Sunday, March 18, 2012

Civic Engagement | Inside Higher Ed

Civic Engagement | Inside Higher Ed:


Civic Engagement

We have a very active and respected Center for Civic Engagement on our campus.  The Center has undertaken many worthwhile initiatives including the development of “a brief workshop for students who will be working with off campus communities.”  This workshop, which is slightly over an hour in length, examines how students feel about working with off-campus communities and how these communities feel about working with students.  The attitudes stressed to the students include “being open minded,” “being respectful and appreciative,” “being humble,” “being responsible –sticking to commitments.”  Civic Engagement is fostering civility as a prime objective, and values articulated in the workshop are values we should be able to agree on.
More and more, however, these values have under assault.  For example the recent comments by Rush