Reading for the Learning, and the Joy of It

When Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, associate professor of education, and Chair of Student Activities Chadd Huizenga ’15 of Highland, Indiana, teamed up to create a fun space to read, the result was a new group on campus called the Readers’ Guild.The Readers’ Guild resembles the set-up of a book club, with each “club” being led by a professor and featuring a book of the professor’s choosing.

The Guild gives professors the opportunity to recommend books they may not be able to fit into their syllabi or that may not connect directly to their disciplines.

“How great, to talk about a book with your professor, not because it was assigned, but just because it is a great book,” said Boerman-Cornell.

With seven professors and seven different books, students this fall had a variety of literature from which to choose.

“The goal of Readers’ Guild is to offer something that is academic and fun,” said Bianca Solis ’17, programming chair of Student Activities. “We hope that this may draw students who perhaps are not attracted to bigger events on campus.”

Community building is another important aspect of the new Guild.

“Readers’ Guild will not only bring together people who love books, but it will also bring them together to discuss ideas,” Boerman-Cornell said. “The community that emerges when people who care about ideas come together to talk about them is the sort of community that can change the world.”

The professors participating for the fall semester and the books chosen, include:

• Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, associate professor of education – The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
• Dr. Karen Dieleman, associate professor of English – Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
• Dr. Erick Sierra, assistant professor of English – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Dr. John Fry, professor of history – Almost Pioneers, edited by John Fry
• Dr. Aron Reppmann ’92, professor of philosophy – The Art of Philosophy: Wisdom as a Practice by Peter Sloterdijk
• Dr. John Sebestyen, associate professor of theater – The Habitation of Dragons by Horton Foote
• Dr. Bill Van Groningen, Chaplain – Deepening Community: Finding Joy Together in Chaotic Times by Paul Born