Service: Seriously

Richard Celeste, president of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, came to Albuquerque today to consider, as he titled his talk, "Service in Our Changing World." Celeste's presentation was part of the Jack and Joanna Grevey Visiting Scholar for Democracy series at Albuquerque Academy. A hundred or so people took the time from their Sunday afternoon.

Celeste has a long resume of service, starting with being an assistant to the American ambassador to India in the 1960s. He was ambassador to India from 1997 to 2001. In between he was director of the Peace Corps and governor of Ohio.

Celeste's view of service is of what he calls "deep service," a distinction he didn't quite draw until the question time. He was talking about getting one's hands dirty, doing it right, and changing things. A key to his approach is a dictum from his grandmother, "To whom much is given, much is expected." Celeste's deep service has three parts:

* Learning about what one is going to do, preparing to understand what will and will not work.

* Sharing: Service is successful when it involves sharing skills. And, finally,

* Advocating: The final step, he said, is talking about what has been done in the service project/arena. One has the obligation, he said.

Fo the nation, Celeste said, there is a sense of unease in the country that is different from 15 or 20 years ago. "We've got to capture our own sense of self confidence."

Finally, gladdening the heart, he called "sustainability" a "very enthusiastic buzzword." 

Colorado College has long drawn a core of students from New Mexico. It is one of two colleges fitting these four criteria:

* Small, quality, liberal arts college.

* In the west.

* In a geographically congenial place.

* Near skiing.

The other college meeting these measures is St. John's College in Santa Fe.