A great post.


Bill


________________________________
From: Steven Volk <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2017 3:38 PM
To: Steven Volk
Subject: CTIE Article of the Week (January 30, 2017): As Classes Resume...

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Dear Colleagues:

I was fortunate to be able to attend the (just-concluded) national meetings of the American Association of Colleges & Universities. The AAC&U is among the most forceful and persuasive organizations defending high-quality, inclusive liberal education in the United States. AAC&U's president, Lynne Pasquerella, staff, and many of the speakers at the conference offered a full-throated defense of inclusive higher education, the linking of education and calls for social justice and a path forward in seeking racial healing on our campuses and in the broader community. These positions were all the more important in the face of the mounting attacks on the ideals we hold as educational institutions that unfolded in tandem with the conference.

As I flew back from San Francisco, I continued to think about issues that were raised, both regarding the development of approaches to teaching that can help us reach all our students as well as how to think about the distressing political climate we find ourselves in. I haven't been able to process everything I heard, but here are some points that stayed with me from the meetings, beginning with what we should keep in mind as classes restart for the spring semester.

First and foremost: Think of concrete ways you will defend and support students who are most vulnerable at this time and who have already come under attack, particularly undocumented and Muslim students, as well as students from those communities which the current administration in Washington has chosen to belittle and threaten. You may not know which of your students are vulnerable, but assume that those at greatest risk are seated among your students and make sure your classroom is a welcoming space for all. Regardless of the subject you teach, our students need to be supported and we are the best ones do to that.

Second: Think of specific ways to support students, staff, and colleagues who are feeling overwhelmed by the sea change in Washington and the policies which have emerged this past week that directly challenge core principles of the academic community, and the central moral and ethical standpoints that we hope would define us as a human community. Among the former is a belief in evidence-based arguments and the value of rational discussion; among the latter is a commitment to defend and protect the weak, and to offer refuge for those most in need.

Third: Think of specific ways to support yourself. We can't be of help to our students if we are too overwhelmed to think.

For the full article and further thoughts from the AAC&U conference, click over the CTIE blog<http://languages.oberlin.edu/blogs/ctie/2017/01/29/as-classes-resume/>. Back "Article of the Week" posts can be found here<http://languages.oberlin.edu/blogs/ctie/>.

Make it work!

Steve

--
Steven S. Volk
Director, Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence (CTIE)
Professor of History Emeritus
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH  44074

Office: (440) 775-8522
Office Fax:  (440) 775-6910
www.stevenvolk.com<http://www.stevenvolk.com>