Universities are criticised for overemphasising instrumental values. Instrumental values are important but universities risks undermining cultivation of humanity, critical consciousness and civic agency. Service-learning (SL) is practice that moves teaching and learning beyond the focus on technical skills and instrumental outcomes. Nonetheless,…

Last summer, the Democracy Imperative and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, two national networks linking academics and deliberative democracy practitioners, hosted a national conference, No Better Time: Promising Opportunities in Deliberative Democracy for Educators and Practitioners ("No Better Time," 2010). Over 250 civic leaders,…

This study was designed to assess whether changes in stakeholders' perceptions about the value generated by an institution might influence the nature of their engagement with it. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of research data revealed a positive correlation between stakeholders who believed an institution generated social or economic value…

Russians are less concerned about the poor material conditions of institutions or inadequate textbooks than about the commercialization of education and high tuition. Also of great concern is the gap between educational achievement and employment opportunities, especially for the more highly educated. The perception that a higher education is a…

The academy is considered by many as the major Western institution of knowledge. This article, however, argues that the academy is characterized by prevalent "epistemic ignorance"--a concept informed by Spivak's discussion of "sanctioned ignorance." Epistemic ignorance refers to academic practices and discourses that enable the continued exclusion…

The demonstrated willingness of institutions of higher education to contribute to sustainable development is on the rise. Colleges and universities are attempting to integrate principles of sustainability into their operational practices, curriculum, and research priorities. Integrating sustainability into a university requires processes by which…

This paper takes a feminist perspective on the UK literature on mass higher education in the 21st century, building on US critiques about marketization, neo-liberalism and "academic capitalism". Concepts of equality and diversity have been transformed by neo-liberalism and how these changes have constrained democratic contributions to UK…

A frequent refrain in Utah County, which prides itself on being one of the most conservative communities in the country, is that its public institution of higher education, Utah Valley State College, should reflect "community values." Generally, the argument goes something like this: local taxpayers, who support the school, should not…

Building on the analysis in his "Managing Civic and Community Engagement" (McGraw-Hill/Open University Press, 2007), the author offers an international perspective on the ways in which universities relate to their various communities. Relevant issues of leadership, policy and management are approached through key areas such as: the "narrative" of…

Technology has altered the nature of politics and the understanding of citizenship in some fundamental ways, including the balance of knowledge and power. It is time to accept technology as part of the historical condition and to humanize it. (Author/MSE)

The effect of ideological self-identification on students' perceptions and evaluations of three academic stimulus objects is investigated. Conservative and liberal students view academic objects differently and do not use the same dimensions when describing academic objects. (Editor/LBH)

Institutions of higher education have offered much in the 20th Century, but failure to respond to serious societal needs has been even more prevalent. (HS)

The question of higher education's role in promoting social justice in the larger society is considered. It is concluded that, although higher education must exist largely apart from society to fulfill its mission, it cannot survive too far removed from social forces and must not allow contrary forces to go unchallenged. (MSE)

In a final report to trustees, Harvard University's (Massachusetts) parting president Derek Bok suggests that efforts to turn university activities into revenues may change the institution's image and force it to sacrifice its most essential academic values. Problem areas targeted include athletics, scientific discoveries, and commercially…

The university exists in its own right as a fundamental construct in the system of beliefs, traditions, myths, saga, governments, churches, and other social institutions and structures that comprise the hallmarks of Western culture. In an attempt to understand the university and its value system, pertinent issues are discussed: (1) the university…