Clydesdale, T. (2015). The purposeful graduate: Why colleges must talk to students about vocation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
This book tells a story about “systematically inviting and supporting reflection about life’s purpose [an initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment’s Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation, PTVE] on dozens of college and university campuses, and among thousands of students, faculty, and staff”.
While the author acknowledges the many problems with contemporary higher education, he is more optimistic than many writers on the topic. The accessible style make the book a refreshing read, although there is rather a lot of repetition.
One pertinent observation is the benefit of involving faculty and staff in the program (which included a series of seminars) on an equal footing: “the more a college can bridge its faculty and staff divide, the better it can deliver the education it promises” (p. 32). This speaks to the larger problem that
“Rarely do campus populations see themselves as part of a larger endeavor; the contemporary university is not an ocean liner that delivers essential goods and personnel to distant shores but rather a flotilla of rafts loosely tied together while their thousand pilots grab a share of the cargo” (p. 51).
“A sustained rebound [from the problems that beset modern universities] requires three things: … colleges and universities must unequivocally prioritize students, faculty, and staff as whole persons; these persons must, in turn, prioritize the organization’s mission; and all must prioritize local and global citizenship” (p. 55).
Much of the book is devoted to detailed descriptions of PTVE’s implementation at various colleges included in the author’s sample, its impact on students (chapter 4) and faculty (chapter 5) and a critique of some of the implementations (chapter 6).
Overall, the study shows the benefits of participation in the program in terms of student confidence, satisfaction, broadened perspectives, and a form of “resilience and persistence” that Clydesdale calls “grounded idealism” (p. 118; the overall results are summarized in Appendix 4). Clydesdale also reported increased collegiality among faculty, and better understanding of and connection to the mission of the institution for students, staff, and faculty.
The final chapter, “Larger Lessons”, summarizes the results of the study and places them in a broader context, including reviews of previous studies. Clydesdale notes the increasing anxiety reported by college students and their parents, and the “societal impact” of record rates of college attendance and the associated debt. He attributes the “lengthening path to adulthood” to a combination of “macroeconomic changes that have made financial independence elusive; macrocultural shifts that have replaced traditional family formation with a menu of lifestyle options; and insufficient socialization of youth by families, schools, and congregations” (p. 201). He points to declining academic standards and academic inefficiencies as troubling, but the central problem is lies with a flawed view of the purpose of higher education.
“Where I argue higher education is culpable is in not creatively and systematically engaging students in a wide-ranging conversation about living lives of purpose in a complex, globally competitive, and deeply unjust world (p. 202). “When students view college education as a means to an economic end and not as an opportunity to learn, explore, and investigate the world, even the most efficient college or university will not foster genuine learning or engaged citizenship” (p. 204)
The author agrees with previous studies documenting the importance of vocation and “spiritual engagement” (including religious participation) in fostering purpose and providing a “centrality of meaning- making to human life” (p. 216), but criticizes the umbrella term “spirituality” as too vague and inclusive to be engaging. He notes that the most successful programs “sprang rather from exploration of theological ideas grounded in denominational narratives and traditions”, and”theology offers a robust starting place for conversations about meaning and purpose” (p. 217).
Most importantly, Clydesdale stresses the need for faculty to engage discussions of purpose in their classes, and for higher administrators to actively and visibly support purpose-driven programs and discussions on campus. Like Lonergan and many Catholic writers, he asserts that we “yearn for truths that matter, truths that are worth caring about” (p. 229).
Appendix five provides and annotates “resources for purpose exploration programming”, including books, films and suggested program elements.
Local Note
Seton Hall received a PTVE grant, although it was not one of the institutions studied here; see http://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=vocations The funds established the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership, which sponsors (among many other programs) the Faculty Seminar on Mission and the Praxis Program of the Advanced Seminar on Mission.
Questions
A common problem in contemporary universities is the “divide” between faculty, staff and administrators. How might we better bridge this division?
What “purposeful” programs do we currently have, and what more might we develop if funding could be obtained?