Volume 14, Issue 2

In examining the changing landscape of spirituality and spiritual practice on college and university campuses today, questions need to be considered about both the core concept of spirituality and the context in which spirituality relates to education. This article examines both the concept of and context for spirituality in higher education and seeks to describe the broad world of spiritual practices on today’s campuses both in terms of what people are practicing and where these practices are taking place. An example of a week of spiritual practices at Wellesley College during fall 2012 illustrates the dramatic changes that have taken place on many campuses across the country related to the diversity of spiritual practices in the lives of students, faculty, and staff. The concept of spirituality- defined as those humanistic, religious, and spiritual beliefs and practices through which a person seeks to find meaning and purpose as they deepen their understanding of self, other and world-is explored and a case made for the breadth of this definition. Issues of spirituality as a key identity-forming aspect of many students’ experiences are considered together with spiritual practice as an important factor affecting students’ social location and their communication with other students who are members of different groups. Spirituality and spiritual practice on our campuses are increasingly seen as educational issues, important to the lives and learning of our students. Spirituality broadly defined and the associated practices through which students seek meaning and purpose will continue to be woven into the fabric of an excellent, integrated educational experience in the coming decades.

This article examines the question of how to best accommodate Hindu practice on college campuses by contrasting the dedication of a prayer room with the hiring of a Hindu chaplain. The author suggests that this dichotomy-of an impersonal physical space (“a room”) on the one hand, and a chaplain empowered to lead a community (“a view”) on the other-is a useful way of exploring a shift in accommodating Hindu students’ religious practice. The author first presents a gloss of religious practice in contemporary Hinduism. Next, he identifies the two broad approaches to accommodating Hindu practice on college campuses and discusses three important shifts that accompany moving from one approach to the other. In closing, he proposes that meaningful engagement and communication with a chaplain makes reconciliation between the two approaches possible.

Duke University has a decidedly Christian history, and Duke University Chapel presents a decidedly Christian presence on campus. Yet, the chapel and its university partners are committed to creating an environment on campus where students of any faith may thrive. Staff members understand that it is important for individuals involved in religious communities to have places to practice their faith on campus while also allowing room for others to do the same. Thus, the university strives to make spaces available for worship and practice and, thereby, encourages students to inhabit their traditions authentically even in the midst of interfaith cooperation and compromise.

This essay examines how Stanford University, secular in its origins, yet with a church at its center, addresses the religious and spiritual concerns of current students, whether from traditional or innovative religious backgrounds. Identified religious and spiritual needs prompt questions about the balance between the spiritual health and well-being of the individual and the expectations and responsibilities of the university. How willing are universities to encourage and respect the faith and religious traditions of individuals and communities in their midst? How can campuses honor time, space, and personal and communal sacred practice? Two of Stanford University’s deans for religious life describe the challenges and changes in the past two decades in attending to the concerns and convictions of students and in educating and encouraging the university to create a vital and rich religious and spiritual campus life. JCC ©

The sacred contours of the nation’s colleges and universities changed dramatically since their founding-new human architecture and vocabulary compelled radical reformation of curriculum, policy, and accommodation. But institutional histories and culture remain eloquent and powerful. New competences in religious literacy and convictional identity development-religious and other-are essential to insure that all citizens in the emergent university community are fully included in critical conversations and the development of civil and engaged discourse.

Bystander education is an increasingly utilized strategy for addressing sexual assault prevention and intervention on U.S. college campuses. Given the paramount importance of peers among college students, what types of pro-social bystander interventions do students themselves deem feasible in the campus context? Drawing on self-reports from first-year undergraduate students who participated in a bystander education program, this analysis summarizes a range of student responses. Because peers form the support base for these interventions, their influence must be accounted for in the development of bystander education interventions on campuses.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate psychometric evidence for the Perceived Collegiate Religious Dissonance Scale among calibration ( n = 425) and validation ( n = 326) samples of self-identified Christian undergraduate students. Perceived collegiate religious dissonance is defined as emotional tension resultant from a perceived discrepancy in valued religious views among peers, faculty, family, and the campus environment. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses results supported a theoretically meaningful two-factor structure (i.e., campus-religious and familial- religious dissonance) with high reliabilities. Both factors were statistically significant predictors of school adaptation after controlling for gender, GPA, and the perceived value of religion. JCC ©

How have sociohistorical developments influenced the nature of the college experience over time? In what ways have these changes impacted the responsibilities of higher education relative to the moral and ethical development of students? This article reflects the thinking of a seasoned senior executive regarding these questions.

College student excessive alcohol use is a pressing public health concern, and many of the negative events associated with heavy drinking occur during leisure or free time. Positive use of leisure can lead to coping skills, stress reduction, and healthy development. Negative use of leisure, including heavy alcohol use, is associated with physical inactivity, stress, and short- and long-term health concerns. The authors contend that using the classroom context to help college students understand why it is beneficial to engage in positive leisure pursuits and how that engagement will promote personal growth is of critical importance to healthy development.

Recent research and practice reveal that there are two skills in the moral realm that higher education is not adequately addressing with students. The skills involve the ability to identify moral dilemmas and the ability to understand and delineate conflicts between competing moral practices, traditions, and identities while exploring life’s meaning. In this article the author sets forth a solution for helping students think in more comprehensive ways about moral frameworks connected to identity roles as well as moral traditions that help envision the good life as a whole.

The purpose of this article is to describe the application of Kram’s mentorship principles to the development of a service learning assignment in an undergraduate course. An overview of the (a) assignment and (b) qualitative analysis of student papers is provided. Recommendations for other courses are noted.

Many U.S. campuses are pursuing globalization and internationalization. Colleges and universities are faced with the responsibility to consider what it truly means to be a global campus.