CIEL Voices & Visions: A Student Journal
Courage to Question - Courage to Dream

Editors' Introduction

Those who have imagination without learning have wings and no feet.
   –Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
  -Scott Adams, cartoonist (1957- )

This collection of words and images brings together the work of students from five different colleges (Fairhaven College, Hampshire College, New College, Pitzer College and Daemen College) members of the Consortium of Innovative Environments for Learning (CIEL). The pieces reflect the voices and visions of the students in these colleges: their courage to risk, to make mistakes, to question, to dream. They also provide a small window into ways these innovating colleges attempt to work with students. Most of these pieces were created in response to a question in a writing or printmaking class, a prompt for an external learning journal, or a project in a class addressing a theme or issue. Some were created outside of any class or formal projects as expressions of voice and vision.

Editing this on-line journal has been both a challenge and a joy. We despaired when the submissions trickled in slowly. We rejoiced when our e-mail boxes filled up with remarkable work and pleas to consider them even though it was the week after the deadline. We struggled to imagine how all these pieces might play out in virtual format. So behold! We put together a format that will allow you, the readers, some choices:

•  to follow a set of themes and counterpoints through from beginning to end

•  to sample some pieces (via hyper-link)

•  to return as often as possible.

We want to thank the CIEL campus coordinators from the participating colleges (Pitzer- Kebokile Dengu-Zvobgo, Hampshire- Larry Beede, New College - Mark Taylor and Charlene Callahan, Daemen- Ed Clausen) for responding to our e-mails hounding them about parameters and deadlines and for gathering the pieces from their campuses. We also extend a special thanks to Ted Pope from Arizona International College for doing all the interface work with the webmasters. Our thanks also go to the Fund for the Improvement for Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) for the grant that has supported the developing collaboration among and between our campuses. Finally, we want to express our gratitude to our students for sharing their voices and visions.

The Editors

Marie Eaton and J.T. Stewart

Fairhaven College at Western Washington University