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Smith examines Hildegard’s effect

Yvonne Smith, professor of management, gives a presentation on Hildegard of Bingen, a Catholic nun, writer, composer and philosopher, at her faculty lecture Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room. Smith, who has taught and written on organizational strategy for 12 years, discussed the role Hildegard played in the entrepreneurship of the 21st century. / photo by Kathleen Arellano
Yvonne Smith, professor of management, gives a presentation on Hildegard of Bingen, a Catholic nun, writer, composer and philosopher, at her faculty lecture Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room. Smith, who has taught and written on organizational strategy for 12 years, discussed the role Hildegard played in the entrepreneurship of the 21st century. / photo by Kathleen Arellano

Kendra Craighead
Staff Writer

Yvonne Smith, professor of management, explored how entrepreneurs create change in society at her lecture “What a 12th Century Nun Has to Say to 21st Century Entrepreneurs” Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room.

Smith’s lecture focused on Hildegard of Bingen, a medieval nun who was also an entrepreneur during the time of the Crusades.

An entrepreneur, Smith explained, is any person who operates a business by taking on greater financial risks to do so.

“Hildegard expanded my ideas of entrepreneurship in more creative ways,” Smith said. “Her world-view attracted me to her.”

Smith said she was struck by Hildegard’s world-view of how each sinful or virtuous act weakens or strengthens God’s cosmos.

“It changes society for better or worse depends on your point of view,” Smith said.

Matthew Witt, professor of public administration, challenged Smith at the end of the lecture with questions concerning the impact of entrepreneurs.

“How do (entrepreneurs) make a better world?” Witt said. “They may have started with a vision of autonomy but eventually they get financial success.”

Witt went on to further explain his question.

“Do you wish for a world where the least of these have a chance not to be run over by entrepreneurs that sell out, or do you see it as a good thing that entrepreneurs get bigger and bigger because it isn’t clear to me that Hildegard did,” Witt said.

Smith explained that an entrepreneur should follow Hildegard’s example and remain disciplined and humble in order to remain morally grounded.

“It is so difficult to say something like, did Disney make a better world? Better world as defined by who?” Smith said. “In Hildegard’s case, she was interested in balancing God’s cosmos.”

Sophomore biology major Jenna Damon said the lecture itself was interesting, but that the approach was dry.

“I thought she got really defensive, which was off putting to me,” Damon said.

Damon said she thought the end of the presentation had potential for a great discussion between Witt and Smith, however, it fell short.

“I thought what he had to say was really interesting, and I wanted to hear more about what she had to say in response,” Damon said.

Sophomore biology major Alexa Canchola said the lecture was a complete 180 from what she thought it was going to be about.

“Everybody has their own certain personality, whether or not you are willing to take risks is something that you are born with,” Canchola said. “I think that is what she was getting at with Hildegard, that she chose to take a risk.”

Kendra Craighead can be reached at kendra.craighead@laverne.edu.

Kendra Craighead
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