February 2020, Vol. 6, No. 1

20th Anniversary Issue of JCC 

JCC celebrates its 20th anniversary with a special issue. The development of character has been central to the work of student affairs since its beginnings in American higher education, and character development has been a central tenet of holistic student development.The 20th anniversary issue underscores the journal’s commitment to character development. Access the articles below: 

Introduction to the Journal of College and Character Special 20th Anniversary Issue
Jon C. Dalton, Kevin Kruger, & Pamela C. Crosby

Character Education for the Public Good: The Evolution of Character Capacities in and Beyond College
Alyssa N. Rockenbach

Developmental Complexity: A Foundation for Character
Marcia B. Baxter Magolda

Purpose as a Unifying Goal for Higher Education
Anne Colby

Advocating Cultural Competence in College Students as a Component of Moral and Civic Development
Michael J. Cuyjet

Inspiring Community and Institutional Change Through Social Justice Education
Larry D. Roper

Bonding and Bridging: An Equilibrium That Matters for Engaging Religious Diversity in a Pluralistic Society
Eboo Patel & Benjamin P. Correia-Harker

Cultivating Humanity: The Power of Time and People
Richard P. Keeling

Journal of College and Character Editors Seek Manuscripts in Response to 20th Anniversary Issue

The editors of the Journal of College and Character invite manuscripts in response to articles in the 20th anniversary issue of the journal published in February 2020. Read more.

JCC 20th Anniversary Collection

In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the Journal of College and Character, the editors have assembled a special collection of articles focusing on topics pertaining to the moral and civic education of college students. These articles—authored by a diversity of scholars and practitioners—were chosen from issues published over the past 20 years. The articles provide historical perspectives on character development issues in higher education over the past two decades as well as a sample of some of the best and most popular JCC articles on the topic of character development. This special collection is a supplement to the 20-year anniversary issue, which will be published in February 2020.

New Spaces & Roles for Student Affairs Educators

"Promoting Graduate Student Mental Health: The Role of Student Affairs Professionals and Faculty"
By Michael J. Stebleton & Lisa Kaler, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The mental health of graduate students represents a critical issue across college and university campuses. While scholarly and public attention in the previous decade focused on the growing mental health diagnoses influencing undergraduate students, including the rise of anxiety and depression among college students, recent studies demonstrate that graduate students also experience mental health challenges and mental illness at concerning levels.overwhelmed. Read more.

Inside, Outside, and In Between

"Is It the Thought That Counts? Gift-Giving in an Intercultural Context"
By Hsin-Yu Chen, The Pennsylvania State University

When I moved from Florida to Pennsylvania, one of my closest American friends gave me a wonderful gift: a personalized clock. She thought the clock would be both a nice decoration and a practically useful item for a new home. I was really happy and touched by her kindness and thoughtfulness. However, I still remember feeling slightly uneasy. In Chinese, the pronunciation of “giving a clock” (送鐘song zhōng) is the same pronunciation that means “attending a funeral ritual” and wishing people to “rest in peace.” As a result, not giving clocks as gifts is an unspoken custom in Chinese culture. Although I do not believe in superstitions, these deeply rooted cultural expectations still raised a strange feeling in me when I received my friend’s gift.. Read more.

Fostering Moral Development

"Wringing Out Your Brain: Higher Educational Professionals and Self-Care"
By Alan Acosta, Florida State University

Self-care is an opportunity to mentally process through the work done in an academic term.ecology. Self-care looks different for everyone, and there is no right way to do self-care beyond what feels natural for the individual. While the end of academic term breaks are ideal for wringing out the brain, professionals should identify whenever they feel the need to engage in self-care during the academic term. This can generally prove more difficult, as the ongoing demands of one’s job can make finding those times challenging, but a wrung-out brain is important for providing the best support to students, faculty, staff, families, and other invested stakeholders. Read more.

Engaging Civic Religious Pluralism 

"Civic Religious Pluralism Needs Many Anchors on Campus"
By Becca Hartman-Pickerill, Interfaith Youth Core

Religious, spiritual, and secular identities cannot be ignored—they are visible on our campuses and in the public square. They are present in hospitals and sports, in business and education, in social movements and elections. The knowledge and skills that nurture civic religious pluralism must also be part of each student’s education. I cannot promise that students’ experience of your training, teaching, food service, programming, orientation, or survey will inspire them to name their first born after that learning. If the commitment to civic religious pluralism is offered to a breadth and depth of students, it will impact the campus culture and their leadership off campus. Read more. 

JCC News

Special Session at NASPA Annual Conference

This video is a preview of a session at the NASPA Annual Conference in Austin, TX. The Session is called, "Humanizing Higher Education and the Journal of College and Character." The session, including authors Anne Colby and Richard Keeling, and JCC editorial board member Pete Mather will take place on March 31st from 11:30am - 12:20pm in the Austin Convention Center. View the video.

Leadership Exchange Spotlights the Journal of College & Character

Leadership Exchange magazine, published by NASPA, helps prepare chief student affairs officers for the most complex management challenges in higher education today. In their spring issue, the publication features an introduction by JCC chief editors and a selection of excerpts from the 20th Anniversary Issue.  Read more.