Abstract
The book Cultivating Virtue in the University is an edited collection based on a conference held in 2017 by the Oxford Character Project, the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Life, and Wake Forest University. The contributors to this volume come from a variety of disciplines and institutions but share the goal of reintroducing the development of virtue to college life. While each chapter has a unique focus, the overarching argument for the book is that character formation is already happening in the university context, and thus universities ought to be more intentional about the virtues and values they are instilling in their students.
Cultivating Virtue in the University is divided into five sections. Part I is an introduction to the volume. Part II, “The University as a Context for Cultivating Virtue,” includes three chapters and focuses on why the University is a place where virtue should be cultivated. In “Virtue and the History of the Modern American University,” Julie Reuben discusses how cultural and historical forces have marginalized virtue, which once was central to early American higher education. Chapter 3, “Virtue, the German University, and the Limits of Critique” by Chad Wellmon, argues that the research university is capable of developing virtue provided that there is an acknowledgement that the goods a university provides are proximate, not ultimate. “Developing Virtue in Emerging Adults” by Brian A. Williams focuses on the timeliness of virtue education for college students using data from neuroscience, psychology, and sociology.
Part III, “Institutional and Cultural Barriers to Cultivating Virtue” has two chapters. Onora O’Neill’s chapter “The Eclipse of Virtue in the University and Wider Society” traces the shift in how we think about virtue, specifically in how culture has shifted from asking what we ought to do to what we ought to receive. In “Can Theology Help?” Nigel Biggar challenges the emphasis on individual freedom and moral neutrality, claiming that no university is truly morally neutral, and giving voice to moral commitments is necessary for students to flourish.
Part IV, “How to Cultivate Virtue in the University,” contains six chapters and gives practical advice on how the cultivation of virtue might be accomplished. In “Seven Strategies for Cultivating Virtue in the University,” Michael Lamb, Jonathan Brant, and Edward Brooks discuss how they have applied research in education, philosophy, and psychology to the Oxford Global Leadership Initiative. Chapter 8, “Closing the Character Gap” by Christian B. Miller, presents an imaginary conversation between Miller and a university president interested in cultivating virtue in the university. In Chapter 9, “The Beneficial Effects of Cultivating Gratitude in the University,” Blaire Morgan and Liz Gulliford focus on how a university might intentionally cultivate a single virtue. “Forming Virtuous Character” by Joanna Collicutt describes how Christian tradition and positive psychology were used to shape virtuous health care, which can be a model for virtuous higher education. Chapters 11 and 12, “Cultivating Virtue by Reading Jane Austen” by Jessica Richard and “The Decolonial Virtues of Ethnospeculative Fiction” by Paula M. L. Loya and Lesley Larkin discuss incorporating virtue education in the literature classroom.
Part V includes a final chapter that summarizes the book and discusses the major implications. At the end of the volume, the editors Lamb, Brooks, and Brant conclude, “[C]haracter formation is possible and that, when done critically, intentionally, and practically, colleges and universities can play a vital role in helping students become more virtuous in ways that promote their flourishing and the flourishing of their communities” (p. 271).
Cultivating Virtue in the University benefits from an interdisciplinary approach and provides both a framework and practical guidance for the cultivation of virtue in higher education. Thus, it is a book that faculty and administrators interested in developing virtue in their students should read. While the book is focused on higher education, and specifically the research university, many of the chapters ultimately discuss larger cultural forces that have led to diminished attention to the cultivation of virtue, and thus could be of benefit to educators in other contexts. Though the book aims to be as broad as possible with regards to differing religious, philosophical, and moral convictions, several of the chapters invoke Christian accounts of virtue in their arguments. By explaining the importance of virtue formation in university contexts, providing accounts of institutional and cultural challenges, and describing practices of virtue formation, Cultivating Virtue in the University is a valuable resource for educators who want to bring virtue back into the university environment.