American colleges and universities are facing a civic imperative. The nation is floundering, if not unwinding. Democracies are vulnerable social constructions. They flourish in eras of social consensus and economic prosperity, when citizens believe in the prospect of brighter futures. They stumble, if not decay, during times of harsh economic…

The University of North Carolina (Asheville) chancellor and coordinator of a program linking graduate students with liberal arts colleges for a better understanding of the college teacher's role describes two aspects of the experience: lessons seen as important to impart to future liberal arts faculty, and effective means of communicating those…

The Brooklyn College (New York) program of campus leadership development was designed to tap the leadership potential of faculty but is adaptable for students and staff. It consists of five phases (emergence/identification; cultivation; classification; authorization; support) and focuses on developing three types of authority (substantive;…

Founded on the premise of a connection between the neglect of the core purposes of undergraduate liberal education, on the one hand, and certain patterns of disengagement exhibited by students, on the other, the Bringing Theory to Practice project provides support for campus programs as well as for research on the connection of certain forms of…

This document is a personal account of the authors' views on higher education's role in producing minority leaders. The author makes references to DuBois, the first African American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard University and one of the first to focus the nation's attention on the issue of blacks, higher education, and the value of liberal…

Chronicles the process of reforming the liberal education program at Franklin Pierce College (New Hampshire), organized around the theme of the individual and community. Discusses objectives in integrating the "civic arts" into the core curriculum and challenges encountered in balancing "individual" and "community"…

This article describes the evolution of a project pairing graduate students (at Duke University) with faculty in a liberal arts college (Guilford College) to improve preparation of future college teachers. Implications for general reform of college faculty preparation are also outlined. (MSE)

The evolution and design of an interdisciplinary honors course at the University of Maryland at College Park are described. The course, on knowledge and its human consequences, brings together faculty experts, "teacher-learner" faculty, and first-year honors students to explore different kinds of knowledge and their philosophical,…