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Seton Hall University

Advanced Seminar On Mission

Outside of St. Peter's Basilica

Wisdom and the Catholic University

The Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership is offering an Advanced Seminar on Mission, entitled "Wisdom and the Catholic University" facilitated by Anthony Sciglitano, Ph.D. It will be held for the 13th time in the Fall 2023 semester and is open to 14 participants who have completed the University Seminar on Mission.

The seminar will meet 5 times, every other week, for 2 hours each time. It will be held on Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m., on the following dates: September 20; October 4 and 18; November 1 and 15. It will be held in the Dean’s Conference Room, main floor, Walsh Library with a virtual option. Faculty participants will receive a stipend of $400. Please click here to see the syllabus.

Monsignor Liddy describes the seminar as follows:

The aim of this seminar is to help Seton Hall faculty and administrators come to a deeper appropriation of their own interiority, and in so doing, come to appreciate the special wisdom that should characterize the Catholic university.

In other words, we will try to clearly distinguish between expertise and wisdom. We generally know what it is to be "an expert" with the development of proficiencies and skills in certain areas. The question is: how does the development of these proficiencies relate to an overall view of how the disciplines/professions are linked to each other and to a view of "the whole?" For example, what is "critical thinking" in one area and how does it relate to critical thinking in other areas – and to critical thinking about critical thinking? What is the difference between knowing "more and more about less and less" and a wide integrating vision of things that informs our own expertise? Is there such a thing as the development of wisdom?

Since most people learn best by concrete involvement and action, this seminar will begin from learnings related to each person’s own area of interest and involvement.

Sponsored by the Office for Mission and Ministry and the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership.