Dear Colleagues,

Core Commitments

I was pleased to note at the Senate meeting on Wednesday, February 18, that Nona Burney has announced an upcoming discussion about the quality of student learning on the campuses and how it relates to our core values and our mission.

You will recall that in the State of the University Address in January I indicated that there is a growing concern in the country about the quality of undergraduate education. There are many aspects of the discussions which emanate from the perception that in higher education today, as has happened in many other areas of activity in the past (think automobiles), the United States is losing its international preeminence.

Whether that perception is true or not - and a case might be made either way, depending on the issues cited and how the data are perceived - one thing is certain. We at Roosevelt could benefit from this opportunity to discuss the quality of the education of our students, especially at the baccalaureate level, in order to sharpen our understanding of the issues and to assure that our programs are rigorous and encompassing in their scope.

At Roosevelt, we are positioned to be a national leader in at least one core aspect of this discussion which revolves around the following question: What role should colleges and universities play in fostering their students' personal and social responsibility?

That question is a central topic of a major initiative being undertaken by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Given our commitment to social justice in action, this initiative is one that I'd like all of us at Roosevelt University to engage.

Our mission calls for us to "to prepare diverse graduates for responsible citizenship in a global society." Are we doing that? Do we incorporate values, ethics and social responsibility into the Roosevelt University experience? How can we consciously put our mission into action?

The AAC&U debate, now in at least its fifth year, points out that "a true liberal education involves much more than academic growth." [All quotes are taken from A Call to Action: Core Commitments. Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility, AAC&U brochure.]

Too often there is a "disconnect between student learning and student life," or at the very least a bifurcation between the student's academic endeavors and his or her personal development. When this happens, often students are left on their own to address personal or ethical questions at precisely the moment when their academic studies could be successfully integrated into these personal explorations with profound consequences for both their academic and their personal growth.

When students lose moral direction, their actions can be horrific. They can resort to "plagiarism, cheating, and stealing; ... alcohol and drug abuse; and ... racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic behavior." Rising incidents of student depression, attempted suicide, anorexia and bulimia on all campuses are symptoms of the stresses they encounter daily in the academy.

As part of their Roosevelt University education, our students both need and will benefit from an engagement in meaningful and integrated activities that prepare them to fulfill their obligations both as students in an academic community and as engaged citizens in the 21st century. Thus, integrative activity that combines the academic with the personal growth of our students becomes an important responsibility for all of us at Roosevelt just as it becomes a measure of our success.

To help colleges and universities accomplish the very purposes of this sort of integrated learning as a hallmark of the undergraduate experience, the AAC&U has developed five dimensions of "personal social responsibility" in institutions of higher education.

They are:

1. " "STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE: developing a strong work ethic and consciously doing ones very best in all aspects of college;
2. CULTIVATING PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: recognizing and acting on a sense of honor, both by being honest in relationships and by upholding academic honor codes;
3. CONTRIBUTING TO A LARGER COMMUNITY: recognizing and acting on one's responsibility to the educational community, the local community, and the wider national and global society;
4. TAKING SERIOUSLY THE PERSPECTIVES OF OTHERS: recognizing and acting on the obligation to inform one's own judgment; relinquishing a sense of entitlement; and engaging diverse and competing perspectives as a resource for learning, citizenship and work;
5. REFINING ETHICAL AND MORAL REASONING: developing moral reasoning in ways that incorporate the other four responsibilities and using such reasoning in learning and in life."

I am mindful that these goals may mean different things to different people at RU and thus that they are worthy of discussion and reflection across all parts of the University. In my participation at AAC&U meetings, I have heard leaders from very diverse institutions and from all campus constituencies (professors as well as administrators at all levels) debate how we all might together develop a useful conversation on these ideas on every campus.

This goal itself also raises issues of responsibility and accountability. Again, AAC&U has provided suggestions on how to proceed to address them by articulating five guiding philosophies, as follows: [Taken from Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility, AAC&U brochure.]

1. " Student learning is the collective obligation of all individuals and units responsible for the curriculum and co-curriculum.
2. Education for personal and social responsibility, to be intentionally fostered in all students, should pervade institutional cultures.
3. Higher education institutions have an educational and civic obligation to unapologetically teach for personal and social responsibility.
4. Ethical, civic, and moral development should be closely tied to a substantive vision for student learning in the college years that is shared across constituent groups.
5. The development of personal and social responsibility is cumulative, builds on prior knowledge and experience, and should be assessed along the way."

In coming weeks I propose to address each of these philosophies in turn with some suggestions on how they might apply to Roosevelt University. Meanwhile, I welcome your thoughts on this important topic. Please email me at cmiddleton@roosevelt.edu.

Chuck Middleton