"More than teaching students: Building places where all of us can grow"

1. Fall Institute for Academic Deans and Department Chairs National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition "More than teaching students: Building places where all of us can grow" Tony Chambers University of Michigan

2. Background…Foreground… • Administrator – Student affairs/Academic Affairs • Faculty – Student Development • Philanthropist – Leadership & Spiritual Development • Faculty/National Project Leader – Higher Education/Kellogg Forum • Faculty – Faith and American Public Life

3. ….and the central guiding concerns • How to build organizations that Sustain the Lives that Serve in those organizations, and… • How to build organizations that Serve to Sustain and Improve Lives beyond those organizations.

4. Attempted focus of my remarks and our discussion… • The conditions that influence institutions, students, faculty and staff as we try to build life sustaining education environments & socially/civically committed learning environments. • Ideas for building life sustaining learning environments.

5. Students • Who are they? • What do they bring with them to colleges and universities (…that we should know about)? • What implications are there for institutions, learning and society?

7. Characteristics of Baby Boomer Parents (born 1943 – 1960): Intense involvement in their children’s lives – “trophy kids” Want their kids to have the perfect college experience Want college rules to protect, not punish, their children Have a consumer mentality vs. college student development perspective Want a guarantee of safety, and action NOW on problems or issues Initiated a new kind of parenting Boomer parents want to share their experiences with others – support networks Characteristics of Millennials (born 1982-2003): Special/sheltered Confident/optimistic/cooperative Team players/value group over individual Pressured to achieve/over-scheduled Deferential to and accept authority Technology/media savvy Racially/ethnically diverse Prefer coaching over counseling Lack self-reflection (don’t self-reflect; they “do”) Value accomplishment over character Volunteers vs. political activists Baby Boomer Parents and their Millennial Children

8. Who are our students (undergraduates)?General characteristics…… • Average age – 27 years old • Mostly part –time • Mostly women • Over 1/3 students of color • Most work more than 20 hours per week • 1/2 in Community Colleges

9. The general life conditions that help shape the valuesof thecurrent generation of college students(Information Age Generation (IAGs) or Millennium Generation) • The Information Revolution • Pop Culture • The Global Village • Redefining Family • Recession Spending and Global Economics • The Party’s Over • Television Wars, Wars on Television, and Wars in Reality • The Nuclear Threat and Global Politics • Risky Love and Pharmaceuticals • Experiencing the Weight of Life • Head of the Class • The Church Files

10. Public Perceptions Public Support Public Policy Higher Education Institutions…

11. Active Citizenship as a Goal of Higher Education Three-quarters (76%) of females agree that one of the main goals of higher education is to teach students how to be active citizens, as opposed to two-thirds (66%) of males Females now overtaking males as the main gender group enrolling in post secondary education Eight-in-ten (80%) respondents living in non-metro areas agree that active citizenship is a main objective, in contrast to seven-in-ten (69%) respondents living in the metro area

12. The Purpose of Higher Education Source: Ford Foundation

13. The College Experience Source: The National Center for Public Policy & Higher Education

14. Current Job Performance Ratings of Colleges & Universities African American respondents (18%) are more than twice as likely as Caucasian respondents (7%) to say that colleges & universities are doing a poor job on preparing students for a career. African American respondents (22%) are more than twice as likely as Caucasian respondents (10%) to say that colleges & universities are doing a poor job on building a relationship with the surrounding community

15. The Personal Benefits of Higher Education Economic • Better jobs & career opportunities • Higher salaries • Better benefits • Discretionary income for social activities “Higher education gives people the opportunity for potential. My daughter is going to finish her MBA soon, yet she is already being paid by an employer just for her potential. She’s being paid so well that she recently bought her first home” Social • More life choices & opportunities • Meet new people, networking for career & non-career purposes • Sense of fulfillment & pride of accomplishment • Broadens the mind “College is the first time you get to be alone in the world. Now you have to take responsibilities for your own actions & how you affect other people. This is what I call maturity”

16. The Community Benefits of Higher Education Economic • More consumers for local businesses • Brings qualified job pool to area • Brings new businesses & jobs to area “Colleges & universities bring business to a town. If the college or university weren’t there, it would be just a desolate place.” Social • Exposure to more cultural events • Unites community around sports teams • & accomplishments • Access to medical trials • & public health programs “Colleges & universities allow you to make mistakes in a safe environment. When you stay for that extra slice of pizza & drink instead of going home to finish up those last few pages of math.”

17. The Societal Benefits of Higher Education Economic • Creation & sustaining of businesses • More revenue from taxes • Greater consumer spending • New technology “The more people there are employed, the less we will spend on social programs, because it strengthens the local economy” Social • Encourages appreciation for diversity • Cultural & sporting events • Innovative medical research • Generates new ideas & open thought • Historical leaders of our country “Higher Education is not just for knowledge, but to embrace ideas outside of the box. Most kids look mature on the outside, but are in fact very immature on the inside”

18. Societal Economic Contribution Disproportionately younger, more educated, more affluent Disproportionately over 50, not college grads, & lower income Disproportionately male, with advanced degrees; also disproportionately African American Source: The American Council on Education

19. Contributions to the State Source: The American Council on Education

20. Drawbacks to Higher Education • Increasing tuition costs • Does not guarantee a good, well paying job • Many still lack common sense or basic skills • Too much focus on one area • Over-expansion & gentrification • Land & parking taken away • Poor student behavior towards neighborhood • Elitist • Limit or narrow field choices “Universities & colleges are pricing themselves out. My daughter wants to go to NYU, but that’s going to cost us $140,000. That’s a no brainer, we can’t afford it, so she’ll have to go somewhere cheaper.” “My son doesn’t know how to use a computer & does not know about costs or savings. Even though he only works a restaurant job, he should have this knowledge. It’s a benefit.”

21. Perception of Tuition Costs Do you think _____ colleges try to keep the amount they charge at an affordable level for families like yours, or not? Percent who say “yes” African Americans are significantly more likely than others to think that colleges do not try to keep tuition affordable Those with at least a 4-year college degree are significantly more confident that colleges try to stay affordable than those who are less-educated. Jan. 1998 May 2000 Nov. 2001 Nov. 2001 “Most” “Public” In 1998 & 2000, the question read “most colleges.” In 2001, the question was split: “most colleges” N=328; “public colleges” N=372. Source: The American Council on Education

22. Faculty • Mass retirements in next 5-10 years • Half of new hires are part-time, non-tenure stream, non-regular faculty • Course loads increasing • Self-funding demands increasing • Student demands and expectations shift • Job decisions depend on more than just the job…

23. Sources of Faculty Stress… Based on exploratory, qualitative study by Alexander and Helen Astin (1998). A study of purpose and Meaning in Faculty Lives: Stress, Fragmentation, and Authenticity • Time pressures - Particularly severe for those faculty with spouses and small children • Students – unprepared • Colleagues – peer review and tenure process • Stress related to family responsibilities and tenure process is particularly acute for women faculty • Engagement in committee and other administrative work – takes time away from teaching and scholarship and is seen as unimportant and unnecessary

24. And so… • Institutions, Students, and Faculty are experiencing shifts in their roles and relationships. • Stresses and significant changes are causing all of us, and our institutions to examine ways in which we can sustain ourselves and grow in this new climate. • In order to grow together as learners in higher education, faculty, staff and students need to adopt values and practices that align to sustain and invigorate their very souls.

25. Next… • As Deans and Department Chairs, what do you do to sustain yourself in your work and lives? • What do you do to help faculty in your area(s) sustain themselves in their work and lives? • What do you do to help students in your area(s) sustain themselves in their work and lives? • As Deans and Department Chairs, what would you like to do (that you do not currently do) to contribute to sustaining and invigorating the work and lives of yourself, your faculty colleagues and your students? • What would you change about your institution that would contribute to more meaning, purpose and joy in the lives and work of faculty, staff and students?

27. I am afraid that we will have to admit that the educational process in America is either a rather pleasant way of passing the time until we are ready to go to work or a way of getting ready for some occupation, or a combination of the two. What is missing is education to be human beings, education to make the most of our human powers, education for our responsibilities as members of a democratic society, education for freedom.Robert Maynard Hutchins

28. “Always in the deep woods when you leave familiar ground and step off into a new place, there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is an ancient fear of the unknown and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into. What you are doing is exploring.” ~Wendell Berry ~ We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. ~T.S. Elliot ~

29. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tony Chambers University of Michigan 734-647-0912 tchrist@umich.edu