The inauguration theme, “Imagine and Inspire,” perfectly suits Shenandoah University, where students find inspiration all around and are encouraged to imagine limitless possibilities. Those two words also define President Tracy Fitzsimmons, who is passionate about education and the endless ways it sparks imagination and inspiration.
The popular NPR series “This I Believe” is, therefore, the perfect complement for the inauguration festivities at Shenandoah University this fall. Members of the Shenandoah and Winchester communities are being asked to submit “This I Believe” essays, and series host Jay Allison will be on campus on Thursday, Sept. 25, for a special afternoon program. (See “How to submit an essay for ‘This I Believe’ at the bottom of this page.) “This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women,” a printed collection of essays, is also the 2008 One Book, One Community selection for the City of Winchester and Frederick and Clarke counties community. (See “One Book, One Community” link.)
“This I Believe” is a national media project engaging people in writing, sharing and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives. NPR airs these three-minute essays on “All Things Considered,” “Tell Me More” and “Weekend Edition Sunday.”
“This I Believe” is based on a 1950s radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow. In creating “This I Believe,” Murrow said the program sought “to point to the common meeting grounds of beliefs, which is the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization.” Each day, millions of Americans gathered by their radios to hear compelling essays from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Harry Truman as well as corporate leaders, cab drivers, scientists and secretaries - anyone able to distill into a few minutes the guiding principles by which they lived. Their words brought comfort and inspiration to a country worried about the Cold War, McCarthyism and racial division.
In spite of the fear of atomic warfare, increasing consumerism and loss of spiritual values, the essayists on Murrow’s series expressed tremendous hope. “We hear a country moving toward more equality among the races and between genders,” said “This I Believe” series producer Dan Gediman. “We hear parents writing essays that are letters to their newborn children expressing the hopes and dreams they have for them. And we hear the stories of faith that guide people in their daily experiences.”
“As in the 1950s, [the 21st century] is a time when belief is dividing the nation and the world,” said Jay Allison, the “This I Believe” series host. “We are not listening well, not understanding each other - we are simply disagreeing or worse. Working in broadcast communication, there’s a responsibility to change that, to cross borders, to encourage some empathy. That possibility is what inspires me about this series.”
In reviving “This I Believe,” Allison and Gediman say their goal is not to persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs. Rather, they hope to encourage people to begin the much more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own. “This I Believe” is independently produced by This I Believe, Inc. in Louisville, Ky., and Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Mass.
“This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women” is available for purchase online and at local bookstores, including Winchester Book Gallery, Borders and Books-A-Million. The Shenandoah University libraries have copies on reserve. Winchester’s Handley Regional Library has more than 25 copies available for check-out as well as the downloadable audio book.
How to submit an essay for “This I Believe”
Go to www.thisibelieve.org/essaywritingtips.html or go to the Handley Regional Library “One Book” Web page at http://www.hrl.lib.state.va.us/handley/beyondbooks.asp?loc=4 and select “Write Your Own Essay.” When you choose “Information on Submitting Your Own Essay,” you need to accept the “This I Believe” submission forms. You may then fill out a form which will include your essay and some information about yourself. If possible, on the second address line, include information that affiliates you with Winchester’s One Book, One Community project. For instance, you could write “One Book/Shenandoah student” or “One Book/Shenandoah faculty” or “One Book/Winchester resident.” Read the “This I Believe” privacy policy. Be brief – 350 to 500 words – and be positive. State what you believe, not what you do not believe.