Reconciling values during general education revision at three Catholic universities

Leaders at Catholic colleges and universities are faced with the unique challenge of reconciling values that emerge from the Catholic identity of their institutions with the values of the academy that influence every American institution of higher education. This multiple site case study focuses on the process of general education revision, a process strongly influenced by both sets of values, at three Catholic universities with different founding organizations. The purpose of the study is to identify the different values that play important roles in curricular revision, to discern the sources of those values, to explore how they interact, and to illuminate how leaders can effectively navigate the murky, sometimes turbulent waters of values. While media attention is often focused upon conflict between Catholic and academic values, this study found that the most common form of conflict during general education revision was among values emerging from the academy. In fact, values of the academy and values of the sponsoring organization often aligned. Curricular revision at Catholic colleges and universities seems to be influenced by an institution\u27s answers to five central questions, pertaining to the role of the values of the sponsoring organization, what it means to he collegial, the importance of the liberal arts relative to advanced study in the major, the centrality of the disciplinary perspective, and receptiveness to change. These questions are often implicit—they do not emerge sequentially, and may not emerge explicitly until difficulties arise—reflecting how deeply held the assumptions that give rise to them can be. This study suggests that curricular revision can be expedited through value clarification in advance of the process and that further clarification occurs during the process of revision itself. Clarification by itself is insufficient, but waiting for value clarification to occur within a process is likely to cause delay or put into jeopardy the success of the revision. Chief academic officers play a unique and important role in the process. In particular, this study suggests that these leaders contribute to successful revision through applying institutional history, cultivating a shared understanding around the values of the sponsoring organization, designing and overseeing a process that is appropriately collegial in the context of the institution, and intervening when the success of the revision effort is threatened