John F. Kennedy University:
Transforming Lives, Changing The World

This fall, John F. Kennedy University is changing its tagline to "Transforming Lives, Changing the World." We had the opportunity to meet with JFKU President Steven Stargardter to talk about this change.

What prompted the change in your tagline?

At all levels throughout the university, the feeling was that we had evolved beyond our original statement – that "Inspiring Dreams, Realizing Potential" no longer captured the essence of our university. In my own conversations with JFKU alumni and students, I have repeatedly heard how JFKU changed their interactions, their outlooks, their lives and essentially their view of themselves. This reinforced for me personally that a change was needed.

Our new statement is "home grown." We engaged alumni, current students, staff, faculty, administration and the regents. We wanted a statement that reflected what everyone believes and that people would see as a re-affirmation of who we are at JFKU and that meant developing it through a process in which we had participation and input from all levels of the university.

How does JFKU see itself "changing the world?"

We believe that the global perspective can be altered through education. We are empowering students with the knowledge and skills to affect changes not only in themselves, but in other individuals, the communities they live and work, and ultimately, the world. Our faculty and staff pride themselves on the individualized attention they provide in supporting students to not only achieve their educational goals but realize personal growth.

The University itself is taking on a more global outlook. Schools cannot afford to lead a sheltered existence – the very definition of "community" is changing in size and scope. JFK University is already involved in global partnerships in Asia, Europe and South America – we have opportunities we are exploring in China, Turkey and Switzerland. We are going to continue to be proactive in extending our reach not only to take our programs to others around the world, but also to draw students to our campuses here.

	Marjorie and students at JFKU.

But we are not forgetting about our local communities. We will continue to be an integral part of the Bay Area, not only providing educational services, but community services. Last fall, we opened an Elder Law Clinic in our Pleasant Hill campus to provide legal assistance to low-income elderly citizens to prevent and defend against financial abuse. In the first year alone, we have provided almost 3,000 hours of free legal service – three times the hours projected for the first year. In the coming months, we are looking to expand the clinic, opening a satellite clinic in Pittsburg.

And our community counseling centers in Oakland, Pleasant Hill and Sunnyvale continue to provide affordable services to children, adults, couples and families in the Bay Area. Our Oakland Center, in fact, will be celebrating its 20th year in Oakland later this year. In May, we opened a new center in Pittsburg with support from the city of Pittsburg.

What do you see as the key to education for the future?

The key is access – making education accessible to individuals at their convenience. In 2014, when JFKU celebrates its 50th anniversary, what is novel and cutting edge now – e.g. iPods – will be outdated.

At JFKU, integrating distance learning platforms is part of our strategy moving forward. We will be taking from the lessons learned by others who have gone into this arena and identifying unique opportunities for us to pursue.

Last fall, we launched the Essentials Coaching Certificate program in conjunction with JFKU alumni and well-known author Debbie Ford and the Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching that offers classes via a telephone. Students dial into class weekly from the comfort of their home or office.

This fall, we are offering a Certificate in Integral Theory in conjunction with the Integral Institute. This is an online program and is one of the world's first accredited certificate programs on the Integral Model developed by Ken Wilber. This course is drawing people from all across the U.S. and Europe.

We are also moving to offering individual courses online. For example, this fall, we are offering an online course based on the highly acclaimed book "Success Built to Last: Creating a Life that Matters." It examines the notion that success is the product of living and working in a manner that brings personal fulfillment and lasting relationships, coupled with making a difference in the world in which we live. It shares information gathered from interviews with hundreds of remarkable and accomplished individuals from around the world.

Drawing these types of information and resources from around the world to transform individuals and their lives and empower them to change the world – that's what JFKU is all about.