The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education)

258 Pages·2010·2.19 MB·English

by  Parker J. Palmer

Praise for The Heart of Higher Education THE HEART OF
PARKER J. PALMER is a highly Parker J. Palmer & Arthur Zajonc
respected writer, teacher, and activist.
ZP HIGHER
Hmiasn wy owrakl ksps eoafk lsi fde,e ienpcllyu dtoin pge eodpulec ainti on, “ Phiaglmheerr eadnudc Zataiojonn. Tc hheayv es hisoswue du sa h coowm cpoelllleingge sc aanll df ourn civhearnsgiteie asn cda nre bnee wal in ajoalm with Megan Scribner
transformed by taking a more integrated approach to teaching and learning ne EDUCATION
medicine, religion, law, philanthropy, cr
l
that focuses on the inner lives of their students and faculty.”
politics, and social change. Author of
seven books, including the best sellers —Alexander and Helen Astin, Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA l

T
The Courage to Teach (now in its tenth
“ At a moment when many are dreaming of an integrative form of higher H
anniversary edition), Let Your Life Speak,
THE
education that unites intellectual rigor with compassion and love, Palmer and E The Heart of Higher Education is an
and A Hidden Wholeness, his work has
been recognized with ten honorary Zajonc invite us to engage in conversations designed to infuse the academy H invitation to everyone who cares about
with meaning, purpose, and soul. For those who yearn to transform colleges and HEART
the academy to revisit its roots and help
doctorates and a number of national E
universities from sterile, vacuous spaces to places of hope, possibility, and respect
awards. Named one of the “most A OF reclaim its highest calling.
for everything human, this is the book you have been waiting for.”
R
infl uential senior leaders” in higher
— Laura I. Rendón, professor of higher education, Iowa State University, and author, T
education, he holds a Ph.D. from the Parker J. Palmer, best-selling author of
Sentipensante Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation
University of California at Berkeley. O The Courage to Teach and founder of the
HIGHER
“ Parker Palmer and Arthur Zajonc call for a renewal of our commitment to F Center for Courage & Renewal, and

ARTHUR ZAJONC is professor of inspiring deeper thinking and educating the whole person. This book should H Arthur Zajonc, professor of physics and
physics at Amherst College and has been and will inspire debate about our larger purpose, about how we can go beyond director of the Center for Contemplative
I
a Fulbright professor at the University the traditional silos in which we work for the sake of individual and institutional G Mind in Society, advocate a holistic
of Innsbruck in Austria. He is the author transformation.” H approach to teaching and learning that
EDUCATION
of several books, including Meditation as —Anthony Marx, president, Amherst College E honors the whole human being—mind,
Contemplative Inquiry: When Knowing R heart, and spirit. The Heart of Higher
Becomes Love and Catching the Light: “ What should be at the center of our teaching and our students’ learning? Palmer
E Education offers a rich interplay of
The Entwined History of Light and Mind. and Zajonc take up this simple but daunting question and provide the most solid D analysis, theory, and action options and
He currently directs the Center for ground yet on which to hold a conversation about the heart of our enterprise.
U models to help colleges and universities
Contemplative Mind in Society, which They reimagine higher education in a way commensurate with the magnitude
C become places that awaken the deepest
of our problems and offer us practical paths toward implementa-
supports appropriate inclusion of
A potential in students, faculty, and staff.
tion. Integrative education is the most important reformation of
contemplative methods in higher
T
The authors propose an approach to
higher learning since the rise of the modern university. This
education. I
book can help us achieve it.” O educational renewal grounded in
MEGAN SCRIBNER is an editor — Anthony Lising Antonio, associate professor of education N collegiality and conversation.
and associate director, Stanford Institute for Higher Education
and writer who has worked with
Research The Heart of Higher Education is for
numerous foundations and educational
all who are new to the fi eld of
organizations. She is coeditor of EDUCATION/HIGHER A CALL TTOO RRENEWAL
integrative education, all who want
Teaching with Fire and Leading from Within $24.95 U.S. | 29.95 Canada
and coauthor of The Courage to Teach l to deepen their understanding of
Guide for Refl ection and Renewal. She its challenges and prospects, and all
www.josseybass.com Transforming thhe AAcademy through
serves as an advisor to the Fetzer Institute. who want to practice and promote
Collegial Conversations this vital approach to teaching and
l
learning on their campuses.
Jacket design by Michael Cook

The Heart of
Higher Education:
A Call to Renewal
TRANSFORMING THE ACADEMY
THROUGH COLLEGIAL
CONVERSATIONS
^
Parker J. Palmer and Arthur Zajonc,
with Megan Scribner
Foreword by
Mark Nepo
TheJossey-Bass
HigherandAdultEducationSeries
Copyright©2010byParkerJ.PalmerandArthurZajonc.Allrightsreserved.
PublishedbyJossey-Bass
AWileyImprint
989MarketStreet,SanFrancisco,CA94103-1741—www.josseybass.com
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedin
anyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanning,oroth-
erwise,exceptaspermittedunderSection107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,
withouteitherthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher,orauthorizationthroughpayment
oftheappropriateper-copyfeetotheCopyrightClearanceCenter,Inc.,222RosewoodDrive,
Danvers,MA01923,978-750-8400,fax[phone],orontheWebatwww.copyright.com.
RequeststothepublisherforpermissionshouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,
JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,201-748-6011,fax[phone],
oronlineatwww.wiley.com/go/permissions.
ReadersshouldbeawarethatInternetWebsitesofferedascitationsand/orsourcesforfurther
informationmayhavechangedordisappearedbetweenthetimethiswaswrittenandwhenit
isread.
LimitofLiability/DisclaimerofWarranty:Whilethepublisherandauthorhaveusedtheirbest
effortsinpreparingthisbook,theymakenorepresentationsorwarrantieswithrespecttothe
accuracyorcompleteness ofthecontentsofthis bookandspecifically disclaim anyimplied
warrantiesofmerchantabilityorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.Nowarrantymaybecreated
orextendedbysalesrepresentativesorwrittensalesmaterials.Theadviceandstrategiescon-
tainedhereinmaynotbesuitableforyoursituation.Youshouldconsultwithaprofessional
whereappropriate.Neitherthepublishernorauthorshallbeliableforanylossofprofitorany
othercommercialdamages,includingbutnotlimitedtospecial,incidental,consequential,or
otherdamages.
Jossey-Bassbooksandproductsareavailablethroughmostbookstores.TocontactJossey-Bass
directlycallourCustomerCareDepartmentwithintheU.S.at800-956-7739,outsidetheU.S.
at317-572-3986,orfax317-572-4002.
Jossey-Bassalsopublishesitsbooksinavarietyofelectronicformats.Somecontentthatappears
inprintmaynotbeavailableinelectronicbooks.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Palmer,ParkerJ.
Theheart of higher education : a call to renewal / Parker J. Palmer and Arthur Zajonc
withMeganScribner;forewordbyMarkNepo.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-48790-7(hardback)
1. Education, Higher--Philosophy. 2. Educational change. 3. Educational innovations.
I.Zajonc,Arthur.II.Scribner,Megan.III.Title.
LB2322.2.P352010
378.01--dc22
2010013825
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
firstedition
HBPrinting10987654321
Contents
^
Foreword v
MarkNepo
Gratitudes xiii
TheAuthors xv
Introduction 1
1 TowardaPhilosophyofIntegrativeEducation 19
2 WhenPhilosophyIsPutintoPractice 35
3 BeyondtheDividedAcademicLife 53
4 AttendingtoInterconnection,LivingtheLesson 77
5 Experience,Contemplation,andTransformation 101
6 TransformativeConversationsonCampus 125
Afterword 151
AbouttheAppendices:Experiments
inIntegrativeEducation 155
iii
AppendixA IntheClassroom 157
AppendixB BeyondtheClassroom 175
AppendixC AdministrativeandCampuswide
Initiatives 195
Notes 217
Index 229
iv
Contents
Foreword
^
Theissuesfacingthenextgenerationgloballydemandthat
weeducateourstudentsworldwidetousealloftheir
resources,notjusttheirmindortheirheart.Thehourislate,
theworkishard,andthestakesarehigh,butfewinstitutions
arebetterpositionedtotakeupthisworkthanournation’s
collegesanduniversities.1
—DianaChapmanWalsh,
PresidentEmerita,WellesleyCollege
Whatyouhavebeforeyouisathoughtfulandgroundedinvitation
toliveintotheheartofhighereducationandtodeepenourunder-
standingandpracticeoftransformativelearning.Themagnitudeof
theissuesconfrontingtheworldrequireswholepeople withwhole
minds and hearts to lead us into tomorrow. And that, in turn,
requires us to renew the human purpose and meaning at the heart
ofhighereducation.
Parker Palmer and Arthur Zajonc have devoted their lives
to creating forms of education that serve the human cause. Their
book arrives at a critical and creative juncture in the evolution of
highereducationintheemergingglobalcommunity.Inparticular,
thisbookisanaffirmingresponsetoanunprecedentedinternational
highereducationconferenceheldin2007andfundedbytheFetzer
Institute. Rather than a compendium of the worthwhile papers,
v
presentations,anddialoguesofferedattheconference,thisbookisa
calltothegrowinginterestandcommitmenttointegrativeeducation
thattheconferencesignified.
Aftertwoyearsofplanning, theconference,‘‘Uncovering the
Heart of Higher Education: Integrative Learning for Compas-
sionate Action in an Interconnected World,’’ was held in San
Francisco,February22–25,2007.Theconferencedrewoversixhun-
drededucators,administrators,studentlifeprofessionals,chaplains,
andstudents,representing260institutionsfromNorthAmericaand
aroundtheworld—fromSchenectadyHighSchoolinupstateNew
YorktotheUniversityofCapeTowninSouthAfrica,andfromthe
UniversityofBritishColumbiainCanadatoRichlandCommunity
CollegeinDallas,Texas.
Partnering organizations who helped convene this unique
gathering included the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the
Associated New American Colleges, the Association of American
Colleges and Universities, the Center for Courage & Renewal,
the Contemplative Mind in Society, the Council of Independent
Colleges, the League for Innovation in the Community Colleges,
theNationalAssociationofStudentPersonnelAdministrators,and
NaropaUniversity.
Our primary partner and host institution for this conference
was the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). A special
gratitudegoesouttoourwarmcolleaguesatCIIS,tothepresident
ofCIIS,JosephSubbiondo,forhisvisionandleadership,andtomy
FetzercolleagueDeborahHigginsforherdevotionandexcellence.
Without their effort and care, this remarkable conference would
neverhavehappened.AnddeepgratitudetoMeganScribner,whose
gift as a thinking partner and editor helped knit the compelling
questions of the conference and the rich voices of the authors into
thebookyouhavebeforeyou.
Imustconfessthatstandinginthemidstofsucharemarkable
communityofeducatorsforthatoneweekinSanFranciscotriggered
an awareness that a healthy conversation is alive and well among
educatorsaroundtheworld.Thefundamentalquestionsatthecenter
of this growing conversation and at the center of the conference
vi
Foreword
can be offered as: Do current education efforts address the whole
humanbeing—mind,heart,andspirit—inwaysthatbestcontribute
toourfutureonthisfragileplanet?Whatstepscanwetaketomake
ourcollegesanduniversitiesplacesthatawakenthedeepestpotential
in students, faculty, and staff? How can integrative learning be
effectively woven into the culture, curriculum, and co-curriculum
of our colleges and universities? These questions remain active
guidepostsforongoingworkinhighereducation.
TheFetzerInstitutehashadalong-termcommitmenttoholis-
tic education. Over the last fifteen years, the Institute has actively
encouraged the development of a vital conversation between edu-
cation and spirituality that is prompted by the recognition that
education, especially higher education, serves as an incubator of
intellectualandprofessionallifethatcannotrightlybeshearedfrom
the formation of the whole person and his or her interdependence
withthewiderworld.Fetzerhasbothrespondedtoandencouraged
theartandpracticeoftransformationaleducationasintegraltothe
centralandbestpurposesofhighereducation.
Transformational education—understood as educating the
whole person by integrating the inner life and the outer life, by
actualizing individual and global awakening, and by participating
in compassionate communities—has become a quiet but sturdy
movement that encourages the recovery and development of the
academy as a liberating and capacity-building environment. Much
work,however,remainsashighereducationisingreatflux;outcomes
aligned with the aspirations of transformative education are by
no means clear or guaranteed, thus the need for this book and
the threshold it represents for this much-needed conversation to
continue.
ENTER WITH YOUR OWN GIFT
Vocationistheplace
wheretheheart’sdeepgladness
meetstheworld’sdeephunger.
—adaptedfromFrederickBuechner
vii
Foreword
Whatdoesitmeantobalanceeducatingthemindwitheducat-
ingtheheart?Intermsofactionintheworld,itsuggeststhatatoolis
onlyasgoodasthehandthatguidesit,andtheguidinghandisonly
aswiseandcompassionateasthemindandheartthatdirectit.The
heart of higher education has something to do with connecting all
themeaningfulpartsofbeinghumanandtheincreasinglyimportant
challengeofhowwelivetogetherinourtimeonearth.
BlairRuble,directoroftheComparativeUrbanStudiesProject
attheWoodrowWilsonCenterforInternationalScholars,tellsus:
Weliveinaworldthatisdifferentfromthatinhabitedbyour
ancestorsinmanyprofoundways.AccordingtotheUnited
Nations,theglobalurbanpopulationin2008hasreached
3.3billionpeople,morethanhalfofallhumanslivingonthe
planet.Thisrealitystandsincontrastto13percentacentury
ago;and3percentacenturybeforethat.2
Implicit in this shift in the human landscape is theincreasing
importanceofcompassionandcommunity,asthefuturewilldemand
even more skill and grace in the art of living together.And so, the
urbanpressofthefutureisonemorereasonthattheheartofhigher
educationneedstoliberateindividuals’capacityforcompassionand
community and provide them with the skillful means to inhabit
thesecapacities.
Certainlyeveryonedoesn’thavetheopportunitytoexperience
highereducation,butasignificantandgrowingpercentageofyoung
peoplearoundtheworldmaketheirwaytocollege:atleasttwenty
million annually in the United States, which contributes to the
forty million globally each year. This means that higher education
isthedevelopmentalhomeforenoughyounglivestofullypopulate
the cities of New York, Shanghai, and Los Angeles combined,
everyyear.
Considerthenthatforeachgenerationthereisadevelopmen-
tal window from approximately the ages of eighteen to thirty-five
in which these capacities for compassion and community can be
viii
Foreword