Session Description:

Throughout the liberal arts tradition, leadership is a recurrent theme that is treated in a manner consistent with the tradition’s understanding of human nature and purpose. Contemporary leadership scholarship and training, however, often are based on assumptions about the nature of human beings, organizations, and what it means to lead that are inconsistent with a liberal arts paradigm. This session attempts to restore leadership to the liberal arts tradition by exploring the historical and philosophical nature of leadership as a liberal art. Articulating a philosophical anthropology of leadership from within the liberal arts tradition provides a basis for leadership preparation, development, and evaluation that aligns with the foundational assumptions of classical Christian schools. This session will help current leaders, aspiring leaders, and thoughtful educators alike work toward such an alignment by rethinking what it means to be a leader within the liberal arts tradition.

Bio:

Dr. David Diener works at Hillsdale College where he is an Assistant Professor of Education. Previously he spent fifteen years in K-12 private education, eleven of those in administration and eight as headmaster of classical Christian schools. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Alcuin Fellowship, the Board of Directors for the Society for Classical Learning, and the Board of Academic Advisors for the Classic Learning Test. He also is the Director of the Alcuin Fellowship Midwest Chapter, a member of the National Council of Classical Educators, and regularly provides consulting services and teacher training to classical schools. He is the author of Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator and has published articles on Plato, Kierkegaard, and various topics in philosophy of education. He also serves as the series editor for Classical Academic Press’ series Giants in the History of Education and is an associate editor for the journal Principia: a Journal of Classical Education. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Ancient Languages from Wheaton College as well as an MA in Philosophy, an MS in History and Philosophy of Education, and a dual PhD in Philosophy and Philosophy of Education from Indiana University.