University Commitment to Community & Society
by Ronald S. Feingold, Ph.D.

It was not long ago that Adelphi's mission and direction did not give much consideration to community and society. However, when one considers Adelphi's strengths, one finds numerous professional programs that are community service oriented. One also finds a relatively small college with faculty committed to their students and social issues, and it is this mix of programs and ideology that suggests that an appropriate mission for Adelphi University is to connect Adelphi to the community and the improvement of society. For some, this means identifying new knowledge through research, for others it means curricular developments in the preparation of future professionals, and still others through faculty and student collaborations with community support services.

A mission that wishes to connect the university to the community and improve society is not uncommon; however, there is little doubt that at Adelphi University this mission can be more than mere talk or something written for the catalog. Instead, it can truly be a guide, a priority for all programs and can be realistically implemented through courses and curricular experiences that impact students in a way that helps to develop students who are truly caring and committed individuals.

As an example, in my Department, Health Studies, Physical Education and Exercise Science, where I am the chair, connections to society and community are a priority, not only for the department, but also for the professions that I represent. These connections, perhaps are bit more obvious than in some other majors, such as disease prevention, development of active lifestyles, development of social skills, and development of respect for all and fair play are just a few of the attributes that can be developed.

Within the professions that fall within health and physical education, these changes did not come easy. The profession's focus had been on the product, specifically getting children fit, winning games and knowledge about disease. Little effort was focused on behavior change and specifically on the process of the activity. It is within the process that one truly grows and learns. It is within the process that one may focus on life skills and see that the gymnasium and field is really a laboratory about life.

In 1989, as health and physical education were once again threatened to be eliminated from the schools, I was asked by my profession to prepare a "position paper" in support of health and physical education. And a month later, I was asked by the State Education Department to prepare an "adult role paper", one that envisioned an adult who went through twelve years of health and physical education. It was within these two papers that the philosophical foundation was established for a change in direction from one that focused on the product to one that focused on the process and the development of "life skills". These "life skills" included besides a physically active person, a person who is cooperative, respects all people of all cultures and abilities, cares about others, shows leadership and followership skills, a problem solver and plays with fairness. In 1993 I was elected EDA President, in 1999 national president and now am International President. Therefore, over the past ten years, I have been in a position to make a direction change in my profession at the local, national and international levels. Of course, however, it is the teacher and/or coach that ultimately teaches to the process and recognizes the potential for development of positive "life skills" or one who continues to focus on the product.

With the above in mind, our teacher preparation program at Adelphi attempts to prepare teachers who view that they have the potential to impact children's lives in a very positive way, in a way that will make each and every child exposed to them, a better and caring person. Our students, therefore, besides focusing on this philosophy in introductory courses, learn how to implement this philosophy through various teaching methodologies. In addition, our students are responsible, as juniors, to work with the community and / or schools in the development of a project. Each faculty member and each student are committed to helping others. Although I have focused on health and physical education, every major at Adelphi has the same potential to connect to societal issues. The environment, world peace, development of self -esteem, drug abuse, violence in society, etc., are just a few of the unique contributions our faculty and students can make.

Besides the philosophic commitment and methodologies integrated throughout the curriculum, and the expectation of a junior community project, the university has also initiated a few outside projects. Athletes Helping Athletes is a program brought to Adelphi four years ago. This program brings together high school athletes selected by their counselors and coaches to come to Adelphi for leadership training. They then go back to their schools and work with elementary and middle school children on alcohol, drug abuse, and violence prevention. At present approximately 1400 high school students come to Adelphi for this training, and our own department majors are required to take a leadership course with the directors of the program, so that they will be able to work with the high school students that come to Adelphi.

Another project has been Walk for Heart. One may have seen the increased publicity about Adelphi's role in walk for heart from MaryAnn Mearini (development office) and Kathleen Watchorn (Goodcuff/Proto's Office). You may have also noted that students, faculty, administrators and staff walk together as a team, working together for the good of others. In the case of American Heart, the money is for research and education programs. In the case of Adelphi University it is for building a team for the good of others and for the respect of all participants (faculty, staff, students) as part of the Adelphi team. Last year we had over 175 attend the walk, probably more than any company on Long Island and certainly more than any of the other universities. The Adelphi participation is more than a fund raiser and is more than a walk, but it is the within the process, the participation of all, each with equal respect and dedication to human survival. It is a model of caring and community welfare for our students, and it brings respect and dignity for all those that participate. It is the model that only Adelphi University can have, whereby all parts of the university work as a team to make a commitment to community and society.

Some ask, what is education? There are various definitions, and one can learn a lot of facts and become very knowledgeable about a specific discipline. But is there anything greater within the education process than instilling a commitment in our students in helping others?