Center for Renewal and Wholeness in Higher Education

• About Us
• Vision, Mission, Values
• History
• Sponsoring Organizations
• Distinguished Advocates
• Whole People
• Whole Organizations
• Whole Communities
• Facilitation Teams
• Richland's Role
• Team Visits
• Resources
• Contact Us
• View Brochure
• On-site Programs & Services
• View Baldrige Video

About Us

Vision, Mission, and Values

Our Vision
We cultivate communities that serve, where the balance of being and doing is honored and the essence of healthy relationships to self, others, and the earth is sustained.

Our Mission
Our mission is the renewal of whole people who form the heart of
whole organizations that are vital to sustaining whole communities.

Our Values
We believe that renewal is an organic, ongoing process that enhances whole people, whole organizations, and whole communities. Our values sustain us and give life to our work.

• Authenticity - We recognize that each person has an inner source of truth—an inner wisdom—that is the basis for the authentic self.
• Wholeness - We honor the unique journey of each individual, one that engages the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—in exploring the inner life.
• Relationships - We value relationships to self and others, acknowledging that inner work is enhanced by being in community, and that self-knowledge enriches our work in the world and our service to others.
• Hospitality - We create a hospitable space, inviting—never expecting or demanding—participation. In this space, participants can speak their truth without fear of judgment or “fixing” from others.
• Mindfulness - We pay attention wholeheartedly to ourselves and others—invoking silence, solitude, and deep listening.
• Trust - We affirm that relational trust is at the heart of our work. We hold each other in trust, neither invading nor evading one another.
• Confidentiality - We maintain a deep confidentiality that honors and affirms the integrity of each person and of the work we do.
• Inclusion - We welcome all to this work. We are enriched by hearing voices of diverse backgrounds and differing perspectives.

History

CRWHE’s predecessor organization—Center for Formation in the Community College [CFCC, 2001], which later became the Center for Formation in Higher Education [CFHE, 2006]—was launched by generous funding from the Fetzer Institute, sponsored by the League for Innovation in the Community College (League), and headquartered at the District Office of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD). Since August 2008 CRWHE has been hosted at Richland College and is supported by the DCCCD and the League. Since its inception in 2001, CRWHE has prepared some 110 facilitators from more than 45 institutions of higher learning to help shape the whole-person/whole-organization cultures on their campuses.

The Chambered Nautilus stands as the emblem for the CRWHE:
The chambered nautilus forms its shell and moves into progressively larger compartments as it grows. As each chamber is outgrown, the nautilus walls off its last chamber and lives in the latest and largest one. And yet it remains connected to the earlier chambers by a tube which pierces the walls. The nautilus navigates by exchanging gas and liquid through the tube. Like the nautilus, a person or [organization] … is constantly growing, moving into new chambers, closing the door on the past. And yet not utterly. There is always a necessary connection to what we have been, an exchange with the past we use to steer our course … [Renewal and wholeness help] us to build more stately mansions to live in, both as individuals and as institutions. The beautiful chambered nautilus is a fitting symbol of continuous growth, of a future that acknowledges and builds upon the past, of the outward manifesta tion of inner work.

CRWHE Sponsoring Organizations

DCCCD
The Dallas County Community College District has educated students and served area communities for more than 40 years. Each of DCCCD’S seven colleges -- Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake, and Richland -- is individually accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award certificates and associate’s degrees. DCCCD serves more than 70,000 credit and 30,000 continuing education students each semester at its campuses and locations throughout Dallas County. DCCCD is the largest undergraduate institution in the state of Texas and, to date, has welcomed more than 1.5 million students who have pursued associate’s degrees and certificates in more than 100 fields of study. Visit www.dcccd.edu for more information.

The League for Innovation
The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international organization dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement. The League hosts conferences and institutes, develops Web resources, conducts research, produces publications, provides services, and leads projects and initiatives with its member colleges, corporate partners, and other agencies in a continuing effort to make a positive difference for students and communities. Visit www.league.org for more information.

Richland College
For more than 35 years, Richland College of the Dallas County Community College District has focused on teaching, learning, and community building. Richland helps students build their future through courses that can be applied to the first two years of a baccalaureate degree, one- or two-year certificates in a number of career fields, and training in the latest technology for those who want to advance in their current careers. Richland’s student body, some 17,000 college credit students and 5,000 continuing education students each semester, is internationally and ethnically diverse, representing more than 130 nations and more than 80 first languages.

National Distinguished Advocates

The National Distinguished Advocates are a group of prominent college leaders who help inform, shape, and promote the vision, mission, values, and work of CRWHE.