Vision & Mission

 

The Rufus Jones Society promotes leadership informed by the principals and examples expressed through the life and works of Rufus Jones and other such leaders inspired by the light of the spirit within.

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About the Rufus Jones Society

A Distinct Perspective

Rufus M. Jones’s life and thought represents a distinct perspective on leadership and service that is of critical importance for Haverford College and the world. We are committed to finding ways to ensure that his model of leadership and service serves as an integral part of the Haverford experience for students, faculty, alumni, and community members.

A Remarkable Life

As a teacher, scholar, theoretician of modern Quakerism, and founder of the American Friends Service Committee, Rufus Jones presents a remarkable model of a life well-lived. His leadership ethos, grounded in a joyful spirituality and optimistic approach to problem solving, serves as a powerful example that can and should inform how leadership and character are taught and nurtured at Haverford College.

Model of Leadership

The vital life force that Rufus Jones brought to Haverford is more needed than ever in a world defined by accelerating change, social dislocation, and increasing instability. What is so powerful about Rufus Jones’s model of leadership is the intentional connection between critical inquiry, purposeful action, and spritual/social/emotional grounding. It is the intersection of these three areas that builds the foundation of character that is both essential for a life of consequence and the very purpose of a Haverford education.

Rufus Jones and Haverford Today

The Rufus Jones Society wants to explore how the leadership principles of Rufus Jones – which include a focus on mindfullness/self mastery, a reverence for truth, and an inclusive ethos that treats the dignity of conscience of every individual as inviolate – can form a more comprehensive and integral part of the Haverford experience We believe that every Haverford student should learn about Rufus Jones and that an ongoing engagement with his legacy can inspire an evolution of ideas to meet future challenges.

Rufus Jones and Haverford in the Future

We believe that an effective approach to keeping the ethos of Rufus Jones alive and well at Haverford will require a permanent institutional structure and should aim to build fellowship among generations of alumni interested in leadership and service. The mission of the Rufus Jones Society is to ensure that this infrastructure is built so that Rufus Jones’s fierce spirit for social progress and joyful self-mastery remains central to what it means to be a part of the Haverford College community.

Principles of the Rufus Jones Society

We seek to build a diverse and inclusive community of Fords committed to leadership development and the ethos of Rufus Jones, with representation across every demographic. We also hope to create a group that is horizontally integrated acoss alumni but also vertically integrated to include students. Rufus Jones was a strong believer in the intelligence and agency of students, and this value should be reflected in the Rufus Jones Society, which seeks to create a more robust and meaningful relationship between students and alumni.

Impacting Our Future

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There is in most of us a vast acreage of our inner estate which has never been touched by the plow. It remains uncultivated. We are this, we have been this, but how much more we might be. Coming to our self, our true self, and reaching out with divine help and the gift of Grace to win the whole of oneself is to be ‘spiritual-minded.

- Rufus Jones

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02

Jan

Conference

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06

Jan

Discussion Night

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23

Jan

Book Group

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