Category Archives: Annual Conference

Greetings to Friends, everywhere:

From June 16-19, 2025, Friends Association for Higher Education had its annual conference at Guilford College. Since 1981, FAHE has been lending support and encouragement to Quakers at Friends colleges and universities as well as those at non-Quaker institutions. Among our various purposes, our organization helps to clarify and articulate the distinctively Quaker vision of higher education, in terms of both curriculum and teaching. We assist the Quaker colleges and universities in affirming their Quaker identity. We invite Friends to join us.

The conference theme this year was “Science, Sustainability, & Stewardship.” Important subthemes ran throughout the plenaries and sessions which expressed ways in which Quakers have had a distinctive way of being led by our spiritual lives to pursue truth and be empowered to act in the world.

We were led in semi-programmed worship on each day, first by Wess Daniels, then Walter Sullivan, and on the last day by Randall Nichols. In the context of our colleges and universities facing great struggles, we were invited to share how Quaker institutions have been meaningful to our own spiritual lives and the value of these institutions to our students and communities. We were moved to hear about the blessings and challenges to North American Friends by the growing numbers of Quakers living in the U.S. from Cuba, Congo, and Kenya, many of whom are expressing their spiritual experience with movement, dance, and singing. We also noted the tremendous growth in Quaker numbers in Africa and South America.

During the opening evening of the conference we heard a plenary talk by William “Billy” Grassie, “Imago Evolutio: Human Nature and the Inner Light,” in which he described the large sweep of evolution and human history. In this “Big History,” he challenged us to consider God and the universe as synonymous.

The next day in the second plenary, “Experimental Truth,” Rachel Muers explored a Quaker perspective on experiential knowing, science, truth, and ethics. She expressed a subtheme which we heard in several sessions, that there are parallels in how Quakers and scientists pursue truth, how truth empowers our work, and how “small truths” stand against big lies. As she said, “Truth calls us and draws us in, convinces and convicts us, gathers us, empowers us and sends us.”

Other conference sessions expanded on this powerful subtheme, and in several sessions we heard about the commitment and agency of women, often within an overlay of patriarchal dominance, even among Quakers, regarding women’s accomplishments. We also saw a common emphasis on “cross-cultural empathy.”

Laura Rediehs led a Contemplative Gathering on “Quakers and Social Justice in Troubling Times,” in which we discussed our experience, fear, and hope regarding the many challenges we face. We were brought back to how Quaker institutions might help us navigate these turbulent times in higher education. In another Contemplative Gathering on “Psalm of Thanksgiving,” Mimi Holland offered a prayer of thanks to all, all creation, all phenomenon. 

In a particularly enlightening Presidents Panel, Jean Parvin Bordewich, Guilford College; Paul Sniegowski, Earlham College; and John Ottosson, William Penn University discussed with us their schools’ responses to the serious challenges presented by the current social, political, and economic climate. A theme that emerged was the important distinctiveness of Quaker colleges and Quaker pedagogy in their struggle to stand out in the crowded higher-education marketplace.

In various sessions, we discussed the ways we can work with and teach Gen Z students, recognizing their concerns, passions, and abilities as well as the challenges of working with them; and the ways we can help students take themselves and their peers seriously.

We had two full days of sessions on the good works that Quakers are doing in multiple academic disciplines, locally and globally. There was a wide range of topics which included a reunion of participants in the 1985 World Gathering of Young Friends at Guilford College, which inspired their vocation as they were called into ministry and worked to renew the Society of Friends. Another session offered reflections on the FAHE published collections, “Quakers in the Disciplines,” with a special emphasis on volume 6, Quakers, Creation Care, and Sustainability.

Several sessions presented topics that took advantage of Guilford’s unique spaces: Wess Daniels led a group through the Underground Railroad trail through the Guilford Woods, and Don Smith shared via a planetarium show concerns about our species’s stewardship of the skies.  In the middle of a rainy week, the clouds cleared so attendees could view the sky through Guilford’s telescopes at the Cline Observatory.  Guilford’s ties to the local Quaker community were in evidence when the closure of the campus cafeteria led to two local Quaker Meetings volunteering to host FAHE members for potluck dinners.

In the final plenary, Lloyd Stangeland spoke with us about his experience of “Sustainability in Ministry” with a focus on Friends United Meeting’s impressive project with Ambwere Farm and other initiatives in Kenya. He spoke about collaboration between North American and African Friends to overcome challenges and to live out their testimonies.

As we depart from our gathering, we look forward to next year’s conference in June 2026 at William Penn University, in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Walter Sullivan, Clerk, and Jacci Stuckey, Assistant Clerk

June 19, 2025

Greetings to Friends, everywhere:

From June 3rd through 6th, 2024, Friends Association for Higher Education held its annual conference at Malone University. The theme of the conference was “Valiant for the Truth,” drawing on a phrase from George Fox’s 1656 letter to ministers written while he was in South Gate Prison in Cornwall. Friends were happy to be together, (almost) entirely in embodied (as opposed to digital) form.

Friends were welcomed to the conference on Monday evening by Greg Miller, president of Malone University. President Miller introduced participants to Malone’s rootedness in the Evangelical Friends Church – Eastern Region (EFC-ER). He emphasized that Malone embraces both the “evangelical” and “Friends” aspects of their identity, making Malone distinctive among broader evangelical and broader Friends circles. Following President Miller’s welcome, Jeff Dudiak, Professor of Philosophy at The King’s University, offered the first plenary session with the provocative title “Too Valiant for the Truth?” The talk challenged the audience to consider the polarized cultural context in their valiant pursuits for the truth and allow wisdom to temper their valiant efforts.

The first full conference day opened with unprogrammed worship led by Donn Weinholtz followed by four presentations. Richard Miller argued that the influence of Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche on intellectual life in the West has led to the diminishment of truth’s value. Mike Heller and Ron Rembert invited participants to discuss whether meekness can be an academic virtue. David Williams reflected on teaching discernment–listening to the still, small voice–to students from the “i-generation” who are exposed to ever increasing amounts of “noise, hurry, and crowds.” Finally, Helene Pollock presented via Zoom on her interviews with Quakers of various stripes on the writings of George Fox.

After these conference sessions, Friends took a moment for the annual Meeting for Business. Friends adopted a proposed budget for FAHE. They also received minutes of appreciation for those instrumental in hosting the conference, especially Jacci Stuckey, outgoing members of the executive committee, Phil Weinholtz for his work in publishing the Quakers in the Disciplines series, and Laura Rediehs for her excellent clerking of FAHE. Friends also received reports from the nominating committee, the working group on Quaker Leadings in Higher Education, and our Quakers in the Disciplines book series. Friends also were asked to consider the future of FAHE and our annual conference.

Following a full day of rich discussions on a wide variety of topics, Friends enjoyed a second plenary session offered by Tom Hamm, Emeritus Professor of History at Earlham College, titled “What George Fox Did When the Revolution Faltered, and What We Can Learn From That.” Hamm’s talk contextualized George Fox and other early Friends in English social and political life of the 17th century and argued that Friends were able to endure through a combination of accommodation, using the state against itself, as well as softening some of their edges. Friends in attendance at the conference discussed Hamm’s talk over cake provided in honor of the 400th anniversary of George Fox’s birthday.

The second full conference day opened with semi-programmed worship led by Jacci Stuckey. Worship was followed by four presentations. Paul Anderson offered the first presentation on George Fox’s “principles” of Quakers as “doctrine” challenging the common interpretation of Quakerism as “non-credal.” Cherie Parsons offered a talk and facilitated conversation on grief-responsive teaching. Welling Hall conducted a table reading of a one act play which imagines a posthumous conversation on race between Howard Thurman and Rufus Jones. Finally, Rebekkah Russell and Elizabeth Rowe discussed teaching social justice in a polarized world.

After the four presentations, participants gathered for the annual President’s Panel featuring Greg Miller of Malone University as well as Royce Frazier, president of Barclay College. Paul Anderson moderated the panel and asked the presidents to reflect on the ways the Quaker heritage of the schools animate their current activities, what excites them about their institutions as well as what challenges they face. Both presidents were clear-eyed about the challenges in higher education but optimistic about their futures as they lean into their faith traditions. Immediately following the President’s Panel, Mimi Holland led the group in a contemplative practice she called “Quaker Quotes and Queries.”

The second full day ended with Carole Spencer’s plenary titled “Quaker Women Forerunners in Science and Medicine.” The plenary both gave an overview of Quaker women in science and medicine from the 17th-19th centuries and focused on the philosophical and scientific contributions of Anne Conway. While other historians have focused on Quakers’(mostly men’s) contributions to science and medicine, Spencer’s research fills a gap on the unique contributions of women in the male-dominated disciplines. As Friends reflected both on Spencer’s talk and their week together, they were treated to the music of Rachel and the Peacemakers.

Friends were filled with gratitude for one another and departed for their respective homes on Thursday, June 6. Some Friends, however, took a tour to Gnadenhutten, the site of the 1782 massacre of Lenni Lenape, and grappled with both the legacy and ongoing effects of white settler colonialism.

June 15, 2022

At the close of our 42nd Annual Conference, held online with the generous support of Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion, Friends Association for Higher Education sends our greetings and warm best wishes to Friends throughout the world.

Focused on our theme, “Quakers and Racial Justice,” we were inspired by our plenary speaker, Dr. Amanda Kemp, as well as  many workshops and presentations.  These ranged from close analysis of “Hamilton the Musical and the 1619 Project,”  to “Reflections on Incorporating Diverse and Anti-Colonial Material in Natural Science Classrooms,” to exploring ways of “Dismantling Raci(al/st) Ideology,” and to promoting “Town and Gown” community conversations about race. Our worship and other opportunities for interaction enhanced our understanding of the Friends Equality Testimony and encouraged us to support our fellow faculty, staff and student activists striving for beloved community.

In her moving, multi-media plenary, Amanda Kemp shared with us the deep personal stresses accompanying her racial justice activism. After police killed Michael Brown in 2014, the cumulative impact of ever-increasing numbers of sacrificed Black lives, along with the wearing responsibilities of participating in visible protests and the daily interpreting of events for Whites often thoughtlessly invading her personal space, opened Amanda to the pressing need for self-compassion.  Since 2020, she has found relief from relentless discourse “where there is no liberation” by accepting the unconditional love around her, in particular through her communion with trees. By listening to the trees, surrounding us everywhere, we can “feed the core” of our being, experience corresponding joy, and nourish the outward expression of our well-being; a practice well-understood and practiced by indigenous peoples throughout the world.

Friends’ paper presentations and workshops provided scholarly explorations and personal reflections on racial issues and dynamics ranging from Quaker slaveholding, to daunting modern urban segregation, to the need to challenge inequalities on our Quaker campuses.  While expanding the awareness and knowledge of the sessions’ participants , the impact on the presenters of their own work was apparent.  It’s clear that our thoughtful scholarship changes our lives, often leading to meaningful activism.

This year’s Presidents’ Panel, hosted by Earlham President Anne Houtman, featured a new twist,  including three Quaker women presidents from non-quaker Colleges, along with Malone University’s incoming president, Greg Miller. They were Sarah Bolton from the College of Wooster (soon moving to Whitman College), Sarah Manglesdorf from the University of Rochester and Marlene Tromp from Boise State University.  The challenges of leadership, guided by Quaker values, during these financially and politically challenging times, were thoughtfully explored.  

Finally, during our annual business meeting we accepted the invitation from Haverford College’s President Wendy Raymond, pandemic allowing, to gather in person in June 2023. Please join us in the continuation of this good work.

As we depart from our gathering, we stand ready to share with Friends and our colleagues in higher education a renewed sense that we must all further commit to seeking racial justice within and outside of our colleges. To this end, the vitality of our Quaker colleges and study centers remains a central concern of FAHE.

With deep appreciation for our FAHE community,

Stephen Potthoff and Donn Weinholtz, Co-Clerks

Friends Association for Higher Education

Epistle – June 15, 2022