From Creating Campus Community: In Search of Ernest Boyer's Legacy

From "Foreward" by Parker Palmer

"The simple truth about community is that it gathers around such personal virtues shared and multiplied. That truth becomes more pointed when we turn it around: community cannot, and will not, gather around smallness of mind, tightness of heart, banality of spirit, frenzy masquerading as efficiency, myopic views of reality, faddish techno-babble, obsession withy the bottom line, or the fear that is masked by arrogance in too many intellectuals' lives." (x Palmer)

"Is it possible, in higher education, to create conditions that can help all of us grow our own identity and integrity, to become strange attractors of community, each in his or her own way?" (xi, Palmer)

"...I believe that soul work, rightly understood, is higher education's proper domain, and if we fail to make room for it, we fail to educate in any meaningful sense of the term. Indeed, I believe that all education is a process of forming or deforming the human soul--whether or not we understand, acknowledge, or embrace that fact." (xi, Palmer)

"...[the liberal arts] aims at liberating us.... From all external forms of tyranny, of course, and from internal tyrannies as well, especially in the 'smallness of mind, tightness of heart, banality of spirit, frenzy masquerading as efficiency, myopic views of reality, faddish techno-babble, obsession withy the bottom line, or the fear that is masked by arrogance in too many intellectuals' lives.' Education should liberate us from the arrogance that we are either set apart from the world or perched above it all." (xiii Palmer)

"Liberal education is rooted in the time-tested Socratic dictum that 'the unexamined life is not worth living.'" (xiv Palmer)

"When we understand the connections between inner and outer reality, and when we commit ourselves to educational soul work with the same skill and intentionality that we commit to budgets and policies and programs, we will find that it is possible to raise up my Ernie Boyers and fewer barbarians." (xiv Palmer)

"We must remember, too, that we have at our disposal one of the greatest vehicles for soul making and community building known to humankind--the one called education." (xv Palmer)


From "An Agenda of Common Caring: The Call for Community in Higher Education" by E. Grady Bogue

"Shared purpose, shared commitment, shared relationships, shared responsibility--the need for community is a primal yearning and a practical necessity in our lives and in our society." (3 Bogue)

"Solitude and community are thus complimentary, and both are essential conditions of the human experience." (6 Bogue)

"A sense of community in any setting signifies the presence of what I call an agenda of common caring and grace." (7 Bogue)

"Colleges and universities are often described as communities of scholars, communities of truth--learning communities. In one of the most familiar and informing legacies of collegiate community, Ernest Boyer (1990) characterized a college or university as

--A purposeful community. A purposeful community is one in which students and faculty share learning goals, and the classroom is seen as a a place where community begins and where 'great teachers not only transmit information, but also create the common ground of intellectual cognitioncommitment. They stimulate active, not passive learning in the classroom, encourage students to be creative not conforming, and inspire them to go on learning long after college days are over.' (p. 12)

--An open community. An open community is described as one in which freedom of expression is nurtured and civility is affirmed. The virtue of civility recognizes the dignity of every person and is build on the reciprocity principle honored in every great religious literature.

--A just community. prejudice and arrogance are the enemies of the just community. Thus a just community is one that affirms diversity' and 'is a place where diversity is aggressively pursued' (p. 35).

--A disciplined community. The report describes a disciplined community as 'a place where individuals accept their obligations to the group and where well-defined governance procedures guide behavior for the common good' (p. 37). Codes of conduct and security plans are attended under this community value, as are the values of courtesy and privacy.

--A caring community. A caring community is one where a sense of connection between student and campus is cultivated, and the nobility of service to others is emphasized. The report suggests that 'students also should bee brought in touch with those genuinely in need, and through field experiences, build relationships that are inter-generational, intercultural, and international, too'(p. 54).

--A celebrative community. A celebrative community is one in which campus heritage and traditions are central to the culture of the campus and to student life. Both the physical environment and the ceremonial traditions mark it for memory and connection in the lives of its students. (Bogue 8-10)


from "Beyond Rhetoric: Composing a Common Community Experience" by Cynthia A. Wells

"A monthly program titled 'Chat-n-Chew' encourages excellence in teaching. This informative initiative encourages excellence in teaching. This informative initiative encoutages creative teaching by bringing campus educators together for conversations on teachoing and learning." (Wells 58)


from "Modeling Community Through Campuys Leadership" by Roper & Longerbeam

On being involved in meetings: "The only stipulations placed on involvement were that participants must possess positive energy and must have a tolerance for ambiguity... our organization...cannot afford to be led by people who are tired." (73)

What will be our contribution to the mission...? What does the [college] most need from us right now?" (74)

"The most important aspect of our conversation focused on deciding between the use of two simple words--the and our" In the end, this conversation was pivotal in the development of an organizational mind-set. The conversation centered on whetrher to refer to "the university" or "our university." Through our conversation, we concluded that it was imperative that we declare ownership for our institution and that we develop a leadership style that would reinforce this commitment." (76)

Instead of Foundations, why not First Year Program?


from "A Lab Without Walls: Team Approach To Creating Community" by Brown, Brown & Littleton"

"Faculty members were mentoring juniors and seniors well into their majors, but the college wanted nurturing relationships to be cultivated during the freshman and sophomore years...serve as a retention tool." (94)

":Community cannot be spoken into existence, nor can an oligarchy mandate that those people who live in close proximity to one another relate and interact in some transcendent fashion." (101)


from "Conclusion: Final Reflections and Suggestions for Creating Campus Community" by McDonald, et al

"Members must exhibit courage and support, accepting failures as well as successes in implementing community-building initiatives. Otherwise, members will not assume the risks inherent in implementing new ideas." (170)

SEVEN ACTIVITIES TO CREATE COMMUNITY

1. Create clear and elevating goals--define "the big picture" work of the organization.

2. Engage members in charting the direction of the organizatrionb--personalize the
organization's work by increasing the investment of individual member.

3. Reduce anonymity by facilitating members learning eeach other's names--work against isolation.

4, Agree on conversation ground rules--develop a culture of civility.

5. Create opportunities for input, feedback, and reflection--create space for the individual 'voices' of community members.

6. Develop specific activities that will move the organization toward its community goals--translate your aspirations into concrete work.

7. Periodically review organizational progresss--chart the organization's journey and refocus as needed." (176)


"Community will be achieved through our shared commitment for the social, emotional, psychological, intellectual, physical, and spiritual condition of thee space we share." (176)

"In community bulding, the joy is not in the achievement; the joy is in the struggle--the struggle of always building bridges to make meaning of our collective social and educational experience." (178)

from Afterword: The Quest for Community in Higher Education" by Parker Palmer

"That [core] mission can be summed up in threee words: knowing, teaching, and learning.. (179)

"Community in higher education is not optiobal but essential if we wish to pursue our misssion with full integrity." (180)

"Above all, we must bring all staff into a shared sense of community and mission, for only so will people be willing to embrace the reality that we are all teachers." (182)

"I feel in community when I believe that I play a meaningful role in a shared educational mission, and others see me doing so." (182) Shared responsibility between individual and leaders

"I feel community when I am affirmed for the work I do on behalf of the shared mission if it contributes to that mission." (182)

"I feel community when I know that I can take creative risks in my work and sometimes fail--and still be supported." (182)

"I feel community when I am trusted with basic information about important issues relating to the shared mission." (183)

"I feel in community when I have a chance to voice my opinion on issues relating to the shared mission or my part of it--and I am given meaningful responses to what I have to say." (183)

"In short, I feel that I am in community when I feel seen, known, and respected--when I am taken seriously and appreciated,
not just for the function that I perform, but for who I am as a person." (183)

"Th absolute minimum in building community is to learn at least a little bit about each otrher's stories." (184) Tell stories of yourself at meetings.