TheStrip is what education should be, but almost never is. It has been the most significant academic community of my career. In the midst of a large university we built a collegial community bound not so much by an interest in technology or by the academic study of religion or my earning degrees or grades, as by the sheer excitement of intellectual and creative challenge and the promise for personal growth. And by the camaraderie forged by the common effort. The group demonstrated that when we are passionate and deeply caring about what we do, blistering honesty, unbridled criticism, transcending creativity, boundless enthusiasm, unquestioned responsibility are simply necessary, never questioned. To survive in this community, one has had to be strong personally and intellectually, yet a team player; one has had to be inspired and inspiring; one has had to know commitment and selflessness; one has had to have a good sense of humor, a razor sharp wit, and a quickness to heal. Complacency, laziness, hesitancy have not been tolerated. Merely to be a colleague has demanded that each transcend self-expectations and strive to attain one's highest potential. Despite the strong temperament that has consistently characterized the group (so powerful that it doubtless scared some away), the group has shown compassion and deep feeling (often awkwardly expressed) for one another. Great has been the measure of the intellectual and personal growth, the awakening vitality and passion, the blossoming creativity and sensitivity of so many Strippers. The knowledge, the intellectual sophistication, the creativity of my colleagues has often amazed me. I find it peculiarly satisfying - signaling some sort of purity at a time when it no longer exists - that we have all done this largely voluntarily and with minimal institutional support. We have each joyfully offered what we have had to give; each gladly benefitted from the exchange. Yes, this is what education should be; how could anyone settle for less?
