The Quest for Meaning and Wholeness: Spiritual and Religious Connections in the Lives of College Faculty

by Lindholm, Jennifer A.; Astin, Alexander W.; Astin, Helen S.

• ISBN13: 9781118271476
• ISBN10: 1118271475
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-01-13
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

If institutions are to create campus environments that provide welcoming and engaging contexts for personal and professional development of students, faculty, administrators, and staff, all members of campus communities must be willing to look closely not just at what they do (or do not do) on a daily basis, but also why. This book offers an analysis of how faculty perceive intersections between spirituality and higher education, and what implications their spiritual inclinations have, not only for undergraduate education, but also for faculty life within academic workplaces.

The Quest for Meaning and Wholeness draws on the 2012 Faculty Beliefs and Values Survey of just over 8,500 faculty employed at a range of institutions, and features faculty voices to answer the “So what?” question about why administration, faculty developers, and researchers should care about the spiritual and religious lives of faculty.

Table of Contents

About the Author vi

Foreword vii

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xix

1 Spirituality and Higher Education 1

2 The Meaningfulness of Spirituality and Religion in Faculty Members’ Lives 25

3 Spiritual Quest 68

4 Ethic of Caring, Ecumenical Worldview, and Charitable Involvement 85

5 Religious Faith and Perspectives 123

6 Equanimity 158

7 Higher Education and the Life of the Faculty Spirit 200

Epilogue 215

Appendix: Study Methodology 219

References 229

Subject Index 248

Name Index 256