this project is to prepare curriculum for the more advanced stages of the Agri-Academy.

On Thursday, 18 July, the team spent an entire day serving at Living Hope for Mandela Day. This day of service honors Nelson Mandela, and is commemorated each year on his birthday. On this day, South Africans and global citizens alike are asked to engage in 67 minutes of service, one minute for each year Mandela spent as a freedom fighter. There was substantial work to do at Living Hope that day, including clearing of a new plot of land that will eventually be home to the Living Way Agri-Academy.

Stay tuned for a final update after the conclusion of the trip!

South Africa, July 2013: Update 1

Greetings from South Africa! This month, five Samford University students are engaging in economic development work in Cape Town, as part of a multi-year collaborative project facilitated by the Mann Center.

The students are working in the Masiphumelele township with Living Way, a non-governmental organization based in Cape Town. In a continuation of last year’s project, the team is developing curriculum for students in Living Way’s Agri-Academy, a program that teaches the basics of running an agricultural business.

Tracy Knapp, a senior philosophy major, is this year’s team leader. Joining her are Natalie Bennie, a sophomore global studies major; Clarissa Donaldson, a senior Brock Scholar; Rachel Eller, a senior marketing and economics major; and Brittony Mays, a senior political science major. 

Stay tuned for more updates from the team!

Mann Center Leads New Consortium on Academic Integrity, Plans Other New Initiatives

The Mann Center is leading the formation of a regional consortium on academic integrity, comprising colleges and universities in the Southeastern US. The consortium is part of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) at Clemson University and will be formally launched during the inaugural Southeastern Regional Academic Integrity Conference at Samford in April.

This collaboration continues a long and productive relationship between the Mann Center and ICAI.  Most recently, Mann Center program manager Azalea Hulbert spoke at ICAI's annual conference in San Antonio in February 2013, sharing insights into the center's work to date, while Mann Center director John Knapp is a charter board member of the Rutland Institute for Ethics, where ICAI is housed at Clemson.

Over the next few months, the Mann Center plans to launch several other initiatives to promote academic integrity, releasing a series of video vignettes and implementing new programs for graduate and international students. Information on these initiatives will be available online.

Since 2011, the Mann Center has worked with faculty and students in Samford's schools to identify ways to reduce academic dishonesty; appointed a group of student leaders, the Academic Integrity Advocates, who help identify and plan opportunities for student-focused programming; and employed the center's successful Courageous Conversations and Better World Theatre programs to deliver impactful messages about academic integrity.

Lincoln Scholar Richard Carwardine Visits Samford, Delivers Annual Hodges Lecture

Noted Lincoln scholar Richard Carwardine, president of Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford, UK, and author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power, visited Samford University on February 18th and 19th. His visit was timely, as 2013 marks both the 50th anniversary of Birmingham's most violent civil rights struggles and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

During his visit Dr. Carwardine sat down with Mann Center director John Knapp to discuss Abraham Lincoln and his legacy of leadership. Their conversation, part of the center's ongoing series of interviews with thought leaders on topics of current interest, is available below.

Dr. Carwardine joined a panel of Samford faculty to discuss Antebellum religious thought. The conversation, "'God's Institution' or Gross Injustice? Slavery and Religion before the Civil War," paid special attention to Christian perspectives on the injustices of slavery. Faculty panelists included Dr. John Mayfield (History), Dr. Joe Scrivner (Religion), and Dr. Jason Wallace (History). Before the discussion, the Mann Center hosted a special reception in collaboration with the Samford University Library, which presented a display of artifacts related to the university's early history.

The highlight of Dr. Carwardine’s visit was the 2013 A. Gerow Hodges Lecture in Ethics and Leadership for an audience of around 700 in Reid Chapel.  His topic, "Abraham Lincoln and the Challenge of Emancipation," focused on the moral issues faced by Lincoln, and his ability to lead effectively during the turbulence of the Civil War.

Healthcare Ethics and Law (HEaL) Conference to Feature Signature Mann Center Pedagogy

On April 12th Samford will host the annual Healthcare Ethics and Law (HEaL) Conference, "Marketplace Medicine and Conflicts of Interest." Featured speakers are Carl Elliott, M.D., Ph.D. and Leonard (Jack) Nelson III, J.D., LL.M. Dr. Elliott, a professor with the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota, will also receive the 2013 Pellegrino Medal, Samford’s recognition of national leadership in healthcare ethics.  Mr. Nelson is a member of the faculty at Samford’s Cumberland School of Law. A panel discussion with faculty from Samford and UAB is also planned. A full schedule and registration information are available here.

As part of the conference, the Mann Center will facilitate an interactive afternoon session for practitioners, using its distinctive Better World Theatre pedagogy to encourage audience engagement with ethical questions. Student participants will present a short play, "Just a Problem of Time", then lead the audience in a discussion of the ethical issues involved. While this pedagogy has been used effectively in the schools of nursing and business, this will mark the first time that it has been used for a professional audience. 

Noted Lincoln Scholar to Give Hodges Lecture Commemorating Emancipation's 150th Anniversary

Richard Carwardine, president of Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford, will speak February 19 on the topic, "Abraham Lincoln and the Challenge of Emancipation."  A noted historian and author of an award-winning biography of Lincoln, Dr. Carwardine will discuss the continuing significance of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Lincoln 150 years ago.

The 10 a.m. lecture in Reid Chapel is the Mann Center's 2013 A. Gerow Hodges Lecture in Ethics and Leadership.

An evening event on Monday, February 18, will feature Dr. Carwardine in a panel discussion of how the issue of slavery divided the Christian community between the nation's founding and the Civil War.  He is researching a new book on the influence of religion on American culture during these formative decades.  The panel will also include three Samford faculty members Dr. Joe Scrivner, Dr. John Mayfield, and Dr. Jason Wallace.  This 6 p.m. program in Bolding Studio will be preceded by a reception and exhibit of artifacts from the period, provided by Samford University's archivist. 

The Christian community was still deeply divided over race 100 years later, when in 1963 the struggle for African-American civil rights reached a crescendo in Birmingham, Alabama.  The February programs are part of a series of events in 2013 marking the 50th anniversary of the most violent year in this city's history.

Click here to register online for these programs.
Click here to read a New York Times review of Dr. Carwardine's book on Lincoln.

Mann Center Emphasizes Faculty Role in the Moral Development of College Students

Neuroscience research is yielding new insights into the development of young adults, showing that the college years may be prime time to acquire competencies in ethical recognition, reasoning and action.  As the prefrontal cortex matures in the later stages of brain development, it becomes possible to engage in more complex reasoning; to take into account the wider and longer-term consequences of actions; and to deal more competently with ambiguous or conflicting moral claims.

This phenomenon is among many topics explored in the Mann Center’s workshop, “The Moral Development of College Students.”  Offered most recently to the faculty of the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, the seminar encourages members of faculty to think in new ways about their roles in fostering student character and ethical competencies.

The Mann Center has identified three characteristics that should be recognizable in all Samford University graduates:

• Competent in ethical recognition, reasoning and action.
• Committed to lifelong development of virtuous character and spiritual maturity.
• Prepared for moral agency in navigating the increasingly complex social and ethical demands of life in families, organizations, professions, and society.

“Minimally, students must learn the compliance requirements in various fields of practice – professionally and by code examples,” said Mann Center Director John C. Knapp.  “Ideally, they should learn to employ moral judgment to adjudicate between competing claims, obligations and values.”

The workshop covers formal and informal influences on moral development, showing how each member of the faculty can play a crucial role in this process. “College life can and does affect moral development – for better or for worse,” said Dr. Knapp.  “We must recognize that many students are questioning the values and beliefs of their upbringing as they formulate their own moral identities.  In the midst of this developmental journey, they are making important life decisions with moral implications.  We must be intentional about equipping them to navigate life's challenges.”

Ethics Resources and Research

Only one-third of Americans aged 18 to 34 believe the U.S. system of government is either the best or above average among nations, according to a survey this month by the Gallup Organization.  Younger adults are also less likely to think U.S. healthcare or economic systems are better than those of most other modern, industrialized countries.  Respondents of all ages give high ratings to U.S.  individual freedoms, quality of life and opportunity to get ahead.

A CDC study finds that binge drinking among females is most prevalent among 18- to 24-year olds.  The study has implications for colleges and universities, as well as high schools, where rates of  binge drinking (four or more drinks on an occasion in the last 30 days) also are alarmingly high.

A year-end report from the Pew Research Center highlights key trends in American attitudes and beliefs.  Among these are changing views of same-sex marriage, global climate change, and women's career goals, as well as demographic shifts related to migration and birth rate.

The American Anthropological Association has adopted a new code of ethics.  The discipline of anthropology has debated ethical issues for many years, especially as questions have been raised about the roles of anthropologists in supporting the aims of colonial powers and, more recently, their work with the United States military.

The University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and its department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy have launched the Penn Neurodegenerative Disease Ethics and Policy Program to support research and education to "identify and address the ethical and policy implications of advances in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, and work toward forming best practices for how these advances can be successfully translated into clinical practice."