Education as Transformation Religious Pluralism, Spirituality, and a New Vision for Higher Education in America

Reflecting a national movement that seeks to create a more holistic model of learning and teaching on college and university campuses, Education as Transformation is a collection of twenty-eight essays written by a wide range of educators--including presidents, chancellors, deans, faculty members, administrators, religious life professionals, students, and other leaders in the field of education--on the themes of religious pluralism and spirituality in higher education. These essays provide scholarly analysis, practical information, and inspiration for those who agree that higher education can combine both head and heart in the teaching and learning process and in campus and community life. In seeking to articulate a new vision for higher education in America, the authors explore the possibility that both scholarship and spirituality are essential to fostering global learning communities and responsible global citizens who can address the challenges of a diverse world. « With the increased dominance of specialized knowledge and technical process, all in higher education--students, faculty, and administrators alike--are searching for new sources of meaning and coherence in their lives. 'Education as Transformation' is a landmark response to this pressing need. The authors in this volume are the key leaders of what has become a major movement aimed at cultivating substantive engagement and a vigorous dialogue on these critical issues. This book should be read widely throughout higher education. (R. Eugene Rice, Scholar in Residence and Director of the Forum on Faculty Roles and Rewards of the American Association for Higher Education) « This valuable collection draws fresh anduseful insights on the current state of American university culture from the worlds of religion and spirituality. The voices encountered here, both new and established, will surprise the academy with their humanity and utility. The reflections about campus community building and the promise and challenge of values, spirituality, and religious diversity, are new, useful, and long overdue. (E. Gordon Gee, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University) « Education at its best is always about transformation. The contributors to this book come from diverse traditions, but they share at least one deep conviction: when we reduce education to the mere transmission of data and techniques, we rip the heart out of the enterprise. This book, and the wisdom traditions that inform it, offer both encouragement and guidance as we educators pursue our life-giving vocation. (Parker J. Palmer, Author of 'The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life') « The higher I went in my formal education, the more my intellectual work was valued and my spirit devalued. After completing a doctoral degree, I felt a great need to resurrect my soul. The Education as Transformation Project seeks to turn around this alienating process and in compiling this resource, the project seeks ways toward an education that is integrative and unitive. (Patricia M. Mische, Co-Founder and President Emerita of Global Education Associates; Lloyd Professor of Peace Studies and World Law at Antioch College) « One of the happiest conjunctions of my life was my service on the Board of Trustees of Wellesley College at the time Victor H. Kazanjian, Jr. became our first Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life.The vitally new concept of campus ministry that he brought to Wellesley is now shared with an increasingly appreciative audience across the country and beyond. This collection puts the vision of a new relationship between higher education and the religious dimension at the forefront of our public discourse where it belongs. (The Reverend Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church, Harvard University; Author of 'The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart')