Attendees at the Association for Integrative Studies (AIS) conference, October 2000, in Portland, OR and/or the Association for General and Liberal Studies (AGLS), November 2000, in Chicago, IL may have seen the presentation on Listening to Communities and Models for Democracy.  What follows is the overhead display entitled Next Steps: Institutional Responses to Listening to Communities.

NEXT STEPS:

Institutional Responses to Listening to Communities

Nancy L. Thomas, Project Director

How can colleges and universities respond to the community views expressed in the Listening to Communities forums?  How do we cultivate the next generation of active, community-oriented citizens?

By consciously developing students’ “souls,” by promoting not simply a set of skills, but a “whole new way of being.”

ð    What are democratic values?

ð    Society for Values in Higher Education’s list: integrity, diversity, social justice, and civic responsibility;

ð    Alexander Astin’s list: honesty, tolerance, empathy, generosity, team work, and social responsibility;

ð    Center for Academic Integrity’s list: honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and responsibility;

ð    SCANS report: responsibility, self esteem, sociability, self-management, integrity, honesty

ð    NLT’s dissertation research: fairness, integrity, honesty, caring, loyalty, and courage>

 ð     Stated another way, what are the “arts of democracy?” Richard Guarasci’s list: a sense of voice, critical judgment, empathy, reciprocity, commitment to action, mediation, creative listening, and organizing.

1.) Develop a vision of the campus community, the surrounding community and region, and of American society.

ð    A Values Audit: What kind of community do we want this campus to be? What values are central to this institution? (Fairness and equity? Integrity? Trustworthiness and honesty?) Are our practices consistent with our written documents? Are we making choices that are consistent with institutional values? Do we value, for example, both autonomy and collaboration?  How do we reconcile these two seemingly inconsistent interests? Are we obliged to promote actively the wellbeing of others, or simply “do no harm?” Examine institutional values through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and dialogues.  Involve those most affected by the conclusions: students, faculty, staff, trustees, and institutional leaders.

 ð     Develop a vision with the community of the community: Convene a range of community representatives – community organizers, religious leaders, politicians, business leaders, small business owners, teachers, fire fighters, police officers, directors of nonprofit organizations, foundation heads – to develop collectively a vision for the community, identifying community assets and pressing social issues. Involve multiple higher education institutions and a wide range of academic expertise in the dialogues.  Consider ways to bring more players to the table, for example, by creating a core group and then convening a series of roundtables that are issue-specific. Ask, what are area colleges and universities doing well? How can they be doing better?  How can we collectively cultivate the next generation of active, community-oriented citizens? Bring that vision back to the campus and ask, what can each of us do, as individuals and collectively, to achieve that vision?  Convene campus representatives to discuss the community’s aims and perceptions.

   ð   Explore the link between the campus values, the community’s vision, and American Democracy. What social conditions allow the development of democratic institutions?  How can American democracy be consciously maintained? Educators, social and political scientists and others warn that Americans are so disconnected from each other and from social and political institutions that the strength of American democracy is at risk.  How do these warnings compare with the civic health of this community? Convene multiple constituencies on campus to discuss these, and other, questions.

(2.)         Assess the institution’s educational programs, co-curricular activities, and community-based partnerships

ð    Take an inventory and/or map the institution’s capacity to enhance the curriculum, programs, activities, and partnerships

ð    Explore the link between democracy and education.  How does the institution balance the goals of enabling individual achievement and prosperity and cultivating a sense of responsibility to participate actively, if not passionately, in building communities and society in general? Do students graduate with the conscience and skills they need to be active, community-oriented citizens? Does the institution purposefully teach the arts of democracy?

(3.)         Focus on the classroom: teaching social responsibility with society as text.  This involves:

ðSupporting excellent liberal education

ðFinding public relevance in every discipline

ðIntegrating liberal and professional learning

ðOffering interdisciplinary courses and programs, clustered courses

ðCreating learning communities

ðPromoting themes of social justice, particularly racial and economic diversity, across the curriculum

ðOffering special studies programs (e.g., Women's Studies, African American Studies, Environmental studies)

ðSupporting through faculty development initiatives innovative pedagogy: active learning, collaborative and cooperative learning, problem-based learning, and case method (research and teaching)

ðRequiring courses in moral reasoning, ethics, and professional responsibility

ðRedesigning courses to include collaborative problems solving: discussion leadership and participation skills, conflict resolution, mediation, and negotiation

ðSupplementing curriculum with first-year programs linking academic and residential life, honor
programs and courses, capstone courses and programs

ðDeveloping degree and certificate programs in community building and community organizing

ðAdding experiential, service, and community-based learning components to courses and programs

ðProviding supportive structures for student volunteerism

ðOffering community-based clinical programs linked to professional development

ðGrounding community-based learning experiences on dialogue and a shared vision of the community

ðRestructuring community-based learning experiences to be collective/group rather than individual experiences

ðRestructuring community-based learning experiences around issues rather than sites

ðRestructuring community-based learning experiences as three-way partnerships: institution, nonprofit organization, and government

ð Building the capacity of individuals on campus to develop their sense of voice, critical judgment, empathy, reciprocity, commitment to action, mediation, creative listening, and organizing

ð Building community on campus around shared values, integrity, diversity, social justice, civic responsibility

ð Building community on campus around a collectively developed vision

ð Supporting permanent structures for faculty development around engaging teaching and learning methods

ðFostering a culture of dialogue and exchange through dialogue and exchange

ðFostering a culture of collaboration through collaboration

ðUnderstanding and promoting diversity as an educational resource

ðEngaging in dialogues the individuals most directly affected by the policies or practices under consideration

ðEncouraging student activism; supporting student groups committed to organizing, leading and taking community-based action