MARK A. HICKS
Angus MacLean Professor of Religious Education
and
Director, Fahs Collaborative Laboratory for Innovation in Faith Formation
Meadville Lombard Theological School, Chicago
610 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605
Tel: 312-546-6479 Fax: 312-327-7068

Education
M.A., TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, HIGHER AND ADULT EDUCATION
Ed.D., TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION
B.A., OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY, LIBERAL ARTS/COMMUNICATION
Academic and Work Experience
Angus MacLean Professor of Religious Education and Director, Fahs Collaborative Laboratory for Innovation in Faith Formation
Meadville Lombard Theological School
2009-Present
Associate Professor of Educational Transformation, Initiatives in Educational Transformation
College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia
2005-2009
Libra Scholar [Visiting University Professor]
University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine
Fall 2004
Assistant Professor of Educational Transformation, Initiatives in Educational Transformation, Arlington Campus
College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University, Arlington Virginia
1998-2005
Andrew Mellon Research Fellow
Mellon Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey
1996-1998
Assistant Dean, Columbia College
Columbia University, New York, New York
1993-1996
Associate Director of Admission
Rice University, Houston, Texas
1988-1991
Assistant Director of Admission
Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
1983-1988
Teaching, Curricular Innovation and Leadership
Institutional Leadership

Meadville Lombard Theological School, Chicago, Illinois
• Revitalized and launched the Fahs Collaborative Laboratory for Leaders in Faith and Learning • Co-creating pedagogical strategies supporting the new model for ministerial formation; • Integrating the “scholarship of teaching and learning” into the work of faith and human development; • Conducting seminal research and developing a new theoretical framework for faith development for People of Color in Predominately White Religious Communities; • Creating next generation of teaching strategies to educate privileged learners engaged in social justice advocacy; • Identified and incorporated technological tools to improve teaching and deepen the experience of the Meadville Learning Community.
2009-Present
George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia
Initiatives in Educational Transformation (IET) • Acting Director; supervised support staff; moderator for faculty meetings, professional development, intellectual leadership; liaison to CEHD leadership; liaison to non-university entities.; • Co-created a professional development curriculum designed to deepen and expand teachers’ sense of role and accountability to students and families; • Co-created a series of aesthetic curricular units that raise teacher consciousness around issues of race, class, ethnicity, gender, body image, sexual orientation, developmental capacity and other forms of human diversity; • Empowered teachers to connect with their sense of self-authority, imagination and creativity.
1996-2009
Columbia University, New York City
• Co-created the residential college [house] system for undergraduate liberal arts students, including serving as Dean of McBain-River House for 300 students. • Responsible for the re-design of the educational curriculum for resident advisers in undergraduate houses; 1993-1996.
1992-1996
Teaching and Curriculum Leadership

We Who Defy Hate: Preparation for Interfaith Social Justice Action
View, Jenice L & Hicks, Mark A. (2016). The Fahs Collaborative: Chicago.
2016
Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race & Ethnicity (2nd edition)
Hicks, M.A. (2015). Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race & Ethnicity. (2nd edition). An eight unit, experiential curriculum designed to surface and explore how the construct of race/ethnicity shapes individuals and congregational life. Fahs Collaborative Classroom: Chicago.
2015
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
Hicks, M.A. (2011). Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth (2011). Selected to design and test a pilot curriculum that prepares UU congregations to engage the spiritual and social justice dimensions of environmental justice. UUA: Boston.
2011
Building The World We Dream About
Hicks, M.A. (2010). Building the World We Dream About. Selected by the Association to design and develop its first curriculum to develop multi-racial/multicultural congregations.
2010
The Riverside Church in the City of New York
The Riverside Church in the City of New York. Facilitated the development of small-group courses to meet the spiritual needs of a justice-oriented, multi-denominational, multi-cultural Protestant cathedral; Co-Chair, 65th Anniversary of The Riverside Church.
1993-2000
National Association of College Admission Counseling
Hicks, M.A. & Shere, C. (1999). National Association of College Admission Counseling. Designed and piloted a graduate seminar/curriculum to transform the paradigm of how admission officers approach the recruitment and selection of underrepresented students.
1999-2002
D.C. Voice
D.C. Voice. Developed an action-research course for this progressive, grass-roots professional development non-profit program for District of Columbia teachers. Using the Smithsonian’s Museum of African Art as a base, helped District of Columbia teachers begin to see possibilities for how to transform their paradigm of teaching and learning practices.
2002-2003
Oklahoma Department of Health and Human Services
Designed and presented keynotes and weekend courses that encouraged human service workers re-think their paradigm around delivery of services to minority elders throughout the state of Oklahoma; 2001-2002.
2001-2002
Institute for Intercultural Communication
With L. Lee Knefelkamp, designed an intensive, holistic course for multicultural workers attempting to fuse multicultural theory and practice.
1994-1996
Refereed Publications (Partial Listing)

Rewards and Challenges of Educating in Faith Traditions.
In, The Oxford Handbook for Religion and Education. Oxford Press: London.
In Press; 2016
Teaching your heart: Pedagogical liturguy in challenging times.
In, Crossing Lines: Embodying our environmental justice commitment. Skinner House: Boston.
In Press; 2016
Barriers to transformation: Collaboration for justice within mixed educatioanl communities.
In, The Handbook of Research on the Social Foundations of Education. Routledge: New York.
2011
The pedagogical artistry of shifting paradigms.
In, A people so bold. Skinner House: Boston.
2010
SEEDs of promise: Transformative learning communities for diverse schools
With Diane Wood, Shari Winton and Debra Smith. In, Multicultural Perspectives, (10)1 30-34.
2008
From hope to action: Creating spaces to sustain transformative habits of mind and heart
With, Jennifer Berger and Gretchen Givens Generett. In, The Journal of Transformative Education.
2005
Lessons from rental cars: The struggle to create communities of reflection
In, Educational Studies, (38)2. Special issue, "The problem of colorblindness is US education".
2005
Teaching Hearts and Minds to Open for Multicultural Change.
Hicks, M.A. (2017). In Unitarian Universalists of Color: Stories of Struggle, Courage, Love and Faith. Yamamoto, Snell and Hanami (Eds). Lulu Online Publishing.
Beyond reflective competency: Teaching for audacious hope-in-action.
In, The Journal for Transformative Education, (2)3.
2004
Self-Study through personal history
With, A. Samaras, J. Berger. In, The International Handbook of Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices. Kluwer Press: New York.
2003
MIssles or music: Rethinking dichotomies of school funding.
In, Proceedings of Philosophy of Education.
2003
Toward reflective admission work: Making the case for a transformative approach to admission practice
In, The Journal of College Admission, 178
2003
Problems into possibilities: Fordham University explores new directions for thought and practice.
In, The Journal of College Admission, 179.
(2003)
Loosening the bonds of conventionalism: Problems and possibilities of transformative pedagogy
In, Teacher Development, 6 (1).
2002
Culture Clash: Teacher and student identities and the procession toward freedom
In, Transforming Teacher Education: Lessons in professional development. Bergin and Garvey: New York.
2001
PROFESSIONAL LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS
Partial Listing 2008-2015
Celebration of Shared Ministry: Fahs Fellows, Cohort 2. UU General Assembly. Portland, OR (2015).
Sewing Seeds of Incubation (with H. Westall). General Assembly, Portland, OR (2015).
EcoJustice Collaboratory. UU Ministry for Earth. Detroit, MI. (2014)
Dancing on the Edge of Meaning: Religious Leadership for a Multi-Racial, Multicultural and Theologically Diverse World. UU Ministers Association Center for Excellence in Ministry. St. Petersburg, FL. (2013)
Keynote: Leaning as an Act of Liberation. Collegium: An Association for Liberal Religious Education Studies. Chicago, Illinois. (2012)
Rhythm, pitch, and timbre: The Elements of Multicultural Competence for Musicians. with Nancy Palmer Jones. UU Musicians Network Annual Meeting; Tulsa, OK. (2012)
Fahs Lecture. Toward a Religious Education for People of Color. Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. Charlotte, North Carolina. (2011).
Keynote: Experience the Vision: 2010 Arthur Judy Lecture. Prairie Star District Annual Meeting. Davenport, Iowa. (2010).
Becoming our Future Selves. Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington; Arlington, Virginia. (2010).
Keynote: Toward Inclusive Excellence. Now is the Time Conference for Multi-racial, Multicultural Congregations. UUA; Tulsa, Oklahoma. (2009).
Making Room for Deep Change: Mechanics of Transforming Conceptions of Economics & Justice. World Council of Churches Conference on Economics and Justice. Nashville,
Tennessee. (2008).
CONSULTANCIES
Arlington County Public Schools, Virginia
Arts and Education Partnership
Collaborative Inquiry and Development Group
DC Voice, Washington, District of Columbia
First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR
Fordham University Office of Undergraduate Admission, New York
Frederick Community College, Maryland
Fulbright Scholars, Columbia University, New York
Philadelphia Youth Network, Philadelphia, PA
Princeton University, New Jersey
Southeastern Louisiana State University Office of Student Affairs
Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, Executive Board, Boston
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, Executive Board, Boston
US Department of Education
US Department of State/USDA Graduate
College
COURSES TAUGHT
2009-2015
Unleashing your Multicultural Ministry. Students and Teaching Pastors join together to develop skills and hearts and minds that respond to the Multicultural Now.
The Method is the Message. Topic: Human and faith formation theory fused with religious education pedagogy.
Religious Education for a Changing World. Topic: philosophy, history, faith and human development, methods and controversies within liberal religious education.
Congregational Studies Seminar. Topic: Academic seminar that accompanies congregational
internship.
Multi-Racial Congregations and Faith Formation. Topic: Praxis-style course that models the skills necessary to promote faith formation in a liberal multi-racial, multicultural and theologically diverse congregation.
Walk the Talk: Developing Competency in Cross-Cultural Communication. Topic: a skills-based
course teaching effective communication skills in high-stakes encounters.
NATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
National S.E.E.D. Project on Inclusive Curriculum
Funded by Lucent Technologies Foundation, member of a three-person team to document the impact of the S.E.E.D. Project. The S.E.E.D. Project, which draws on the work of Peggy McIntosh and Emily Style, is an equity project for K-12 teachers, preparing them to lead yearlong seminars in their schools. These seminars focus on creating greater access to learning for all students through the development of cross-cultural understanding; 2003-2004.
Arts and Education Partnership
Funded by the Ford Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education, explored the role of the arts In improving academic performance for impoverished schools; 2002-2003.
2010 - present
2010 - present