November 2019

Critical Conversations#19

How Can We Determine What Is Essential in Student Affairs Services and Programs?

In “Making the Invisible, Visible: The Enduring Essence of Student Affairs” (Journal of College & Character, vol. 20, no. 4, November 2019) this quarter's JCC Focus Author Simone Himbeault Taylor, University of Michigan, explores the essence of student affairs and its enduring nature. She argues that while the vehicles for delivering the work of student affairs may evolve over time, the essential work is well-defined, principled, and lasting. She responded to the following questions posed by JCC co-editor Jon Dalton.  Read more

New Spaces & Roles for Student Affairs Educators

Building a Community of Care: Mental Health is Everyone’s Business

Mental health represents one of the most pressing issues facing higher education. Indeed, college student mental health has been a critical issue for higher education for over Unfortunately, despite over a decade of clarion calls about the need to address this challenge, students continue to experience mental health challenges and mental illness at increasingly high rates—and of increasing severity. The mental health epidemic remains a serious problem—and students, faculty, staff, and administrators are still overwhelmed. Read more.

Inside, Outside, and In Between

Culture Is Like...an Elephant?

Recognizing that we will probably never be able to dispense with stereotypes entirely can help us navigate the inevitable pitfalls that we encounter in our increasingly diverse societies. For example, acquiring some generalized customs and etiquette that distinguish a particular culture may be helpful to outsiders, as these generalizations provide a framework of initial expectations that can help build rapport, show respect, and reduce the uncertainty associated with intercultural communication. Read more.

Fostering Moral Development

The Ecology of Magic: Designing Campus Environments

Campus ecologies, like WDW, can be strategically constructed to make students feel the experience they want. Institutions must be mindful of all the details of the student experience and how it is crafted to support the specific experience they want. Studies by higher education scholars outline the elements essential to understanding how to create an effective campus ecology. Read more.

From Our Associate Editor

Interfaith Leadership: A Commitment to Religious Pluralism and Diverse Worldviews

Building mutually inspiring relationships across lines of religious difference has a significant impact on our lives, including when we occupy civic spaces such as educational and governmental institutions. Engaging across lines of difference helps minimize prejudice, increase understanding, create social cohesion, as well as build a binding public narrative that can hold us together when there is fear and confusion.. Read more.

JCC News

JCC 20th Anniversary Collection

In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the Journal of College and Character, the editors have assembled a special collection of articles focusing on topics pertaining to the moral and civic education of college students. These articles—authored by a diversity of scholars and practitioners—were chosen from issues published over the past 20 years. The articles provide historical perspectives on character development issues in higher education over the past two decades as well as a sample of some of the best and most popular JCC articles on the topic of character development. This special collection is a supplement to the 20-year anniversary issue, which will be published in February 2020.

JCC Special 20th Anniversary Issue

JCC celebrates its 20th anniversary with a special issue published in February 2020, featuring articles by Alyssa N. Rockenbach, Marcia B. Baxter Magolda, Anne Colby, Michael Cuyjet, Larry Roper, Eboo Patel (with co-author, Benjamin P. Correia-Harker), and Richard Keeling.The development of character has been central to the work of student affairs since its beginnings in American higher education, and character development has been a central tenet of holistic student development. This introduction to the Journal of College and Character’s special 20th anniversary issue underscores the journal’s commitment to character development and provides brief summaries of the articles by senior scholars and leaders in the field included in the issue.

JCC Editors Welcome Barbara Jacoby as Civic Engagement on Campus Contributing Editor

Barbara Jacoby, JCC’s new Civic engagement on Campus contributing editor writes that while literature on civic engagement in higher education is rich with examples of courses and programs that promote the development of students as engaged citizens in our democracy, few of them involve the arts. In her article, Barbara explores the civic benefits of engagement with the arts and provides modes and examples of arts engagement while offering implications for practice and resources. Read more.

JCC Editors Welcome Birgit Schreiber as Student Development Outside the US Contributing Editor

JCC editors are pleased to introduce a new journal section that addresses issues relating to student development in higher education institutions outside the United States. This section examines how colleges and universities throughout the globe influence the moral and civic character and behaviors of students. As contributing editor of this new column, Birgit Schreiber will author articles, and she will also invite leaders in the field to contribute to this important section. Read more.