Abstract
With a few notable exceptions in the academic literature (Barnett, 2007; Walker 2006; Barnett & Maxwell, 2008; Arthur and Bohlin, 2005; Nixon, 2009), there is relatively little discourse in the UK about the ways that higher education can support not only intellectual development, but the development of the whole student. In contrast, there has been increased attention in the United States in the past 15 years to the effects of university education on such aspects of student development as students’ values and attitudes (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005). A number of recent American initiatives, involving leading foundations and professional associations, have focused specifically on the development of “personal and social responsibility” (Dey et al 2008; Colby et al, 2003), “civic responsibility” (Ehrlich, 2000) and the “life of the mind for practice” (Sullivan and Rosin, 2008). Various publications illustrate particular strategies designed to promote “responsible judgment” (Sullivan and Rosin, 2008), “wisdom” (Sternberg et al, 2008) “moral formation” (Beatie and Henry, 2007) and service learning (Heffernan, 2001).
The proposed paper will draw on initiatives related to whole student development to flesh out the key concepts and challenges in leading such educational programmes. In addition to relying on American literature, the paper will include a targeted review of literature on holistic student development in higher education in the UK, focusing on the role of leaders in creating and sustaining curricular initiatives that have sought explicitly to integrate aspects of students’ “hearts” - or character development - with academic aims. Particular attention will be paid to identifying strategies for successful leadership for high level administrators (e.g. DVCs and PVCs) and departmental leaders, such as department heads and directors of studies. However, leadership of teaching is highly disciplinary and context specific (Gibbs et al, 2008). Caution, then, is warranted in prescribing particular leadership activities. In the previous section, the notion of values-based leadership was proposed as a promising lens for considering leadership and organisation development that supports holistic student development. Values-based leadership seems to embrace many of the same core principles (and practices) as holistic student development, enabling a philosophical consistency at different levels of an institution. Such consistency may be vital. As one author put it, “a university which does not itself have a distinctive character is unlikely to be successful in developing character.” (Glenn, 2005, p. 34) In developing the full paper, this thesis will be pursued, exploring values-based leadership in relation to the literature on leading holistic student development initiatives.
References
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