Augsburg College President Dr Paul C Pribbenow delivered a speech on “Who in the world is my neighbour?” at the High Table Dinner at UIC on 12 November.
Dr Pribbenow said it was his fifth time to visit UIC. He brought up four key questions about the high table topic.
Dr Paul C Pribbenow at the High Table Dinner
“What is the social ethic that grounds our work with each other? That is, what is the normative statement of what we owe each other and why?” He believed this is the fundamental question that what in the world we owe each other.
Second, “How do you engage these fellow citizens in knowing who they are, to listen to what they need, and then work together to craft a response to their needs? This question challenges us to ask how open we are to accompany our fellow global citizens.”
“What are the organisational structures that allow us to be pragmatic - practical, nimble, innovative, and concrete - in our responses, honouring the needs of our neighbours rather than simply following our own rules, building our own agencies, or pursuing our own convenience?” He told that whether we are willing to learn from strangers is something fundamental about liberal arts education.
The fourth question he raised is, “In what ways do our lives and work in the world recognise that the local and global are inextricably bound together - that we learn in our rich and immediate context lessons that are relevant for others around the world? This is the core to global citizenship, no matter where we find ourselves.”
Dr Pribbenow thinks that these questions are addressed in liberal arts and whole person education. “The commitment to genuine engagement with neighbours is the basis upon what we are prepared to be citizens in the world, and suggests a stance that is at once humble and respectful. Humility and respect set the foundation for transforming human relations – in neighbourhoods and around the globe.”
UIC President Prof Ng Ching-Fai presents Dr Paul Pribbenow with a souvenir
Then, what is required of a global citizen in relationship with those who share this world? Dr Pribbenow gave his answers: “First, show up. It is not only showing up in class, but also a sort of spiritual practice. It is about being present now, being in relationship to a text, a classmate, a teacher. It is about accompanying each other on a journey that is both solitary and social.
“Second, pay attention. It doesn’t come easy. It is hard work. Put away all the distraction you can control, turn off the cell phone occasionally, spend some time away from the computer, and focus on what your teachers and classmates are saying and doing. But it is more than that. It remains your responsibility to figure out what is the most important, and how you can make what is important the centre of your life.
“Finally, do the work. You get work assigned every day. But more and more, on many days the work will be yours to concern and pursue. There will be no one to tell you what to do. You will need to seek the work that needs to be done.”
With liberal arts education students have received, Dr Pribbenow concluded: “The work you learn to do here in classrooms, on campus, in the city, around the world is the basis for pursuing the important work to be done in the world. We need you, especially you students to do it. We are counting on you to do it. That is why colleges like Augsburg College and UIC exist.”
Dr Paul Pribbenow is recognized as one of the country’s most engaging commentators and teachers on ethics, philanthropy and American public life. He and other representatives from the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) member institutions visited UIC and attended the 7th Sino-American Liberal Arts Forum.
Reporter: Deen He
Photographers: Jack Xiao, Liu Xin'ao and Cai Yixuan
(from MPRO, with special thanks to the ELC)
