| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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Derek Bok (1982) challenged administrators and faculty when he wrote, “There is no reason for universities to feel uncomfortable in taking account of society’s needs; they have a clear obligation to do so” (p. 11). Further, a report sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, written by Frank Newman (1985), made the case explicit. Newman wrote the following:
At the 1992 annual conference of the American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation (AAHEA), Carol Cartwright, then chair-elect of the AAHEA board, skillfully summarized the discussion about restoring the public trust in higher education. She proclaimed what many in the academy had been debating, namely, that “public trust of and public support for higher education have seriously eroded, [and] that higher education desperately needs to face a growing gap between the needs of external society and the academy’s own internal priorities” (Zlotkowski, 1996, p. 33). Indeed, scholars agree that a renewed commitment to service will provide a formidable response to higher education’s critics who regularly protest against an “ivory tower” mentality. Addressing community problems and maintaining academic integrity present higher education’s leaders with a formidable challenge.
Over the past 20 years, faculty members in various disciplines have initiated service-learning—a wave of experiential education wrapped in service activity, reciprocal learning, and purposeful reflection. It has been predicted that service-learning may accomplish both the academic aims of the academy and positively contribute to the vitality of the community. The extent to which the objectives are met for college and community are debatable.