Band 10, Heft 3

In the week leading up to the 2008 presidential election, brief excerpts from the Democratic and Republican Party platforms on “Higher Education” were presented to undergraduate students (N=244) at a major HBCU (Historically Black College/University) along with a web address which included the presidential candidate’s name. However, unknown to the respondents, the web addresses had been swapped so that the “McCain” web address headlined the Democratic platform statement, and the “Obama” web address headlined the Republican platform statement. The students, 80% of whom identified themselves as affiliated with the Democratic Party, claimed to agree most with the so-called “Obama” platform statement by a margin of 3 to 2. In other words, 63% of the Democrats claimed to agree most with the Republican platform statement! The percentage differences were greater than the margin of error. The most plausible reason for this is that they saw the “Obama” name in the web address that headlined the platform statement and simply supported the “Obama” statement regardless of its substance. In other words, students chose the candidate over the content; they chose personality over platform.

These are days of transition for countries which face economic depression and global slowdown in growth. These are times when one realizes the need for stronger moral values in individuals than ever before so they may face personal and professional challenges. The responsibility of educators in India is especially important now. Technical education is producing skilled and knowledgeable student resources who can, with their intelligence, commitment, and perseverance, help make India a leader among world democracies. This paper advocates the need for inclusion of value education in technical education to assist in creating technically skilled and morally strong engineers and professionals.

Budget crises can provide opportunities to model strong ethics and ideals and can also be viewed as educational and nurturing moments for teaching students how to handle one of life’s most difficult situations.

Contemporary college learning outcomes such as critical thinking and intercultural maturity require transformative learning. Self-authorship—the capacity to internally generate one’s beliefs, values, identity, and relationships—is a necessary foundation for transformational learning. This essay describes the evolution of self-authorship and the conditions that promote it based on a 22-year study of adult learning and development. Learning partnerships model how to promote self-authorship and enable learners to take charge of their learning.

What is the purpose of undergraduate education? What should be taught or learned in college? Who should teach? Reflections on these three questions lead to recommendations for student affairs practitioners as they consider their roles in contributing to the education of students. The goals of a liberal education are congruent with the goals of student affairs. Student learning and engagement can be enriched when student affairs professionals collaborate with faculty to facilitate challenging encounters that empower students, liberate them, and cultivate their sense of social responsibility.

Liberal education is both emancipatory and transformative. Learning that changes the mind also changes the micro-anatomy and function of the brain. Students learn as whole people—the mind is never separate from the brain and the learner—and they learn always and everywhere. The whole campus is, then, a learning community, and campuses should be resourceful in depending on and preparing both teaching faculty and professional staff to support and inspire learning. Transformative learning inspires both inquiry and change; good teachers of all kinds encourage students to reflect, question themselves, and tolerate the discomfort of new ideas.

Today’s college students are confronting one of the most difficult economic periods in decades. Declining job opportunities, increasing college costs and competition, and a future full of uncertainties make many of today’s college students fearful and some even despairing. At the same time, the recent national election of Barack Obama has sparked considerable optimism and hope among young people about new possibilities and opportunities for the future. Consequently, hope and fear are driving the emotions and expectations of college students unexpectedly today and will no doubt shape many of their choices and behaviors in the coming months. This article explores the central role of hope in the lives of college students today and considers what higher education can do to enhance the development of transformative hope, a sustaining and renewing form of hope in college student learning and development.

Good leaders inspire those around them to greater heights, effectively manage their own responsibilities, and, most important, model the highest standards of ethical behavior. The leader sets the tone for the behavior of all members of an institution. Ethical standards, however, tend to be vague, requiring leaders and their colleagues to establish, discuss, and follow principles of practice. Many decisions are fraught with ethical ramifications, and how we respond sends a message to internal and external constituents. We are not acting simply for ourselves, but have a duty to act honorably on behalf of the institutions we represent.

This article explores both the historical and contemporary relationships between faith and service at some of the nation’s “private, non-sectarian” colleges. It documents the shift from religious to community service concerns at several colleges that occupy an important niche in American higher education, including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Bates. It argues that Dartmouth is unusual among its peers in keeping faith and service together in one office, and that this union is both problematic and possibly fruitful.

A diverse student body holds the promise of enriching the learning experience of all students at a particular college or university. What is less clear is whether this diversity inhibits students’ sense of belonging at that institution. This essay discusses how the sense of belonging relates to student success. It also explores how higher education professionals can support students through the purposeful cultivation of collective identity among a diverse student body, as well as through the use of cultural tools that promote a sense of belonging. In addition, this article describes a model of student engagement recently developed at one large, private university in the Southeast with a highly diverse student body.

Interfaith dialogue is crucial in a pluralistic world. Such dialogue needs to go beyond mere tolerance while at the same time respecting individuals’ boundaries and beliefs. Martin Buber’s concept of inclusion and Miroslav Volf’s image of embrace provide complementary models which can give a theoretical basis for a productive approach to dialogue amid profound difference.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of training in the use of an ethical decision making model on ethical decision making skills of master’s-level counseling students. Sixty-seven participants volunteered and were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Instruments used included the Defining Issues Test-Two (Rest, Narvaez, Bebeau, & Thoma, 1999), Ethical Dilemmas (Betan, 1996), and an information sheet developed by the researcher. Cohen and Cohen’s (1999) theory-based Integrated Ethical Decision Making Model described in their book, The Virtuous Therapist, was taught and described. Neukrug’s (1996) theory-based approach for teaching ethics served as the foundation for the intervention. The significant results of the study indicated that, regardless of training, those students who scored high on the DIT-2 also scored high on the ethical dilemmas. Results were not significant in determining the effects of training on those students who scored low on the DIT-2 and their resulting score on the ethical dilemma.

This theoretical paper provides a framework for developing a college ethics curriculum that emphasizes the development of moral reasoning skills and behaviors. The framework draws heavily from successful efforts in the fields of moral development and learning theory applied to teaching complex problem solving skills. Best practices addressed in this paper include balancing theory and practice, teaching cross-contextually, practicing metacognition, targeting improved decision making skills in curriculum and assessment, addressing independent components of the decision making process, scaffolding moral decision making, and integrating skill development and curricular language throughout the program.

In a recent interview, Dr. Jennifer Lindholm, director of the UCLA Spirituality in Higher Education project, reflected on the project’s history and goals, key findings, and implications for institutional practice and assessment.

Large-scale rivalry is considered one of the highlights of attending a large university. However, as this author's senior year progresses, the meaninglessness of rivalry becomes clearer to her.

The issue of liberal bias in higher education should center on what is best for the students. Academic freedom should never be seen as something contingent , but as an absolute in academe. Neither side would argue against the idea that academic freedom is in the best interest of college students. Both sides point to the pivotal 1940 AAUP statement to justify their positions. Yet, their interpretations of this influential document are very different.

Those born prior to the ’80s may find comfort in knowing that today’s youth still turns to long-established sources of hope. And despite the reputation the current generation has for their quest for success, the goals that they hold dearest to their hearts do not seem to have deviated much from the preceding generations’ ambitions.

Integral consciousness is linked to values, and values are integrally associated with politics, culture, and spirituality, which lie at the heart of this book.

This section of the Journal provides brief summaries of publications recommended by readers.