Creating Citizens: Liberal Arts, Civic Engagement, and the Land-Grant Tradition

By Kelly D. Alley, Barb Bondy, Elizabeth Brestan-Knight and 9 more

In Creating Citizens, professors and administrators at Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts recount valuable, first-hand experiences teaching Community and Civic Engagement (CCE). They demonstrate that, contrary to many expectations, CCE instruction both complements the mission of liberal arts curricula and powerfully advances the fundamental mission of American land-grand institutions.
 
The nine essays in Creating Citizens offer structures for incorporating CCE initiatives into university programs, instructional methods and techniques, and numerous case studies and examples undertaken at Auburn University but applicable at any university. Many contributors describe their own rewarding experiences with CCE and emphasize the ways outreach efforts reinvigorate their teaching or research.
 
Creating Citizens recounts the foundation of land-grant institutions by the Morrill Act of 1862. Their mission is to instruct in agriculture, military science, and mechanics, but these goals augmented rather than replaced an education in the classics, or liberal arts. Land-grant institutions, therefore, have a special calling to provide a broad spectrum of society with an education that not only enriched the personal lives of their students, but the communities they are a part of. Creating Citizens demonstrates the important opportunities CCE instruction represents to any university but are especially close to the heart of the mission of land-grant colleges.
 
In open societies, the role and mission of public institutions of higher learning that are supported by public subsidies are perennial subjects of interest and debate. Creating Citizens provides valuable insights of interest to educators, education administrators, students, and policy makers involved in the field of higher education.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University Alabama Press
• Release date: May 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9780817389604

Kelly D. Alley

Kelly D. Alley is Alma Holladay Professor Emerita of Anthropology at Auburn University and Associate Editor of Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water (WIREs Water).

Book preview

Contributors

Introduction

Brigitta R. Brunner

The liberal arts have been the great hallmark of the elite and educated since the times of Greeks and Romans. However, in today’s world many think that these areas of study are obsolete. Questions about the liberal arts relevance in modern times are debated on a nearly daily basis, but, what people are forgetting is that the liberal arts are just as necessary today as they were in ancient times, as much for how they teach as for what they teach. While many extol the virtues of the liberal arts for their ability to develop critical thinking skills, knowledge, and ethical reasoning, it is perhaps their ability to foster personal growth and civic participation that is most unique. The concept of the liberal arts must be extended beyond the traditional to that of a civic purpose, which inspires and integrates all types of academic study (Long, 2000). Such repurposing will not only return the liberal arts to their status of the heart of academic institutions, but it will also reinvigorate faculty research and teaching and student learning simultaneously (Long, 2000).

The liberal arts reach and develop students in many ways that other career-focused areas of studies may not. I believe, and many believe, that a liberal arts education is the key to navigating the changes that come ahead (A. Chan quoted in Dominus, 2013). The liberal arts beget citizens. Students develop a sense of social responsibility. They are empowered to handle complex and changing times. They respect and understand the need for diversity. Not only do students who take classes in the liberal arts understand their majors, but they also have a broader knowledge of the world. Students who study the liberal arts have the practical skills employers seek—communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and the ability to apply knowledge to real-world settings. But alas, many a student and parent are so focused on the end game—a career—that they lose sight of what the classics can do to enhance a career path beyond the entry level.

Civic skills may or may not be taught in the K–12 education system, so many high school students have not had any education or experience with concepts such as citizenship or democracy or the public good (Schneider, 2003). Therefore, higher education must take on this new charge. However, it is clear that passive learning that separates the ivory tower from the community does not work (Trostle & Hersh, 2003). College educators must join the civic and the classroom with curriculum in ways that provide both content and context. Faculty, students, and administrators must view civic work as part of who they are, and not something that is done in one’s off hours. Students must see how they can be part of the process by removing the walls of the traditional classroom and infusing the curriculum with new methods and purpose so that students can create solutions for societal problems (Calderon, 2003). Civic work must be moved from the sidelines of student learning and faculty work to the forefront of it so that the work of the mind fuses with the welfare of the world (Musil, 2003, p. 5). This new concept of a liberal arts education would be a new space that incorporates the academic world with civic purpose, learning with actions, theory with practice, and reciprocal research with collective social change (Calderon, 2003, p. 23). Such an educational experience does not only benefit higher education and the community, but also students because they develop leadership skills and the confidence to be active members of society.

Such a call does not and should not mean that faculty instruct students in the judgments they should make, but rather, it means that faculty should help students to consider the responsibilities and consequences of their knowledge (Schneider, 2003). Liberal arts education deals with theory, critical thinking, problem solving, and student empowerment. According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ website, a liberal arts education should not only instill students with skills that can be applied in a real-world situation, but this education should also develop a notion of social responsibility in students (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2014). College graduates should be able to consider alternative courses of action, critique theories, and evaluate practice to bridge their educational experiences and public issues. Merging the liberal arts with civics gives the work of the academy an even more worthy purpose, and all disciplines can add their expertise to such a cause (Long, 2000). All disciplines can add to our understanding of human existence. All disciplines can enhance our understanding of a global society. All disciplines can better our understanding of diversity. All disciplines can demonstrate that the liberal arts are a public good that builds a better world (Long, 2000). Students must be prepared to make the connections between learning outcomes and their lives; only faculty can make such things a reality (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2011). Higher education needs to focus as intently on creating citizens as it has on creating employees so that civic responsibility does not become charity instead of the tool for systematic solutions (Cone, 2003).

Based on these considerations, a liberal arts education is Civic and Community Engagement (CCE) when it lives up to its ideals and also involves meaningful interaction with community partners. When these conditions exist, liberal arts education not only cultivates skills and responsibility within students, but it also builds a reciprocal relationship that enables students and community partners to gain from each other’s experiential learning. It is therefore appropriate to investigate how one college of liberal arts is working toward creating a culture of CCE within it because it will provide a benchmark for such activity.

AUBURN UNIVERSITY AND CCE

Auburn University’s extension mission is rich in history. Chartered as a land-grant institution in 1872 under the Morrill Act, it became the first land-grant college in the South and was named the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. In 1899 the institution’s name was changed to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. It wasn’t until 1960 that its name was changed to Auburn University. Today, Auburn is not only a land-grant institution, but it is also a sea- and space-grant university.

Land-grant institutions were developed through the Morrill Act of 1862 with the mission to instruct in agriculture, military science, and mechanics. However, these institutions were also to provide an education in the classics, or liberal arts, so students of meager means could receive a liberal education (Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, 2012). The land-grants had a special calling to provide a broad spectrum of society with an education that had relevance to their lives. To this day, land-grants have a democratic mandate to accessibility and service (Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, 2012). Therefore, it is only fitting for an institution such as Auburn University to have a deep commitment and long history of community and civic engagement activities.

Although the School of Architecture’s Rural Studio may be Auburn’s most famous example of outreach, the College of Liberal Arts also had made significant contributions to CCE. Alabama’s first public radio station, WAPI, was a product of Auburn’s Department of History, which is now located in the College of Liberal Arts. Founded in the 1920s by George Petrie, WAPI served as a form of CCE for its time because it used broadcast as a way to serve the educational needs of people in the state. This tradition continued throughout the 20th century as leaders in the College of Liberal Arts were instrumental in developing CCE’s role in both the university’s strategic plan and the faculty handbook’s tenure and promotion guidelines. These actions helped to move the university toward becoming an engaged institution, and, with new leadership in the 21st century, these actions have been further backed with supportive programs and initiatives in the college.

FROM CO-OP EXPERIENCE TO COMMUNITY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Engagement is more than extension, conventional outreach, and public service (Alperovitz & Howard, 2005.) While these concepts are all valuable and contribute to an institution’s mission, they all emphasize a one-way interaction whereby the university comes into the community to share expertise. Engagement goes one step further. Engagement is about a two-way, reciprocal relationship in which both the university and community partners share in the development of learning and knowledge. It is only when this sort of respectful relationship exists that a college or university may call itself an engaged institution (Alperovitz & Howard, 2005).

There are many ways in which experiential learning can be added to a curriculum. This way of learning is based on the concept that when given the opportunity to directly experience the issues they are studying, students will learn how to analyze and solve community problems. Therefore, these learning experiences dovetail nicely with the goals of a liberal arts education.

Community-based learning often relies on fieldwork and cooperative experience. Students in courses that require community-based learning apply their skills and give something back to the community so that they learn what it means to be a citizen. Similarly, service-learning courses also require students to apply their skills to a community problem; however, there is an additional component—reflection. Students develop a deeper understanding of their career field and of civics through service-learning opportunities because they are asked to think about what they are learning, how they are learning, what they are doing to help their communities, and so on. Service learning makes learning a reciprocal relationship for students, faculty, and community partners. Each learns from the exchange with the other.

Another form of community-based learning is called civic engagement. Civic engagement uses a wide array of activities and skills to foster social change. At its most basic, civic engagement describes the activities and interaction between citizens and society that form a partnership between higher education and community (Patrick, 1998). Students working in civic engagement develop solutions that make a difference in civic life and in communities. These students use their skills, values, and motivations to promote quality of life issues and may or may not involve political processes to do their work.

Community engagement is a way to categorize the collaboration between higher education and the community, whether it is local, state, regional, national, or global. This collaboration is based on reciprocity and the mutual exchange of knowledge and resources (New England Resource Center for Higher Education, 2014). Such partnerships enhance curricula, enrich scholarship, address societal issues, prepare engaged citizens, and contribute to the public good (New England Resource Center for Higher Education, 2014).

The Auburn University College of Liberal Arts has adapted and adopted the University of Maryland’s definition of civic engagement because of its broad scope. This definition suggests that civic engagement is a heightened sense of responsibility to one’s communities. It includes civic responsibility, working for the common good, participation in public life, appreciation for diversity, and global citizenship. With this perspective, civic engagement is about inclusivity and therefore invites many voices to become a part of initiative. In order to make the most faculty and staff feel included in this new adventure, much time and discussion was spent to determine how best to refer to these activities. After much debate, we at Auburn decided that our work would be called Civic and Community Engagement, CCE for short. This new nomenclature does not strictly follow the established definitions of what is civic engagement and what is community engagement; it blurs the lines. This idea to work around and through the edges was purposeful. We wanted the most people possible to feel as if they could be a part of this new movement. We wanted everyone to feel like he/she had a place and way to participate and join. We knew enough not to expect everyone to understand or to want to be invited in; however, we also knew that the more people who were involved, the more likely our programs were to succeed. In addition to developing this broad terminology, we also developed a list of allies and friends of CCE both within the university and outside it to help us with our ideas and efforts so that we had buy-in from many levels.

Change is often a difficult, but necessary word to bring to the conversation. Change is messy. It is uncertain. It means things will be different. Some even take it as meaning that their previous efforts are being belittled (Eckel, Green & Hill, 2001). Because of these reasons and many more, people often fear change, but they shouldn’t. Instead, change should be embraced because it allows faculty and administrators to see their work with new perspective. It also allows institutions to revisit their historical beginnings and retrace their established missions and values. Further, change allows faculty to pursue new agendas and programs.

Since the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts has decided to pursue CCE endeavors, it has been in a state of change. Change that has the ability to be transformative. Yes, there have been missteps. Yes, there have been challenges and obstacles. Yes, there have been naysayers. Yes, there have been lessons learned. But this change has also brought about new policies, new programs, and new ways of thinking. Although the change has not yet been completed, it is still exciting to see from where the college came to where it is going. It often takes five to seven years for leaders to make engagement a part of an institution’s culture (Beere, Votruba & Wells, 2011). A lot has been done, but there is still more to do. However, it is important to document this change so that this knowledge can be shared with others who might also be considering taking similar steps.

I offer this book as a guide for those who want to create a community or civic engagement program at their respective institutions. I know when we first began these efforts we looked to what other universities were doing so that we could tweak and model those efforts. My hope is that by seeing what the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts was able to accomplish in a few years and with the efforts of a core group of faculty others will be inspired to following their voices and ideas. Don’t let the fear of what if keep you from trying. Remember that this is your opportunity to make such programs your own.

Although each of the chapters in this book speaks to different types of civic and community engagement carried out by faculty in divergent fields, there are several overlapping themes to be found. Many of the authors describe their own rewarding experiences with CCE. Some found new inspiration, others a way to invigorate their teaching or research. But all agree that CCE is an essential component of their concept of self as academics. Along with this sense of reward comes a commitment. This commitment could be about resources, but it always seems to include time. It is obvious from the content of these chapters that CCE will take time—a lot of it. It will also require attention to detail and careful planning. Finally, most of the authors were careful to demonstrate how CCE relates to their research and/or creative work. This finding establishes how important it is for faculty to show this connection in order to build understanding and continued support for CCE in the university’s structure.

This volume will celebrate the current work of Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts faculty to continue the tradition of CCE in its many forms, which better both the university and community. Suggestions will also be made so that faculty at other institutions who wish to begin or improve similar initiatives at their home institutions can learn from Auburn’s programs. The first three chapters focus on structures within the college that support CCE work. For example, Brunner examines how CCE work can be adapted to fit the parameters of the tenure and promotion process and makes suggestions for why such work should gain more attention and for how to garner colleague support and understanding of it. Kelly discusses how internship programs can be a most important means of creating successful CCE partnerships and experiences.

The next section of the book delves into methods and techniques for integrating CCE activities into classroom experiences. Wickman tells how he immerses students within social problems and then uses these examples to teach them about writing and argumentation. Stevens and Ryan discuss how to develop and maintain strategic community partnerships to develop meaningful educational experiences for prisoners. Pittman and Gramberg describe an outreach program that finds ways to link foreign language classes and students with international companies in the state.

The final section of the book details examples of faculty CCE work. Fairley gives an account of several journalism projects that connect students to local communities and yield sustainable designs for community members to maintain. McNulty and Bondy elucidate a series of multidisciplinary exhibits, lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and activities focused on topics related to art and agriculture. Brestan-Knight and Thornberry recount collaboration between a university-based clinical research team and a local child advocacy center. Finally, Alley reflects upon the convergence of research with civil society around water use in an international setting.

REFERENCES

Alperovitz, G. & Howard, T. (2005). The next wave: Building a university civic engagement service from the twenty-first century. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 10, 141–157.

Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2011). The LEAP vision for learning: Outcomes, practices, impact, and employers’ views. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2014). What is a 21st Century liberal education? Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/leap/what_is_liberal_education.cfm, April 25, 2014.

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. (2012). The land-grant-tradition: 150 years of learning, discovery and engagement. Washington, DC: Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.

Beere, C. A., Votruba, J. C. & Wells, G. W. (2011). Becoming an engaged campus: A practical guide for institutionalizing public engagement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Calderon, J. (2003). Partnership in teaching and learning: Combining the practice of critical pedagogy with civic engagement and diversity. peerReview, 5, 22–24.

Cone, R. (2003). Service-learning and civic education: Challenging assumptions. peerReview, 5, 12–15.

Dominus, S. (2013). How to get a job with a philosophy degree. New York Times, September 13. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/magazine/how-to-get-a-job-with-a-philosophy-degree.html?_r=0, October 31, 2013.

Eckel, P., Green, M. & Hill, B. (2001). Riding the waves of change: Insights from transforming institutions. On change V. An occasional paper series of the ACE project on leadership and institutional transformation and the Kellogg Forum on Higher Education Transformation. American Council on Education, Washington, DC.

Long, T. E. (2000). Making the case for liberal education: The civic renewal of liberal education. Convocation address presented at Elizabethtown College. Elizabethtown, PA, August