committee to form “student inspired courses” and is working on innovative ways to initiate new programs and courses. As part of a $1 million faculty development grant from Lilly Endowment, which Friedman assisted in procuring, she herself was granted a small portion to conduct research on the psychological needs of day school students. This summer, Friedman attended a highly selective program at Smith College
that focused on investigating, reflecting, and discussing the practice of contemplative studies and the benefits of stabilized attention and concentration. This program helped her learn more about how to institute contemplative practices, which helps reduce stress, slows down and focuses the mind, and develops purposeful reflection and deep concentration. She hopes to present her findings to Indiana Tech students, faculty, and staff. As if her plate wasn’t full enough, Friedman also is one of the initiators of the upcoming “RelationshipBased Education Symposium” that will be held on the Fort Wayne campus on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Faculty, staff, administrators, trustees and students are all encouraged to attend. The purpose of the symposium is to have an open dialogue about the concept and meaning of relationship-based education and its meaning for Indiana Tech. The event is considered a “practice” for a national symposium on this topic proposed for 2006 on the Indiana Tech campus. Friedman’s influence on Indiana Tech is widely apparent and after all these years she continued to be a leader in our educational community.
Friedman stands next to the cardboard cut-out of Albert Einstein she keeps in her office. Eisntein was a major inspiration to her career as an educator.
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Trends | Fall 2005