Your Voice Counts!

As I reflect on Three Cups of Tea, I am struck by what one person with good fortune, courage, and determination can accomplish. Greg Mortenson’s story reminds us that life’s journey is a path with sharp turns, detours, circles and sometimes dead ends. He certainly took an unintentional detour when he wandered into Korphe that day in 1993 – a detour that changed his life and transformed him in ways that he never dreamed possible.

I hope that each of us, especially our students, will think of how we can use our special gifts to help and heal our injured world. The gift of education is a priceless gift that changes lives and alters communities. What better gift can be offered to children who so passionately desire to learn?

I would like to pose two questions to the readers of our blog:

1) What ideas come to you when you read the following statement by David Relin: “The real enemy [to peace] is ignorance.”
2) What is your definition of poverty?

I look forward to reading your responses.

Best regards,
Debnam Chappell

Click on the Comments link below to respond.

Greetings, Class of 2012! I hope that you are all enjoying the remaining, and quickly fleeting, weeks of summer. I’m only about 1/2 way through Mortenson and Relin’s book, Three Cups of Tea….It’s an incredibly powerful book. How exciting that Greg Mortenson will be joining us for your Freshmen Convocation in September!

I’m always awestruck by individuals with the fortitude and conviction to impact the world, like Mortenson. I believe it’s our responsibility to look outside of our selves, our needs, and our wants, and consider how we can impact the lives of others. Some of us, like Mortenson, will have a substantial influence on many hundreds of people….on the other side of the world, no less! I think it’s important to remember, though, that reaching out and positively touching the lives of just one or two people can also make an impact. There are so many activities on a smaller, local level that can make a difference: volunteering your time to a worthy cause, becoming a tutor in a subject in which you excel, even smiling at and saying hi to someone you don’t know….all of these things can have an impact, in ways you may never fully realize.

As you commence your career as a college student — an exciting time of personal, academic, and spiritual growth, I invite you to consider how you might be of service to many others….or perhaps just one other person…..in the weeks and months ahead. “To whom much is given, much is expected…..”

Welcome to Fairfield!

Dawn M. Quintiliani, M.S.W.
Assistant Dean of Freshmen
Fairfield University
(203) 254-4000, extension 2222
dquintiliani@mail.fairfield.edu

This book is about more than simply building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is about relationships that have neither borders nor boundaries. It was the social ties that created a beautiful cross-cultural experience where people of different faiths, languages, and perspectives were friends, brothers, and sisters who worked together towards a common goal.

In reading Three Cups of Tea, I revisited some difficult lessons from my own international experiences. I had the privilege of living abroad as a student, Peace Corps volunteer, and humanitarian aid worker. In each instance, I had to learn the importance of trust and relationships, and how they were the key to serving in any community in this world. In hindsight, I wish I had embraced the unusual smells, tastes, habits and languages more aggressively. It is such a privilege and a blessing to be able to live in a different part of the world—let alone study or do service in that setting.

Fairfield students, you are so fortunate to attend a university that encourages an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the world in which we live. I hope this book inspires you to take courses that educate you about the world and its many languages, cultures, faiths, histories and politics. Moreover, I hope you apply that knowledge to real life opportunities such as study abroad, international service learning projects and post-graduate international service. Living abroad is one of the greatest life experiences a person can have.

Jermain Griffin
Associate Director of International Studies
Canisius Hall 302
203.254.4000, ext. 2865

Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195

“Sustainable Equity for Women” is a Senior Women’s Studies Capstone project that the graduating class of 2008 bequeathed as their legacy to Fairfield University.

After considering many of the ways that each one of us as part of a global citizenry could do to help each other, we came up with a micro-lending project that gives a no-interest loan to women in Central and South American and Asian villages to engage in small agricultural ventures, in fishing, in educating their children, and in fair-trade cooperative business initiatives. The 9 women in the Senior Class had similar ideas similar to of Greg Morteneson in Three Cups of Tea of investing in people rather in donating to charity. For example, read the paragraph below to understand the motivation of the Fairfield Seniors to proceed with their project. The students in the class were amazing young women, each one excelled in her own field, from winning University awards and prestigious Fellowships to being invited to play with the International Women’s Soccer Team. They are Democrats and republicans, spiritual and secular, and yet they came together effortlessly to work on the Capstone SEW Project.

Read the rest of this entry »

I read Three Cups of Tea last year when a friend and colleague recommended it. It was one of those books that caused a range of emotions and reactions. To identify a few, I felt a great sense of admiration for Greg Mortenson — for his courage, compassion, patience, perseverance, follow-through, humility and ability to think outside of the box. I was encouraged by the success of his approach to peace-building, which focuses on relationship-building, systems-building and empowerment rather than violence or conflict. I was touched by the value that he placed on learning the culture and sub-cultures that he was entering; the great lengths that he went to to learn, at times putting his life on the line, often putting his ego on the line. At the same time, I felt anger about what appears to be so little investment in this model of non-violent approach. It seems as though the approaches that are most resourced and most validated involve conflict, violence, innocent deaths, and destruction rather than peace, empowerment, and resolution. It left me wanting to learn more about similar programs, approaches, individuals, and groups that exist. I felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the the issues involved. Read the rest of this entry »

Greg Mortensen asks a key Ignatian question, “How am I called to make a difference in the world?” Three Cups of Tea is not only a story of one man’s work in making a difference but a journey of discernment where he finds the best use of his unique talents. Mr. Mortensen’s journey has been a lifelong journey that has continued through a lifetime of searching for where his talents, skills and passions would best serve the world.

As entering new students to Fairfield University, you have a unique opportunity to enter a learning community that will empower a journey to find your calling. In this community, you also have a responsibility – a duty really to realize your own potential, to share your passions and to make a difference in the lives of those you touchVery few of us will build schools in Pakistan; however, we can all make life a bit easier, a bit better and a lot stronger in our immediate communities

We can approach every interaction we have with others as a moment of sacredness. We can take the time to truly listen to the dreams, fears, hopes and anxieties of our new roommates, floormates and classmates. We can share our most authentic selves by sharing with courage our curiosities, our values and our traditions. We can be open to the experiences of others without judgment but with love and empathy. Mortensen’s question is inherently Ignatian because he asks us to consider how we are called to serve for the greater glory of God.

When you arrive at Fairfield, how will you BE? How will you explore your passions? How will discover your talents? How will you serve others? How will you be open to the lives of others you meet? And most importantly, how will you BE and DO in your community?

Welcome to Fairfield University and thank you for the difference you will make in our community

Deborah Cady Melzer, Ph.D
Dean of Student Development

As you finish reading 3 Cups of Tea and prepare to begin your 4 year “climb” at Fairfield, I encourage you to take the time to reflect upon how this book relates to your future at Fairfield University.

Mortenson was a man struggling to find his true passion in life. He knew what he liked, but he wanted to know what gave purpose to his life. He found it while getting lost hiking down a mountain. As you enter Fairfield this fall, you will be presented with many experiences within the classroom, your residence halls and within the greater Fairfield Community. As you engage in these opportunities, try to discover your true passion. I hope you use the next four years to discover YOUR PURPOSE

Have you had the A-HAH moment that led you to change direction in your life? Share your story by clicking on the Comments link, below.

“Three Cups of Tea” is an inspiring story of a man beating the odds by doing difficult things in dangerous places. It seems to me a useful book for freshmen readers as they open their minds to what they might make of their lives. I also hope it helps students to think critically. There are a range of provocative questions that are not addressed by the book, but that might help us think more deeply about how to make the world a better place. For instance, how did the Taliban come to power in the first place? The book does not dwell much on history, but my understanding was that under the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, there was a strong emphasis on the education of girls. How did the Taliban –a group of largely uneducated fighters—manage to push the Soviet army out of Afghanistan and eliminate the education of girls? In Pakistan, too, how did the leadership come to power and what sorts of education can we expect them to provide for their populace? More fundamentally, what evidence do we have from the book that education works to the ends we want it to? It seems to me that many Read the rest of this entry »

As an incoming student, you may wonder why read Three Cups of Tea, a story that begins with failure? Greg Mortensen, a very experienced climber, expected to reach the top of K2 yet he failed. The Class of 2012, comprised of smart and successful students, expects to succeed at Fairfield. As with Mortensen, there may be walls or setbacks to success, or a redefining of what success is along the way. I am amazed at how a man who endured several personal hardships was able to build 55 schools on the other side of the world. His determination, persistence, vision, hard work and sacrifice are truly inspirational. He puts a human face on a part of our world that I find exotic and challenging to relate to when it appears nightly on the network news. Through this book, I discovered authentic people in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan that share our values of friendship, family, loyalty, persistence and education, and with whom we also have many differences.

The Library is here to help you succeed. It’s a place to come to study, see friends, attend lectures and events, and get research materials. It’s a place that offers services like group study and collaborative work areas, laptops, media, popular reading, a 24/7computer lab and cafe, and research help. Library staff is expert and caring.

I hope the DiMenna-Nyselius Library will become your “home away from home.”

Joan Overfield
Director of Library Services

Have you ever worked so hard at something that you were able to transform a failure into success? Share your story by clicking on the Comments link, below.

Dear Members of the Class of 2012:

As president of Fairfield University, I am happy to welcome you to Fairfield and to this site which will help introduce you to Greg Mortenson’s book, Three Cups of Tea, and to our freshman summer reading program. This program is important not only because we think the message of Mr. Mortenson’s book is of value, but also because we want you to understand that engagement with the issues he raises is a part of who we are as a Jesuit, Catholic university.

Your college years are a time to for you to grow in understanding, sympathy, and, yes, compassion for people who are different from you. What better way to do this than to engage with a people, culture and religion that we little understand and are tempted to demonize. Greg Mortenson and this book can serve as a bridge to coming to terms with “the other”: not that we abandon what makes us who we are, but that we recognize essential similarities as well as real differences that we will need to confront and overcome if we are to find our way to true human solidarity.

I offer you my good wishes for a summer that is both productive and restful and I look forward to seeing you, especially at our University Convocation on September 5, when Mr. Mortenson will be our speaker.

Jeffrey von Arx, S.J.

President
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
203-254-4000

Click on the comment link below to leave a message for Father von Arx.