Presentation Speech by Mr. Christopher Wachal
February 7, 2005
I was introduced to Dr. Bill Stephens in the spring of 2002, my second semester at Creighton. As has become the norm, he was spending his free time with his students – in this instance, spending Friday afternoon at a barbeque sponsored by students from Creighton’s Honors Program.
I had heard a good deal about Dr. Stephens from a close friend. He was described as a jovial fellow, an excellent teacher, a Cubs fan, and – most importantly – an individual with an undying concern for his students. On this occasion, he proved each true in turn – wearing his beloved Cubs windbreaker, Dr. Stephens brought his particular expertise in logic and classic philosophy to the students’ debate of the afternoon – who would win in a fight: a lion or a gorilla? Not only did he prove through a series of syllogisms that a lion would be the unchallenged victor, Dr. Stephens did so in a way that engaged and challenged the students present to think in a new and uncomfortable way. It is for this approach to the lives of students that Dr. Stephens is honored today.
This approach combines the consistently inaccessible world of philosophy with the real-world experiences of college students to foster a holistic learning experience. In the spring of 2003, Dr. Stephens involved Creighton students in a community-wide reading of Lysistrata in protest of the impending war in Iraq. When controversy arose about Creighton students presenting a performance of The Vagina Monologues, he was one of the first faculty members to volunteer his support by sitting on a panel addressing the issues in the play. He has become a student favorite as the moderator of Creighton’s College Bowl tournament. As a representative of Creighton to greater Omaha, Dr. Stephens has appeared on various radio and TV broadcasts bringing the discourse of philosophy to a community not always open to engaging intellectual discussion.
But the greatest of Dr. Stephens’ achievements are to be found in the classroom. It is there that his dedication to students is most evident. As more and more professors move toward the one-way media of PowerPoint presentations and web-based research, Dr. Stephens’ emphasis on critical inquiry and the importance of dialogue in the classroom is innovative in spirit if not in form. His interest in the lives and concerns of his students makes Dr. Stephens stand head-and-shoulders above his colleagues when it comes to making information relevant to the contemporary world. For maintaining the viability and personal approach of the lecture-based classroom in an increasingly impersonal age, we honor Dr. Stephens. For encouraging students to take critical thought to contexts outside the classroom, thereby ensuring future alumni are engaged members of civil society, it is my personal pleasure to present The 2005 Fr. Tom Schloemer Teaching for Tomorrow Award to Dr. William O. Stephens.
1. I had the pleasure of taking class from Dr. Stephens in the Fall of 2002. I had met him at an Honors Program function the semester prior. Not only did Dr. Stephens remember me from the previous spring, he remembered a significant portion of the conversation and reopened our discussion on the first day of class. Since then I have taken one additional class from Dr. Stephens and have enjoyed numerous conversations with him outside the classroom. He is one of the few professors I consider a friend.
2. Dr. Stephens serves on numerous committees and panels in the university and is a respected, outspoken leader in all of them. He is the current president of Creighton’s chapter of the American Association of University Presidents and has served as an executive in one capacity or another since 2002. Dr. Stephens’ rapport with students is legendary. He serves as the faculty moderator for the Creighton Chess & Games Club and has become a popular host of Creighton's College Bowl Tournament. He has never been one to discount student responsibility, however. Dr. Stephens served on the University Committee on Student Discipline for three years.
Dr. Stephens’ involvement goes beyond the confines of Creighton’s campus. As state coordinator of the Humane Society of the United States, Dr. Stephens combines his belief in philosophical vegetarianism and animal rights with his dedication to political activism. He, along with his colleague Dr. Michael Brown, have twice appeared on Omaha radio station KIOS in a segment on philosophy called “Quieting Quandaries.” He has regularly appeared on local television and radio bringing the discourse of philosophy to a community not always open to engaging intellectual discussion.
3. Dr. Stephens is among the few teachers who can consistently maintain students’ interest in the traditional, lecture-based classroom. To call Dr. Stephens innovative would be a touch disingenuous. However, his care for students is exemplary, refreshing, and certainly original. No student in Dr. Stephens’ classroom is allowed to avoid participating in the discussion. No student’s question or challenge ever goes without concern. No one is ever made to feel unqualified to participate in the discussion. This concern for engaging students in the sometimes esoteric world of philosophy is admirable and, I feel, unparalleled at Creighton.
As more and more professors move toward the one-way media of PowerPoint presentations and web-based research, Dr. Stephens’ emphasis on critical inquiry and the importance of dialogue in the classroom is innovative in spirit if not in form. His interest in the lives and concerns of his students makes Dr. Stephens stand head-and-shoulders above his colleagues when it comes to making information relevant to the contemporary world.
4. Dr. Stephens’ teaching style is one that mandates critical thinking. This emphasis is one integral to participation in philosophical discourse. More importantly, Dr. Stephens exemplifies the academic dimension of the Jesuit ideal “Forming and Educating Agents for Change.” By imploring his students to apply the critical thinking skills and knowledge of the history of Western thought acquired in his classroom to contemporary situations, Dr. Stephens encourages the kind of participation in civic issues that Jesuit institutions seek to promote. As an active participant in the life of the University, he embodies the concerned community member Creighton claims to hold as its ideal.
5. Dr. Stephens has quite literally changed Creighton from the ground up. In the mid-1990’s he spearheaded an effort to reduce the amount of waste produced by Creighton facilities. The resulting Waste Reduction Advisory Committee recommended changes to Creighton policies and procedures that have affected the way the university community operates internally and interacts with the Omaha area. For this work, Dr. Stephens and others received the William F. Kelley, S.J. Outstanding Service Achievement Award in 1996.
As a leader in Creighton’s community of scholars, Dr. Stephens gives back to both students and faculty. His focus is always on improving the University and its members. For this reason, he recently chaired the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Development Committee. In the past, Dr. Stephens has chaired the Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility ensuring a free and open environment in which all can learn equally. In this same spirit, Dr. Stephens was among the first faculty members to volunteer his time and support when students sought to perform The Vagina Monologues in the 2002-03 school year. He served on the faculty panel discussing the issues surrounding the controversial play. The spring semester of that same year, Dr. Stephens involved Creighton students in a community-wide reading of Lysistrata in protest of the impending war. This confluence of concern for students, ethical action, and unique educational opportunities makes Dr. Stephens an excellent example of giving back to the Creighton community in the hopes of improving it.
6. In the 2001-2002 academic year, I watched my close friend Pat change from just another mildly inquisitive Creighton pre-med to a thinker of profound depth and humanity. This transformation, I’m sure Pat would admit, was largely a result of the courses he took from Dr. Stephens. I saw Pat go from a Sunday-morning Catholic to a critical, reflective, concerned person of deep conviction and principle. The impetus for this change was the combination of principles and methods of inquiry Pat learned in his courses in philosophical ethics and logic. Dr. Stephens went out of his way to foster Pat’s new inquisitiveness, inviting him into upper division courses and offering to discuss the concepts with him outside the classroom. This personal treatment, Cura Personalis, is characteristic of Dr. Stephens’ method and has significantly impacted each and every student who has come through his classroom.
7. An unparalleled concern for the lives of students in and out of the classroom combined with an innate desire to maximize the academic potential of a Jesuit institution like Creighton make Dr. Stephens the model of teaching against which all his colleagues ought to be compared.