Volume 10, Issue 2

Both leadership and spirituality have become catalytic words in the current discourse related to the purposes of higher education. It is clear that leadership and spirituality are necessarily related when one draws on distinctions between authority and leadership described by Ronald Heifetz’s pioneering work at Harvard’s Kennedy School. Spirituality must be broadly defined, distinguished from religion, and both subject to continual testing in the practice of critical thought. The academy in its vocation as a formative educational institution committed to the intellectual life does, by intention or default, shape spiritual/religious understanding and affect the capacity of the next generation for leadership in a time of profound cultural change.

High financial need Bonner scholarship alumni, who had been engaged in four years of cocurricular service and reflection experiences, were surveyed six years after graduation. Survey questions drawn from UCLA’s Life After College Survey allowed comparison with three national groups. All Bonner service-learning program graduates were still doing community service sixyears after graduation compared to approximately two-thirds of each comparison group. Alumni were more also likely than comparison groups to be civically engaged, particularly in activities requiring dialogue. The importance of sustained dialogue across boundaries of perceived difference is discussed.

Transformative learning is a view of education that is holistic, integrated, and developmental. Although it is rooted in the tradition of the liberal arts, it also affirms a new learning paradigm that is receiving considerable attention today, especially among student affairs professionals in higher education. Yet, transformative learning is criticized by some as antithetical to particular important principles of liberal education. These issues are discussed with recommendations for ways to implement transformative learning in out-of-class educational settings.

About Brian Hoyt Brian Hoyt is associate professor of management at Ohio University in the department of management. He teaches management and marketing classes. Prior to entering the higher education work force, Brian was an executive in the manufacturing and distribution business sectors. He continues to consult with companies in a variety of industry sectors on strategic planning and training

This study examines the potential protective nature of aspirations that are civically oriented against alcohol abuse among college students. We examined the drinking behaviors and academic/professional aspirations of two incoming first-year student cohorts at a large private university. Chi-square analysis revealed significant and consistent findings across cohorts: students who selected their major because they “wanted to make a difference in the world and contribute to society” (intrinsic aspiration) reported lower alcohol use and higher abstinence than their peers. Students aspiring to “make a lot of money” (extrinsic aspiration) had relatively higher rates of alcohol use. Our findings support the potential benefits of civic engagement and its implications for substance abuse prevention in higher education.

A number of scholars have pointed to the lack of emphasis on social responsibility as one reason that America has become increasingly individualistic. The incorporation of behavioral expectations on college campuses has been proposed as a means to address these recent trends. This study examines how liberal arts colleges articulate behavioral expectations. Statements of behavioral expectations from 110 nationally ranked liberal arts colleges serve as the data source for this study. Using an open coding approach in an issues framework, institutional references to behavioral expectations were separated based on how the institution addressed behavioral expectations, what aspects were emphasized, and where in the catalog they were addressed.

Recent calls for accountability in higher education underscore the need for evidence of the “value added” effect of college attendance. One of the espoused goals of higher education is to prepare individuals personally and socially for effective and civil participation in society. Increasingly, student affairs administrators are expected to demonstrate how campus programs and experiences serve these broader goals, but many college educators find assessment overwhelming and intimidating. Drawing on Astin’s I-E-O model and a new tool for administrators, I conduct several analyses to measure the influence of “good practice” experiences on 8,000 students’ personal/social learning. Results suggest that peer interactions, faculty-student interactions, and active learning experiences explain 24% of the variance in development. Findings hold promise in terms of future practice, policy, and research.

Students make choices about academic majors based on a limited number of factors and with little apparent consideration of what may be meaningful or purposeful to them. This study examines the perceptions of college students across disciplines regarding their choice of majors and future work. Of particular interest is the manner in which college students’ perceptions may vary as a consequence of their areas of study. Results suggest that there are distinct differences across disciplines with regard to those factors that influence students and their perceptions of future work.

A sample of 197 and a sample of 141 undergraduates from a larger population of 200 at a large southeastern American university revealed their attitudes toward Buddhism and Islam respectively. In regard to Buddhism, while over 90% of the respondents reported NOT being knowledgeable about Buddhism, they reported generally positive beliefs about Buddhism which is associated with spiritual enlightenment, positive mental health, and the search for peace. Further analysis of the data revealed significant gender, age, religious, Christian denomination, and political orientation differences in attitudes toward Buddhism. In regard to Islam, results revealed less positive views than those results relating to Buddhism as well as significant differences based on gender, year in university, race, degree of religiosity, and political affiliation. Implications and limitations of the data are suggested.

As the incoming contributing editor of the “Spirituality on Campus” column, Alyssa Bryant begins her editorship with a reflective essay on assessment of spiritual climates and initiatives on campus.

This book is an excellent primer on the broad ranging missions of the American community college.

The visual impact and wealth of resources available through media such as YouTube can be an excellent source of deeper learning and connection among diverse groups of students. College students are increasingly interested in and connected to new forms of media, such as YouTube. These resources have the potential to be used across disciplines in many ways. Educators can utilize and tap into the intense interest in media in the college classroom by providing opportunities to use these media as resources and catalysts for deeper exploration of inner values and connections to other students.