President Rogers: Reclaiming Purpose of Higher Ed

Fielding President addresses WSCUC conference

Fielding President Katrina Rogers at ARC

Fielding President Katrina Rogers gave a presentation Friday at the Academic Resource Conference (ARC), hosted by California’s regional accreditor, WSCUC.

Dr. Rogers’ talk, “Reclaiming the Civic Purpose of Higher Education,”  was co-presented by Eduardo Ochoa, president of Cal State University Monterey Bay.

A recent report by the Association of Governing Boards, “Renewing the Democratic Purposes of Higher Education,” concluded that “Today’s crises in democracy and higher education are real, and those who are in leadership must face them with imagination and resolve.” Evidence shows that attending college is related positively to a lifetime of civic engagement; therefore, higher education is uniquely positioned to strengthen democracy.

President Rogers presented the conclusions of her forthcoming book, Democracy, Civic Engagement, & Citizenship in Higher Education: Reclaiming Our Civic Purpose, which will be published in May by Lexington Books. In this edited collection, presidents draw from their diverse experience across higher education to focus on the practices that create tomorrow’s active citizens. Their conclusions highlight five actions organizations can take to further their leadership in democratic ideals:

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  President Rogers spoke with CSUMB President Eduardo Ochoa

  Embrace the importance of value-centered leadership and organizations

• Advocate for policies that affect those you serve and help them to advocate for change
• Undertake or participate in public deliberation on important issues to help solve Issues that affect your community
• Support voluntarism and community engagement among those you serve, not just in your organization, but also in society
• Promote a culture of civic involvement in your institution