Welcome from the Kenan Insider
By Rachel Revelle
Hello all! I am glad you have found your way to the redesigned Kenan Institute for Ethics website, and welcome to The Kenan Insider! As my tagline says, I will use this space to discuss happenings both at the Institute and at Duke, and to think about what it may mean to “live the ethical life.” Allow me to tell you a little about my insider’s perspective.
A 2011 graduate of Duke, I have just completed a full year working at the Kenan Institute, and couldn’t be happier. My first exposure to Kenan was through DukeEngage Dublin after my freshman year, which inspired me to complete the Ethics Certificate Program. Through these experiences and others, Kenan provided cohesion to my academic experience unlike anything else at Duke. So when I was interested in entering the field of higher education, there was no better fit than my own alma mater, and the program that had helped define my goals and interests. Now I get to see things from the operational side, and am constantly learning more about the university – in many ways I am more informed about university life now than I was as a student! While gaining practical skills, I also have first-hand knowledge of interesting content coming out of any one of our centers and initiatives. Working with students who are in a position similar to mine just a few years ago is also extremely gratifying.
Some highlights from the year were planning for the 2012 Kenan Distinguished Lecture in Ethics featuring Professor Paul Ekman; working with a talented team from the Institute to sponsor this year’s Duke Winter Forum on Refugees, Rights, and Resettlement; and hosting all manner of fascinating speakers through our Monday Seminar Series. All of these events brought together interesting subsets of the university, and all probed at real-world ethical challenges in a way that kept my brain spinning!
Right now I am very interested in concepts of community, and how we engage with the groups we belong to. With this framework in mind, I am excited about helping lead Kenan’s pre-orientation program Project Change this week – look out for more on that soon. This framework also leads me to think about how both individuals, and institutions like Kenan, should be citizens of the university community. That will be an ongoing exploration.
I’m looking forward to covering our diverse work at Kenan, and hope to illustrate ways in which research, education, and practice can together promote more nuanced ethical reflection. There’s always something exciting going on around here, so stay tuned! Feel free to offer your feedback, or let me know of interesting news on campus.
Best wishes for the upcoming year, from the Kenan Insider!
