In this article, the authors argue that the relevance of student affairs depends on the will to redefine the mission, structures, and practices to provide the leadership that institutions require. They begin with an overview of challenges to higher education and student affairs, examine the implications of those challenges for student affairs, and…

The author argues for the myriad benefits of extracurricular involvement to students' psychosocial development and calls upon administrators and professors to encourage students to participate in carefully selected activities with earnest commitment of their time and efforts. The author contends that colleges demonstrate that they encourage…

After reading Scott Seider and Howard Gardner's essay "The Fragmented Generation" (2009) in a college freshman writing class, students responded by providing their own labels for their generation. This article includes excerpts from their essays. Following these excerpts is the instructor's theoretical justification for this kind of classroom…

Why should institutions of higher education care about interfaith work? In response to the Interfaith Youth Core's August 2010 gathering of campus faculty, staff, and students, a convening on Interfaith Work and Higher Education, the author offers reflections from several young people on the necessity for colleges and universities to engage…

This essay explores the contributions of student affairs professionals to religious and secular pluralism and interfaith cooperation in higher education. The authors propose a preliminary model of competencies necessary for student affairs professionals to engage in conversations effectively with students about issues of religion, spirituality,…

As tensions around religious diversity escalate in America, there is an increased realization that interfaith cooperation has broad civic relevance. In this realization, there is an opportunity for American colleges and universities to play a leadership role in constructively engaging religious diversity. The authors of this article explore the…

Community service learning at the university level is often conceived of as a mechanism for introducing privileged young adults to people with whom they have never interacted and experiences they have never had. American universities and courses involving community service learning are increasingly filling, however, with undergraduates who are…

Students at American colleges and universities do become more advanced in their global perspective taking along all three dimensions--cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. Their degree of involvement in a number of cocurricular activities and their perceptions of the campus community are correlated with their level of perspective taking on…

Students have a deep desire to make sense of the peoples, cultures, rituals, personal behaviors, and ways of being of others whom they observe as they conduct their daily lives. In order for these desires to be fulfilled, students need educators to serve as allies in the learning process. (Contains 1 footnote.)

The author discusses the need for defining what education is and how it can help change the world. The article specifically looks at sincere but vague answers freshmen often give in social issues courses, such as "To solve this problem, we should educate them," and why statements such as these do not make the case for education sufficiently.

This article makes the argument that Ernest Shackleton's life and adventures might serve as a very useful and productive model for teachers. Through examining some of Shackleton's methods and strategies regarding the treatment of his men, a great love and respect for his crew are revealed. This value for respect underscores the worth that…

The author of this article explores student affairs's transition from student development to student learning from the standpoint of philosophical hermeneutics. The hermeneutical perspective further centralizes the role and place of student affairs work in the educational process. This perspective challenges the ego- or identity-oriented…

Academic misconduct and technology have coupled to create a significant threat to the development and maintenance of professional responsibility and academic integrity among today's university students. This case study illustrates the gap between faculty and student acceptance and understanding of the use of technology as a study aid and the ways…

The author of this article explores the motivation factors that lead privileged college students to be involved in social justice efforts. The students participating in this study identified multiple reasons for their initial and continued involvement in social justice work, but all students identified three main sources of motivation: responding…

In 2005 the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) launched a national initiative that championed the importance of a twenty-first century liberal education. What was unique about this initiative was the underlying assumption that educating for personal and social responsibility was "core" for an educated citizenry and should be…