Frederick M. Lawrence, secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and distinguished lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center, articulates the concept of nonpartisan advocacy as a way of emphasizing that Phi Beta Kappa's values are to be found beyond the realm of partisan politics and offers possibilities for finding common ground in both…

When considering the current state of public discourse about diversity, inclusion, and free speech, Pareena G. Lawrence begins this article on two hopeful notes: First, Americans celebrate diversity more fervently than their peers in other countries, and second, we've gotten through divisive times in our national history before. In the hope that…

In this article, Miguel Martinez-Saenz and Steven Schoonover, Jr. are putting higher education under the magnifying glass with the increasingly expected sphere of social life being justified in terms of market efficiency. Increasingly, colleges and universities now "sell" their "product" with a promise to enhance the earning…

The ninetieth anniversary of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) offers an opportunity for reflection. Where is higher education now in the shared commitment to the values and practices of liberal education, and where do they need to go, within the academy as a whole and within AAC&U itself? This article provides…

The New England Consortium on Assessment and Student Learning (NECASL) seeks to understand how students make important decisions during college, assess the extent to which institutional policies and practices foster student learning, and modify those policies and practices accordingly. In this article, the authors analyze interviews with a…

Because of the work of the Program on the Status and Education of Women, its friends, and its partners, there is more justice in education today and more justice through education. In this article, the author suggests that the Program on the Status and Education of Women, its friends, and its partners have been of use in four ways: (1) through…

If one hangs around public universities that have less than selective admissions policies, one is bound to hear a litany of complaints about today's students. They lack the attitude required for productive and serious academic work, and too many lack disciplined study habits; they have short attention spans and very little patience with academic…

The teaching of ethics and values is a concern of American education. Scientific and technological developments and the responsibilities of professional life and of personal morality are discussed. Steps to a quality program in ethics, and the need for a theoretical framework are also addressed. (SW)

Offers a general rationale for the stubborn conservatism of the liberal arts faculties based on the idea that the true function of a liberal arts college is not to equip students for success in life, as measured by the dominant values of our society, but to move them to challenge those values. (Editor/JT)

The study of literature is seen as one of the best ways to bring students through the curriculum to recognize and grapple with the moral dimension of human life. Such a focus for a basic course is especially important when students take only one literature course. (Author/MLW)

Discusses the type of liberal education that will fit contemporary students for responsible citizenship. Explores what students should value, know, and be able to do by the time they graduate. (SLD)

Examines the valuing process and the responsibility of educators to regard value information as a central concern. (Editor/PG)

Discusses issues of faculty tenure in the context of the values of the academic enterprise. Recommends that efforts to improve the tenure process be based on the unequivocal support of tenure as indispensable to higher education and that faculty and administrators work together to base proposals for change on the preservation of core intellectual…

The three functions of the undergraduate college relate to careers, values, and general education, and the willingness of most independent colleges to provide these services will determine their survival. (Author/PG)

A definition of the humanities is provided: centrality of concern on human beings, attention to the individual rather than the group, awareness of the ways in which we know, concern for moral values, the obligation to carry knowledge beyond description, and capacity to communicate. (MLW)