In 2007, wanting to expand higher education’s civic engagement conversation, the Association of American Colleges and Universities launched the Core Commitments Initiative. That initiative focused attention on personal and social responsibility as outcomes of a college education, with the understanding that such a focus would return American higher education to its historical purpose of preparing active and engaged citizens. Expanding the conversation this way leaves room for behavioral measures, like voting or hours spent in community service, but also opens our understanding of citizenship to include issues of civic identity, civic attitudes, personal integrity, and ethics. This volume explores the research and practice related to the development of personal and social responsibility in college, drawing data directly from institutions that were part of the Core Commitments Initiative and providing instructive examples of good practice at both the programmatic and institutional levels. This volume is the 164th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Higher Education. Addressed to presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other higher education decision makers on all kinds of campuses, it provides timely information and authoritative advice about major issues and administrative problems confronting every institution.

Table of Contents:
EDITOR’S NOTES 1 Robert D. Reason 1. Overview of the Core Commitments Initiative 5 Caryn McTighe Musil The former vice president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) provides an overview of the initiative intended to reinvigorate the conversation about personal and social responsibility within higher education. 2. Higher Education’s Role in Educating for Personal and Social Responsibility: A Review of Existing Literature 13 Robert D. Reason, Andrew J. Ryder, Chad Kee This chapter reviews the literature related to the development of personal and social responsibility during college and serves as the foundation for the remaining chapters. 3. Broadening Our Understanding and Assessment of Personal and Social Responsibility: A Challenge to Researchers and Practitioners 23 Carol Trosset In this chapter, Trosset uses current research to argue that our understanding of personal and social responsibility should include behavioral outcomes of personal responsibility, challenging researchers and practitioners to move beyond the study of attitudes and civic engagement or community service. 4. Measuring Campus Climate for Personal and Social Responsibility 31 Andrew J. Ryder, Joshua J. Mitchell The chapter explores the many issues involved with creating and assessing campus climates designed to facilitate students’ development of personal and social responsibility and introduces the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory that developed from the Core Commitments Initiative. 5. Infusing Personal Responsibility into the Curriculum and Cocurriculum: Campus Examples 49 Nancy O’Neill In this chapter, O’Neill uses data from the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory and interviews with campus professionals at Core Commitments colleges to highlight policy initiatives to improve students’ development of personal responsibility during college. 6. Infusing Social Responsibility into the Curriculum and Cocurriculum: Campus Examples 73 Robert D. Reason This chapter uses data from the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory and interviews with campus professionals at Core Commitment colleges to highlight several policy initiatives to improve students’ development of social responsibility during college. 7. Strengthening and Deepening Education for Personal and Social Responsibility 83 Chris R. Glass Glass explores the strategies employed at Core Commitment institutions to ensure the effectiveness and long-term viability of institutional reform efforts aimed at the development of personal and social responsibility. INDEX 95