Over the next four years a large part of my life (and therefore blog entries) will be marked by my pursuit of a PhD at Eastern University in Philadelphia.
The PhD program I am a part of is very interdisciplinary in nature. It involves students in three tracks: 1) Business, 2) Education and 3) Non-Profit. But from the word 'go' those three are mixed together. I am glad that I have had experience in all three because it would be quite daunting otherwise - it seems everybody is a heavy hitter in one of those those tracks (e.g., directors of programs at Ivy League institutions and addictions centres, leaders in major relief organizations, senior management in large corporations, etc.) . Not only are there people from different backgrounds but there is a geographic diversity as well. The cohort brings together people from all over the place - Left Coast, Right Coast, Africa, South America, and a growing number of Canucks (Eastern may need to consider starting a Ice Hockey Team). And in a field that will require us to study the impact of the Glass Ceiling, my cohort group has more women than men.
What is even more amazing than our differences is they way we have been able to connect with one another. Up until this week we were names on email headers - I didn't know anything about them, nor they about me. Before we travelled to Philadelphia we received a booklet that gave a little bio and picture of our fellow cohorters (cohortees ...cohortians...??) but I still had no idea what to expect. It did not take long to develop a sense of community within our group. Some people stepped up to make sure logistics were taken care of. Others became gatekeepers in online and in class discussions to make sure people were heard from. The locals made sure we all got the skinny on where to get the best Philly Cheese Steaks (whether locally or in historic Philadelphia) and have started to get a line on 76ers tickets (possibly even Eagles tickets for next Sept). There is a shared sense of mission in our midst - its not just about individuals achieving their goals - it is about the whole cohort graduating and being PHinisheD.
I have to admit that was a new experience for me. Most of my adult life I have been around doctoral students - my dad was a professor, I spent time in research-heavy degree at the honours and graduate levels. Doctoral students are a competitive lot - you don't get there without being determined and focused. There is certainly a comraderie in their ranks - but there is also a scarcity mentality that says there is only so much pie - resources like profs' time, research funding, TA positions, etc. - and the more pieces it is cut into means that there is less for me!! At times it can be quite cut-throat.
Although it is early into this journey it seems that this won't be experience at Eastern. We spent one afternoon in our interdisciplinary groups sharing research interests and how they could relate to Leadership Studies (and ultimately our dissertations). Nobody hogged the conch - everybody shared ideas from their backgrounds, suggested different angles to pursue or other resources to explore so that we all had the benefit from the diverse expertise around us.
My church's tagline is "A place to Belong, Believe and Become." We see these as the ways that we create true Christian Community (not just a buzz-word version of it). This is what my week in Phillie felt like. There is a long way to go but it is great to now I won't be journeying alone - I have my cohort, my church and my family with me. In an initiative as solitary as a PhD it is comforting to have this growing sense of community around me!
Migwec,
Ehkosit.
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