Can You Picture It? Curricular Imagination for the Transformative Art of Theological Education

This forum presents the written text (with added introduction) of remarks given at the installation of Mai-Anh Le Tran as academic dean at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Naming the “colonial design” (Jennings) buttressing contemporary theological education, Tran wonders how the cultivation of educational imagination might invigorate a vibrant and vital place-based curriculum for theological discovery and formation that does not anesthetize, but rather awakens our full, unfinished selves for sense-filled meaning-making and “utopian social dreaming” for the transformative art of religious leadership in changing and challenging times.

A Student-driven Landscape Design for a New Academic Building

Berry College offers a unique environment for learning with 28,000 acres of forests, meadows, lakes, and streams. This distinctly beautiful setting has encouraged environmental awareness among students and faculty on campus. The construction of an academic building to house the School of Math and Natural Sciences in a previously undisturbed, wooded site prompted students and faculty to become interested in the preservation of the site's natural characteristics. Students in the horticulture program worked closely with the Director of Horticulture and the Academic Dean to develop a plan to create a landscape that was both educationally and environmentally sound. The plan consisted of a detailed landscape design as well as the identification of the steps necessary to implement the design. The design incorporated ornamental plants and geological features native to the southeastern region of the United States with the plant species that existed on the site. The design contains such features as a wildflower meadow, an aquatic garden, rock gardens, and various native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers. Plant materials were properly labeled and brochures are made available to guests, students, and faculty interested in learning more about indigenous geological features and plant materials while touring the building and its landscape. The success of this project is due to the cooperation and participation of faculty, staff, and students and represents a unique learning opportunity.