Meet the New Endowed Mission Chair for Women’s Education: Nawojka Lesinski, PhD
By Eleanor Anderson
Dr. Lesinski - Professor of Political Science - plans to use existing spaces on campus to further discussions among students about relevant events through dialogue series titled After Words.
St. Catherine University was founded on the principle of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet to “do all of which woman is capable and which will most benefit the dear neighbor.” One of the ways the institution aims to accomplish this is through three Mission Chairs centered on the core values of St. Kate’s: women, liberal arts, and catholic identity. This summer, Political Science Professor Nawojka Lesinski stepped into the role of Mission Chair for Women’s Education with the intention of embracing the Sister’s message by elevating the high levels of engagement she already sees among students.
“Our students are a resource,” Lesinski explained. “Many of them come to St. Kate’s very politically engaged, very civilly engaged, very engaged in general.” Unfortunately, our campus struggled to harness this engagement outside of classes or formal, campus-wide events. Lesinski noticed students wanting time and space for organized dialogue but lacking the resources to make this kind of initiative happen.
The idea is clear: “Embrace women’s education and channel it into a form of leadership in the public sphere,” said Lesinksi. The world around us - both at St. Kate’s and the larger public realm - is teeming with fodder for conversation. It isn’t enough for students to witness or read about these events. We need places to unpack everything that happens and engage in constructive dialogue.
To make that happen, Lesinski is kicking off a new, low-stakes discussion series called After Words: student-facilitated conversations initiated by student leaders that utilize existing resources and momentum on campus. When something happens that students want to discuss - an event at the O’Shaughnessy, a change in University protocols, or a recent political action - students will work with Lesinski to reserve space in the Abigail Quigley Center for Women and provide snacks for an After Words discussion. Student leaders will lead the conversation so that it caters to student interest while maintaining some structure. “It allows [students] to practice your organizing and facilitating chops in a safe space,” said Lesinski. To incentivize initiating these discussions, student leaders will be paid for facilitating the conversation.
The goal is not to gather exclusively students with similar beliefs but rather to converse with students from different perspectives to more deeply understand current events. The social justice frameworks of the CSSJ’s are embedded in St. Kate’s courses, but that doesn’t mean that every student knows how to engage beyond structured events. After Words strives to make this kind of dialogue more prevalent in public spaces on campus.
Lesinski sees these discussions as places where students can “channel their frustration and find students who are equally concerned” while also creating space for people who aren’t concerned to “pay attention” to the evolving social climate around them.
Look for upcoming After Words discussions happening on campus, and reach out to Lesinski (nklesinski378@stkate.edu) if you’re interested in initiating a conversation.
