[Springboard] ICA Living Archives

[Terry Bergdall]

Twenty people associated with ICA -- their names are listed below --  
spent three days in Oklahoma, 6-8 October 2009, meeting with several  
faculty members of Oklahoma City University (OCU). This was in follow- 
up to a series of activities that have recently taken place between  
ICA and OCU and was at the invitation of Mark Davies, Dean of the  
Petree College of Arts and Sciences.

"Oikos" is an honors program at OCU and other universities that aims  
to prepare students for the challenges of the Twenty-first Century –-  
especially in regard to sustainability, peace, and economic justice.  
Dean Davies sees that the rich history of the Ecumenical Institute /  
Institute of Cultural Affairs has positioned it to make a unique  
contribution to this effort. The purpose of the meeting in October was  
to think through possible ways that Oikos and ICA might work together  
to prepare people to respond to the moral responsibilities and  
spiritual implications of today's world. Proposals from the meeting  
have set in motion plans for Oikos and ICA to co-sponsor a program to  
be held on the OCU campus during the summer of 2010. This will be an  
open public event with students, faculty, and ICA associates exploring  
research and engagement questions.

The meeting in October was preceded by a visit to Chicago in July by  
Christina Wolf, senior archivist at OCU. She spent three days  
rummaging around the 170+ filing cabinets containing ICA's archival  
material stored in the basement of 4750 N. Sheridan. She then produced  
a formal report with recommendations for the proper care,  
organization, and phasing of work to prepare them for public use. This  
will be an invaluable resource in writing grant proposals. It has also  
set the stage for discussions about the ICA archives eventually being  
housed on the OCU campus.

While this is only a very brief report about the emerging relationship  
between OCU/Oikos and ICA, more detailed information will soon be  
posted on both the Oiko and ICA-USA websites. Please keep a lookout  
for more to come.

Relevant websites:
www.okcu.edu/
www.oikosmovement.org/
www.ica-usa.org

Photos of the meeting can be viewed athttp://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=20251256529022937/l=3425571017/g=8476099/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Those in attendance at Oklahoma City were Terry Bergdall, Anne Clement  
(Oklahoma associate), Mark Davies (OCU Dean of Liberal Arts), Jack and  
Judy Gillis, Mirja Hanson, Dann May (OCU faculty), Diann McCabe, Rita  
Newton (OCU faculty), Elise Packard, Bill Parker, Marge Philbrook, Jan  
Sanders, David and Margaret Scott, Karen Sims, Jim Taylor (Oklahoma  
associated and retired OCU faculty), Jim Troxel, George Walters, Pat  
Webb, Jim and Jo Wheeler (Oklahoma associates), Jim Wiegel, and Randy  
Williams. Note that current and former EI/ICA staff members have not  
been given any other identification.