15th Annual Continuums of Service Conference
Creating the New Vision for Higher Education
Higher education is changing. We are rethinking how we do everything on and off the campus. Colleges and universities across the country are re-structuring, re-branding, cutting degree programs, initiating new initiatives, collaborating with new partners, etc. As François de la Rochefoucauld said, “The only thing constant in life is change.” Yet so many people are approaching this change from a very fearful resource-poor perspective. Let’s change that!
Higher education has its roots in serving the public good. While most colleges and universities still believe this to be a core foundation of their missions, over the years, more emphasis has been placed on the individual gain of the student, primarily in the realm economic mobility. At this point in history, it is imperative for higher education to reconnect to its public purpose. Change will happen. What is our collective vision for that change?
The civic engagement/service-learning field is well-poised to help create this new vision for higher education. The 2012 Continuums of Service conference, “Creating the New Vision for Higher Education” will focus on this topic. We will facilitate roundtable discussions that explore diverse perspectives, create public spaces to share ideas, and have keynote speakers who will challenge our thinking. By the end of the conference, we intend to integrate collective ideas into a new vision that participants can take back to their colleges, universities, and communities. We invite all presenters and participants to come prepared to explore new ideas and help co-create a new vision we can use to guide our work, connect our colleges and universities with our communities in profound ways, and prepare our students to be civic leaders NOW, and in the years to come.