Presentation at the Benedictine Pedagogy Conference 2011 at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH

1. The Strong Have Something to Yearn For & the Weak Have Nothing to Run From Sister Edith Bogue Associate Professor of Sociology Benedictine Pedagogy Conference2011

2. TRADITIONAL NARRATIVE:COLLEGE AS opportunity

3. Access is increasingly open Enrollmentin degree-granting institutions increased by 14% between 1987 and 1997. Increased 26% between 1997 and 2007 In 2007, 18.2 million students were enrolled in American colleges. About 39% of Americans aged 18-24 were enrolled in college in 2007.

4. Income and Employment Historically, income increases with each level of education. Percent employed is higher at each level of education.

5. Programs for less advantaged work! Upward Bound–77.3% of all students immediately went to college. Upward Bound Math/Science –86.5% of students go directly to college. Talent Search – 79% of Talent Search participants were admitted to postsecondary institutions. Educational Opportunity Centers–57% of college-ready students were admitted to institutions of higher learning. Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement– 25-41% reported as attending graduate schools Student Support Services –Students saw their GPA rise from a 2.3 in their freshmen year to a 2.6 by their senior year. Source: Council for Opportunity in Education – TRiO Fact Sheet http://www.coenet.us/files/bulletin_board-New_to_TRIO_Fact_Sheet_031209.pdf

6. Narratives of college as confusion & failure

7. Arum, R., & Roksa, J. (2011). Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses

8. Learning (College Learning Assessment) 45% of students “did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning” during the first two years of college. 36% of students “did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning” over four years of college. Those students who do show improvements tend to show only modest improvements.

9. Brandon, C. (2011). The Five-Year Party: How Colleges Have Given Up on Educating Your Child and What You Can Do About It

11. Professor X. (2011). In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic

12. Graduation Rates Graduation rates of bachelor’s-seeking students at 4-year institutions increased when measured after 6 years, rather than after 4 years, from time of entry The graduation rate of all bachelor’s-seeking students in the 2001 cohort is 36% after 4 years, 53% after 5 years, and 57% after 6 years Source: U.S. Dept. of Education: Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2007; Graduation Rates, 2001 & 2004 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2007: First Look- MARCH 2009. Laura G. Knapp, Janice E. Kelly-Reid, Scott A. Ginder http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009155.pdf

13. Bok, D. (2007). Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More.

14. Reduced Employment Options Vie for entry level jobs with laid off workers with more experience Few jobs created and many lost Even service jobs hard to get

15. Hacker, A., & Dreifus, C. (2010). Higher Education?: How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids---and What We Can Do About It.

16. Student Debt Average debt levels for graduating seniors with student loans rose to $23,200 in 2008. In 2008: At public universities, average debt was $20,200 At private nonprofit universities, average debt was $27,650 At private for-profit universities, average debt was $33,050

17. Correlates of this narrative Scrutiny Reduced funding and support for funding Amplified utilitarian rhetoric Internal discussion about response

18. Is this a new narrative? 1980’s criticism(Proxmire’s Golden Fleece awards, ‘75-’88) Model of breadth + depth developed after World War II Harvard’s “all elective” period Princeton’s “all classics” period

19. “I regard the average American collegian … as a careless boy-man who is chiefly anxious to have a good time and who shirks his work and deceives his instructors in every possible way.” Lyman Hotchkiss Bagg Four Years at Yale (1871)

20. How can we look at 21st century realities with the wisdom of our Benedictine heritage?

21. Hospitality:inviting people

22. Admissions Officers Enthusiasm Opportunity Welcoming Mobility Committed Goals, quotas, counts Revenue stream Key Indicators Marketing Face outward

23. The language of admissions… “Our yield rate is right on goal and on par with historical data, and our discount rate is also tracking nearly perfectly to the goals we set last fall. So the models we built for this incoming class hit on all cylinders. The identified big drop in … is the only unexpected variable we need to overcome to make our class.” “For now, our staff continues to work with our remaining applicant pool to get them to deposit. We are in the midst of our first set of orientations this week, during which we will have nearly xxx students and families on campus over four sessions.” “If you see families wandering around in the hallways looking lost, please take the time to stop and help them figure out where they are going.” Source: Report from Admissions Officer

24. What St Benedict says Guests are welcomed as Christ himself. Attention and care for all, especially the vulnerable Be open to the qualities and gifts of visitors First, pray with the guest or visitor

25. What St Benedict says If someone arrives to enter, let her wait a few days and knock several times. Ask the person what she is seeking. Invite her into the guest house for a few days.

26. “Read the Rule straight through” “Clearly told the hardships” “This is our Rule. If you can keep it, come in. If not, you are free to leave.” “After due reflection…”Chapter 58

27. Benedict’s insights Open to all Attentive to special needs of week Clear attractive identity Discernment:neither staying nor leaving is pushed

28. Hospitality:GROWING INTO COMMUNITY

29. 21st century 18 - 24 year olds Education has an instrumental purpose Optimistic about the future Present actions unconnected to future life Philosophy of “no regrets” Hard to see objective reality beyond the self Uncertain purpose Smith, C. (2009). Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults

30. Students in the 21st century Less than 50% the amount of time devoted to studying as students in 1960 Less engagement and commitment to academic endeavor Mediocre performance of America high school students on science and math tests Average college grades have increased

31. Students come to our colleges for purposes different from the mission and vision we hold dear. Howcan we buildbridges to adult lifethat are meaningful?

32. Novices – learning the life “Senior chosen for skill in winning souls looks over them with careful attention” Learning is individual – people receive what they need and work according to ability Primary focus: does the person truly seek God?

33. Faults, Errors, Correction Errors are normal Correction is also normal Feedback is prompt Correction responds to the problem the individual Goal: that a person can see, acknowledge, and remedy errors and so grow in holiness

34. Medieval Monastic Schools Learned immense amounts of material History, philosophy, theology Mathematics, music, nature Practical skills: construction, horticulture Memory was emphasized Understanding arose from the interplay of ideas and knowledge

35. Medieval Monastic Schools Seeking knowledge was seeking God:If we want to know the heart and mind ofGod, what better way than by understandingall that God made? (Hugh of St. Victor) Education & knowledge were transformative

36. Pondering Bloom’s Taxonomy Focus on Higher Order Thinking Skills(HOTS) Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) less valued Students lack skill and content in LOTS. Students easily memorize much information in domains of personal interest Mike Bowar’s Qatar Academy Wiki http://mbowe.qataracademy.wikispaces.net/

37. Purpose and Meaning Survey of 1200 undergrads and 800 faculty Almost 80% said that they were spiritualand committed to a search for purpose and meaning Almost 60% of both groups said that they had never experienced such a search in the classroom. Research by Sandy & Helen Astinas reported in Palmer & Zajonc (2010) The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal

38. Integrative education “How can higher education become a more multidimensional enterprise, one that draws on a full range of human capacities for knowing, teaching, and learning; that bridges the gaps between the disciplines; that forges stronger links between knowing the world and living creatively in it, in solitude and in community?” Palmer & Zajonc (2010) The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal

39. Benedictine Colleges Offer a vibrant, strong, and durable context of purpose and meaning Draw on a holistic view of the developmentof the person Cultural temptation to appear as we think the students want us to appear Are most attractive and most appealing when we offer something to yearn for

40. Benedict’s insights Community of purposethat draws the strong Fellow seekers for theconfused and weak Open to change Engaged with the world

41. Hospitality: The stronghave somethingto yearn for, andthe weak have nothingto run from