Hi Everyone!

My name is Dr. Dave Houglum and I am one of the co-instructors (along with my awesome colleague Dr. Nina Henrichs-Tarasenkova) for LDR/THE 391X: Global Leadership and Archaeology: Unearthing the Past to Envision Our Future. I am the Director of Leadership and Leadership Professor of Practice at University of Portland and have been with UP for over 10 years. I have had the wonderful opportunity to create and lead numerous service, social justice, and leadership development related experiences and courses across the globe (in places such as Zambia, Philippines, Nicaragua, New Zealand, and India) and I am very excited to lead this new course and experience in Spain this summer. The University of Portland has had a decade of excellence at the archaeological site in Pollentia and we look forward to bringing this new transformative version of this experience to life this summer!

In this program, our students will be deliberately practicing UP’s seven leader character habits (Resilient, Courageous, Reflective, Prudent, Motivational, Empathic, and Purposefully Engaged) while also intentionally integrating and leveraging their leadership strengths in impactful and meaningful ways during our month in Spain. In this way, our experience in Spain serves as our leadership laboratory to experiment, reflect, learn, and grow! At the center of our experience in Spain, we will be working with students and professional archaeologists from the University of Barcelona in the common pursuit of excavating an ancient cemetery in Pollentia (Mallorca, Spain) that goes back about 2,000 years. Centimeter by centimeter, this collaborative archaeological work will also be a catalyst for participants to look inwardly to excavate our own complex layers as leaders and reflect on who we were, who we are, whose we are, and who we are becoming. Additionally, we will be navigating complex issues concerning archaeological ethics, leading across difference and borders, developing our intercultural competence, and wrestling with the “ultimate” questions of life pertaining to meaning, purpose, and legacy.

We will be in Spain for four weeks, with the majority of our time being spent on the beautiful island of Mallorca where the archaeological excavation will be occurring in the ancient city of Pollentia along with our colleagues and students from the University of Barcelona. We will also have a long weekend excursion for the students to experience many of the wonderful sites in Barcelona (such as the world famous La Sagrada Familia!). Our participants will be staying in three renovated 15^th century houses in the medieval walled city of Alcudia, which provides a vibrant context and community for the students to live, learn, reflect, and grow as leaders.

Sir Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  I am incredibly grateful for the “giant” Fr. Richard Rutherford, C.S.C. who is the founder (a.k.a “Godfather”) of UP’s program in Pollentia. It is because of his passion, vision, perseverance, and guidance that has made this program possible. His excitement about this project is contagious and has sparked deep curiosity, collaborative learning, and friendship among the participants. Thank you, Fr. Richard, for all you have done to make this year’s expedition to Pollentia a huge success!

To everyone reading, thank you for following our program’s blog. We hope that it is a wonderful way for you to connect with and accompany us on our journey in Spain. We also hope that the students’ blog reflections will inspire and challenge you and be a catalyst for your own reflection, learning, and growth. Hasta pronto! (See you soon!).

Thanks,

Dr. Dave Houglum