Cofacilitators of the Grace Ann Geibel Institute for Justice and Social Responsibility: (l to r) Maureen Crossen, James Kelly, and Irene Lietz.

INSPIRED BY THE SERVICE and incredible personal sacrifice of the Sisters of Mercy, whose movement to alleviate the suffering of women, the poor, the sick, the uneducated, and the oppressed spread from Ireland throughout the world, the Grace Ann Geibel Institute for Justice and Social Responsibility is advancing the Mercy mission through research, education, and outreach.

Launched in the spring of 2005 through the Elsie Hilliard Hillman Endowment for the Grace Ann Geibel Institute for Justice and Social Responsibility, named in honor of former University president, Sister Grace Ann Geibel, for her years of commitment to the University and service to the community, the institute now supports 11 research, education, and outreach projects; has held its first public conference; and is convening a series of social justice conversations with stakeholders.

Irene Lietz, MA, English/professional writing program, and one of the co-facilitators of the institute, says that whether it’s a conference, research, or community education, all of the institute’s activities address the core question, “What makes a just society?”

To date, the institute has awarded seed money, small grants up to $1500, to Carlow faculty and staff. Their projects include: the Project to End Human Trafficking; Education of Special Needs Children across Cultures; My Mother’s House: “A Process for Restoring the Villages”; Dionne’s Project for Safe Relationships; Health Promotion Initiatives in Peru; Public Art Project; Symposium on Gender and Delinquency; Study to Support Rape Victims; a Resource Liaison for Children with Brain Cancer; Conversations About Race; and a Forum on Media Reform and Social Justice.

James Kelly, PhD, associate professor in the School for Social Change, who is also a co-facilitator of the institute along with Lietz and Maureen Crossen, PhD, associate professor of theology, was the force behind the institute’s creation. He says he was inspired by a conversation he had with a Carlow alumna who stated, “If there’s one institution in the region that should take a stand for social justice, it’s Carlow University.” Kelly knew right then he had to make it happen because she was right; Carlow had to lead the way.

“Justice opens the doors of society to people who are traditionally left out, inviting them in, addressing their cares and concerns,” says Kelly. “It raises people who are on the bottom to the top. It’s what the Sisters of Mercy are all about.”

In a matter of days, he took up the cause with then-president of Carlow University, Sister Grace Ann Geibel, who staunchly supported the idea. Kelly tapped Moe Coleman and Terry Miller from the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics (IOP) to assist him in building consensus among the administration and faculty members, and to establish a framework for such an institute, based on the facilitative model of IOP. Their collaboration resulted in the $1 million endowment from The Hillman Foundation that made the institute a reality.

Kelly describes the institute as “a collaborative entity in which all social justice energy comes together to represent what Carlow was founded to do.” He points out that many faculty members were already working on projects related to social justice. What the existence of the institute does is provide a home or focal point for these projects going on in various disciplines, and institutionalizes Carlow’s social justice activities.

According to Lietz, “The faculty members who receive awards are attempting to alleviate injustice through their areas of expertise by extending their work into the community. Their projects benefit the University as well because they bring that knowledge and experience back to the classroom. It’s a dynamic process of knowledge and practice that engages the community, faculty, students, and staff.”

The passion for justice, egalitarianism, and proof of the power of collaboration is a hallmark of the institute’s leadership team. “We wanted a more facilitative mode of operation, more of a feminist leadership model,” says Kelly. “We wanted to work from strengths and interests as opposed to a job description or an ensconced position.”

Rather than implementing a typical hierarchical structure, Kelly, Crossen, and Lietz serve as co-facilitators—each equally contributing their skills and expertise.

“The three of us bring our gifts and skills and respect for each other to the table,” says Crossen. “There’s no competition. And our hope is that the creative way in which we work together spills over into everyone who engages with the institute.”

Crossen says their leadership model borrows from the Catholic notion of “charism,” which refers to a unique gift that is offered to change the world. Each person has a particular gift to give to others. Kelly’s gift is vision and the ability to inspire others. Lietz’s gift is her expertise in the nuts and bolts of administration and operations, along with her grant and proposal writing skills. Crossen brings knowledge of theology and the Sisters of Mercy, and most importantly the process of reflection.

The process of reflection involves taking the time to pause and consider the topic of the reflection, and can involve a period of sharing; it creates the context for the discussion. The process also broadens people’s perspectives so they can look at an issue from different viewpoints. The result is an atmosphere of openness and connectedness among participants.

“It’s built into all of the institute’s meetings and activities,” Crossen says. “We start everything—meetings, conferences, workshops—with a reflective process. Telling others stories of our experiences breaks down barriers—all of sudden the people in the room or sitting around the table aren’t strangers anymore. It promotes a spirit of collaboration.”

Central to the process of reflection is the belief that what people do matters—as individuals and as a group.

“If I had to point to the recurring thread that runs through each project and activity, it is coming to an understanding, a constant evolving awareness, of the impact our actions and decisions have on others, especially the disenfranchised and oppressed,” says Kelly.

“The operational question is, what am I doing, what can I do, or what decisions am I making or can I make that can ameliorate injustice? Then the question expands to include ‘we.’ What are we doing? What are we deciding, together, to make a difference? It’s essentially the same question the original Sisters of Mercy asked.”

Collaboration, acting from the belief that “we’re all in this together,” generates an enormous amount of enthusiasm for social change. Because the nature of injustice is diffuse and pervasive and isolating, it’s only when people come together that change happens.

As the antidote for injustice, collaboration is integral to all of the projects receiving seed money. Kelly points to the Project for Human Trafficking as one example.

“The project provides the nexus for an issue that involves so many different aspects of society. This project connects Human Health Services to law enforcement to religious communities to other organizations to provide collaboration because each entity working on its own won’t have any real effect. A combined effort is necessary to combat human trafficking.”

The necessity of making connections with others was also highlighted at the first conference held by the institute in March 2007, the result of joint efforts among the institute, the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics and School of Social Work, and Carnegie Mellon University.

The conference, Power Through Collaboration: A Women’s Human Rights Perspective, featured keynote speaker, Dr. Rita Arditti, professor emerita of the Union Institute and University and author of Searching For Life: The Grandmothers of the Plaza De Mayo and the Disappeared Children of Argentina. Arditti relayed how local protests to demand the return of “the disappeared” by several women— grandmothers—blossomed into a national movement that resulted in international awareness of Argentina’s human rights atrocities.

Not surprisingly, based on feedback from the breakout session, the outcome of the conference was a call for more collaboration. In response to this need, the institute is facilitating social justice conversations with the community.

“The first issue we’re addressing is domestic violence,” says Lietz, who currently provides leadership for Dionne’s Project for Safe Relationships, an educational model for bringing domestic violence awareness to college campuses.

“First we’re holding planning meetings to discuss collaboration focusing on education, intervention strategies, and policy implications. The goal is to identify the purpose, direction, format, and key players to invite to the broader conversation that will include local policy makers to explore policy that will benefit domestic violence initiatives.”

The institute plans to use this first conversation as a test case, a model, on which to base future dialogues for other issues. In addition to social justice conversations, Kelly, Lietz, and Crossen say the next steps for the institute are to bring in more funding so the institute can sponsor internships, offer loans, and grow the staff; assist faculty and staff in securing more awards from other foundations so their projects can be self-sustaining; develop a speaker series on social justice; and continue to explore creative avenues and identify collaborative opportunities to advance justice.

“The institute is the vehicle for the practical application of what Carlow stands for,” says Kelly. “It provides a way to channel support for faculty research, promote student learning, and establish outreach.

“It’s one answer to the questions, How does what we do affect the poor, the oppressed, the people who have been marginalized and left out? How can we do our part to create a just society, as we continue the mission of the original Sisters of Mercy, by working to eradicate oppression, violence, and bigotry.”

Back to top