Dean Brand Delivers Lecture on Hope

Brand's talk touched on how hope is both defined and maintained, and the responsibility all people share for keeping hope alive. In considering these questions, he discussed his experiences in Cambodia working with families who suffered at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, the civil rights movement, and the teachings of his own Jewish faith. 

"As long as we are alive, we seem to be hard wired to look for hope, somewhere, somehow," Brand said. "We carry humanity's instinctual search for the slightest ray of light to ignite the hope that is within us, no matter what the circumstances might be." 

The lecture series is directed by Donal Godfrey, S.J., University Ministry associate director for faculty and staff spirituality. 

"Dean Brand was personal, deep, learned, funny, real, and created a safe space that gave others the freedom to share their stories about hope and our mission at USF," Fr. Godfrey said. "I am delighted also that Jeff has set a tone of respect, openness, compassion, and intellectual rigor for the future of this series."