August 2023, Vol. 9, No. 3

How Do Career Influencers Champion Higher Education Professionals? Critical Conversations #34

Candy Ho, University of the Fraser Valley 
Michael Stebleton, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

In "Career Development Is Everyone’s Responsibility: Envisioning Educators as Career Influencers" (Journal of College & Character, vol. 24, no. 3, August 2023), Candy Ho and Michael Stebleton write that career influencers are student affairs educators, administrators, and faculty members who initiate meaningful career-related conversations with students—even if they do not hold career development expertise.  Read More.

Questions Relating to Moral Development: JCC, August 2023

Pamela C. Crosby, Co-Editor, Journal of College and Character

Here are some important questions that relate to moral development that are explored in articles in the August 2023 issue (vol. 24, no. 3) of the Journal of College and Character. Read more.

Critical Religious Studies in Higher Education

Religious Accommodations in Schools and Colleges Getting Federal Attention

Jenny L. Small, Brandeis University

This July, I was invited to attend an event called Free to Learn: Inclusion, Rights, and Accommodations for Students of All Faiths and None, which was hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Read more.

Engaging Civic Religious Pluralism

Reflection: Meeting the Moment: Campuses Must Respond to Students’ Evolving Views of Religion and Spirituality

Harmeet Kaur Kamboj, Interfaith America

As colleges and universities maintain and grow their investment in diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, some have turned their attention to the ways in which religion informs how students move through their campus communities. While a number of these institutions have invested financial and staffing capacity to support students of minority religious backgrounds, such as Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist students, few have addressed the rising wholesale disaffiliation of young people from religious institutions. The rise of atheist, agnostic, secular Humanist, and other non-theist identities on college and university campuses may indicate a need to divest from chaplaincy and spiritual life programming, but the issue is far more complex. Read more.

On a Voyage Through the PhD Experience

Who Are We Becoming? A Voyage Through the PhD Experience With the Scholar's Compass

Abby Wilfer, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Vic Massaglia, University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Much like a seasoned sailor relies on a compass to find their way, in this inaugural post we will present “The Scholar's Compass.” This metaphorical compass can serve as a guiding beacon, helping us navigate the challenges, conquer self-doubt, and uncover new horizons on this academic journey. Read more.
New Spaces & Roles for Student Affairs Educators

“So Young and Running Out of Time”: De-Bunking Unhealthy Messages about Vocational Success

Michael J. Stebleton, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Irrespective of career pathways, students overwhelmingly experience growing pressure to decide on a major or occupational trajectory early and to stay with it, ideally moving quickly to graduation, often at the expense of exploration. Finding a vocational soulmate is a message that gets promoted early and often to students (Stolzoff, 2023). Read more.

Fostering Moral Development

Reimagining the Use of Strengths

Alan Acosta, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School 

I wonder how we can encourage students to push themselves to do tasks which make them uncomfortable. I know there are lots of higher education professionals who challenge and support students to push themselves to try something new. However, I fear there are instances where a student will say, “I can’t do that” or “That’s just not me” and the response in wanting to be supportive is to affirm that feeling and let it go. Sometimes that response is genuinely the right one. What would happen if we pushed our students a little more? What if we encouraged them to use the talents they have to complete tasks that feel uncomfortable or too difficult? Read more.

Lessons in Moral Development Learned From a Sabbatical Adventure

A Kazoo Band and the Hidden Legacy of President and Mrs. Carter

Peter Mather, Ohio University

There I was in 2002, standing before the former President of the United States and now globally engaged citizen, Jimmy Carter, as he welcomed me to serve as the Director of Educational Programs for the Carter Center. It was one of those pivotal times in my life when I (figuratively) pinched myself and thought, “This is a moment I will remember.”  Read more.