Educating the whole person

Our individual and community wellness are integral to the healthy functioning of democratic society. Being attuned to our social and intellectual wellbeing shapes the way we engage as citizens in robust dialogue and the way we authentically serve our communities.  These encounters can influence individual feelings of wellbeing and the social health of the various communities of which we are a part. Attending to wellness can be a potential contributor to, outcome of, and strategy for effective dialogue, service, and active citizenship. Thoughtful, engaged citizenship calls for the integration and awareness of our whole selves to offer complex responses to the dynamic issues of our time.  For these reasons, SNF Paideia aims to integrate attention to wellness into our courses, workshops, and collaborations with students, faculty, and staff. [Wellness Video]

The practice of democratic citizenship is an integral part of service, and of individual and collective wellness. Our identities as local, national, and global citizens should be integrated into our personal and professional ones. Through its courses, public events, and collaborations with the Civic Scholars Program, the Andrea Mitchell Center, and the Fox Leadership Program, the SNF Paideia Program educates students in both the theory and practice of civic and political engagement.

A meaningful and fulfilling life is one in service to both individual and community wellness. In collaboration with the Netter Center, the SNF Paideia Program provides students with a variety of service-learning opportunities through cosponsored courses and events.

Informed, robust, and civil discourse across ideological and cultural divides is the sine qua non of individual and community wellness. It is both a form of democratic engagement in its own right, and a necessary component to effective interpersonal and public problem solving. The SNF Paideia Program provides curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students to develop the knowledge, skills, and ethical frameworks necessary to engage in meaningful dialogues across difference.