Monday, January 13, 2014

To The Presidential Search Committee...Hear Us, Trust Us.

Allison Walter

Especially this past year, Saint Louis University has undergone a significant organizational shift. These changes have impacted the jobs of faculty, the education of students, and the future of this educational institution. As stakeholders in the university, the students and faculty deserve to express our opinions in the selection process of a new University President. I believe this is a justice issue because every action of a Christian university should work to further its mission, and the president is the person who sets that trajectory. 

As an interested student, my goal with the following documentary has been to encourage students and faculty to remain conscious of their continued role in shaping Saint Louis University for the future, to encourage these same groups to articulate what it is they expect from their university, and to reveal to those in authority the vital opinions of their stakeholders. I believe that the support of the people is important for leadership to be effective, and this documentary is a step toward ensuring that support is available for the new University President.

Beginning as the capstone project for my communication major, this project grew to be an act of advocacy. This documentary intends to convey what the students, faculty, and staff of Saint Louis University believe to be important in our next president. These stakeholder groups hope to help shape the future of Saint Louis University, and I hope to provide the Presidential Search Committee with a uniquely grassroots perspective to which those in authority may not have easy access. The purpose is that the Presidential Search Committee may view the documentary and take our values into genuine consideration.

DISCLAIMER: 
The primary audience for this project is the Presidential Search Committee members with a secondary audience of the Saint Louis University community. I, Allison Walter, identified, selected, and interviewed all of the participants. I also videotaped and edited all of the footage as well as produced the final video. The individuals interviewed for this project agreed to do so in order to support my creative academic project. It is important to note that none of the participants were seeking an opportunity to promote or convey any particular communication to the search committee. The participants were responding to my questions.

Click here to watch the documentary: