Naropa's New president Joins Volunteers for a Day of Service and Learning

Residents of Boulder and Boulder County have long been known for strong commitments to community service and civic engagement – and service-minded locals have gained an ally in the new president of Naropa University, Stuart C. Lord.In fact, Boulder County residents might see Lord out in the community during his Oct. 29-31 inauguration, which will illustrate Lord’s dedication to “Service, Spirituality and Sustainability.” Lord and the Naropa community will be walking the walk on Oct. 30, when Naropa will hold a free public event, an entire “Day of Service and Learning” at on-campus and off-campus locations.On Friday morning, President Lord will visit Growing Gardens, a non profit that serves Boulder’s thriving network of community gardens. He will to join other volunteers from Naropa to assist with some of their greenhouse gardening projects and also visit the YWCA to interact with preschoolers who are developing a mural.The Service and Learning event will include a presentation by Toya Nelson from the Governor’s Commission on Community Service.On Oct. 30, certain Day of Service and Learning participants will visit the Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette to help with sorting food and clothing donations. Projects have also been scheduled with the I Have a Dream Foundation in Boulder, Flatirons Habitat for Humanity in Broomfield and Project YES (Youth Envisioning Social change) in Lafayette, among many other entities.Lord came to Naropa from DePauw University (1988-2000) and Dartmouth College (2000-2009), and he made strong commitments to increasing levels of student service at both institutions. Student body participation in community service increased from 25 percent to more than 93 percent during his tenure at DePauw, and from 45 percent to more than 70 percent during his time at Dartmouth.He has also built an impressive record of personal service. Lord has led international service trips to Bangladesh, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Sierra Leone. He has developed programs to aid domestic communities, including areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. In 1996, he was the executive director of the President’s Summit for America’s Future under President Clinton. In this role, Lord provided leadership to a national volunteer initiative targeted at improving the quality of life for America’s youth.
Lord plans to spend his Oct. 30 service time off-campus at a variety of sites. But he also said his commitment to service won’t end at 5 p.m.– and he wants the entire Naropa community to follow his lead.“This is not just a Day of Service. This is the beginning of a refocusing and a reinvigorating of our commitment to service,” said Lord.
Lord, an ordained minister in the Baptist faith, also served as a university chaplain at DePauw from 1988–1995—and one of his roles was to foster an environment in which members of all faiths could thrive.In the spirit of interfaith dialogue, Naropa will hold another free public event, a discussion called “Spiritual Practice and Social Engagement” on Oct. 29, in which panelists will consider the opportunities and challenges for those who wish to lead a spiritual life and be involved in social issues. The dialogue will be held from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Naropa’s Nalanda Events Center, 6287 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder.Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown, professor of Religious Studies at Naropa, will moderate the dialogue. The participants will be: The Sakyong, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage; and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, one of the world’s foremost instructors of Hasidism and Kabbalah.“Interfaith dialog gives us an opportunity to reflect and think about our common purpose and what unites us, as well as what makes us unique, which gives us a chance to strengthen our understanding of each other,” said Lord.On the sustainability front, Lord will be called upon to implement policies established under Dr. Thomas Coburn, Naropa’s previous president. Naropa already has a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, exemplified in part by Coburn’s signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007.Naropa also adopted its long-term strategic plan, “Deliver Distinction with Excellence,” in 2008. The plan includes strategies to help Naropa achieve sustainability in its academic mission—such as broadening its undergraduate curriculum and increasing compensation for professors—as well as strategies for economic sustainability, including a renewed focus on fundraising and boosting enrollment.The inauguration ceremony itself, free public event will be held on Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. until noon at the Nalanda Events Center. Michael Girodo, chair of Naropa’s Inauguration Planning Committee, said the inauguration will be dynamic and diverse, “reflecting our commitment to spiritual and educational pluralism,” and representatives of Native American, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian traditions will provide offerings.Speakers at the inauguration will include Coburn, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Colorado Rep. Claire Levy, President Emeritus of DePauw University Dr. Robert Bottoms and others. Girodo added that the ceremony will certainly feature Naropa’s “own special brand” of contemplative, traditional and performance arts.“I’m humbled and honored to have this opportunity to be engaged with the Naropa University community,” concluded Lord. “It’s an exciting time for the campus and an exciting time for Boulder, and I’m really privileged and honored to be part of moving this university from distinction to excellence.”For more information about the inauguration or to register for events, visit the Web site www.naropa.edu/inauguration. RSVPs may be required at certain events.Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.