A Great Facilitator of “Great Decisions”
Lifelong Learning with Lenbrook’s Award-Winning Great Decisions Group
About six years ago, Lenbrook needed a new facilitator for its long-running “Great Decisions” discussion group. This lively and insightful group meets every two weeks, in winter and spring, to tackle “eight of the most thought-provoking, current foreign policy issues facing Americans.” It uses a curriculum developed annually by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Foreign Policy Association and studied by over a thousand discussion groups across the country every year.
Enter Dr. Emmett Herndon, new to Lenbrook at the time, but well-schooled in intellectual pursuits, spirited conversation and a natural group leader. “I got roped into it,” Emmett chuckles. And lucky for Lenbrook.
Well Rounded, Well Schooled
It’s as if Emmett was tailor-made for the assignment: He’s a World War II veteran. A man with not one, but two degrees from Princeton Seminary. A doctorate from Emory. A bachelors degree from the University of Florida. And a devoted husband and father for over half a century. Well-rounded and well-schooled by any measure.
Emmett’s no stranger to leading discussions either. He served as campus minister for Emory for several decades, and at one point, he was facilitating eight different faculty discussion groups monthly, all addressing current issues at the time.
An Award-Winning, True Discussion Group
“There are a lot of lecture groups out there regarding Great Decisions, but it’s harder to find a true discussion group,” Emmett explained. “That’s what I try to accomplish here at Lenbrook,” he said. He calls on participants to get things rolling and uses a set of transitions or segue ways to keep the group moving and to avoid letting any one person dominate the discussion.
“It’s a fun group, with people from one extreme to the other,” Emmett said. “The program has made a difference and what’s exciting is to hear people say right after the class that they ‘really learned something today.’ These are people with degrees, four or five with doctoral degrees.” The group reaches its 30-participant cap nearly every year.
Emmett’s format works. Lenbrook’s Great Decisions groups was presented with one of five honorable mentions from FPA in 2010, during its annual Frank R. Cella Memorial Award program that recognizes the achievement of individual Great Decisions discussion groups and shares their contributions and example with the rest of the national Great Decisions Network.
Foreign Policy is not so Foreign
To Emmett, the term “foreign policy” is a bit of a misnomer. Rather, he sees how global issues hold tremendous relevance to all people and directly impact lives in every part of the world. “These are issues that affect everything we do.” He adds that he believes water and overpopulation are growing issues and destined to move to the top of the issues list. Topics in the 2013 Great Decision curriculum include: The Future of the Euro; Egypt; NATO; Myanmar; Humanitarian Intervention; Iran; China in Africa; and Threat Assessment.
Lifelong Learning and Fun at Lenbrook
Lenbrook’s Great Decisions group is just one of several dozen groups and clubs formed within Lenbrook to enable residents to continue to pursue their passions and interests, including everything from book clubs, bridge tournaments and bocce ball to painting, wood-working and dancing. Check out Lenbrook’s Activities here.