ALEXANDER W. ASTIN Why Spirituality Deserves a

BEFORE EXPLAINING the assertion put forward Education and human consciousness in the title of this essay, let me first try to clarify One of the most remarkable things about the what I mean by “spirituality.” Since the term human consciousness is that each of us has covers a lot of territory and means different the capacity to observe our thoughts and feel- things to different people, there’s little point ings as they arise in our consciousness. Why in trying to develop a precise definition. shouldn’t cultivating this ability to observe Instead, let me simply lay out the general one’s own mind in action—becoming more territory and range of things that the word self-aware or simply more “conscious”—be suggests to me. one of the central purposes of education? To begin with, spirituality points to our in- It’s difficult to see how most of our contem- teriors, by which I mean our subjective life, as porary domestic and world problems can ever FEATURED TOPIC contrasted to the objective domain of observ- be resolved without a substantial increase in able behavior and ma- our individual and collective self-awareness. terial objects that you Self-awareness and self-understanding, of can point to and measure directly. In other course, are necessary prerequisites to our abil- Many academics words, the spiritual domain has to do with hu- ity to understand others and to resolve con- find themselves man consciousness—what we experience pri- flicts. This basic truth lies at the heart of our vately in our subjective awareness. Second, difficulty in dealing effectively with problems actively searching spirituality involves our qualitative or affective of violence, poverty, crime, divorce, substance for meaning experiences at least as much as it does our rea- abuse, and religious and ethnic conflict that and trying to soning or logic. More specifically, spirituality continue to plague our country and our world. discover ways to has to do with the values that we hold most Even a cursory look at our educational sys- dear, our sense of who we are and where we tem makes it clear that the relative amount of make their lives come from, our beliefs about why we are attention that higher education devotes to and their here—the meaning and purpose that we see the exterior and interior aspects of our lives institutions in our work and our life—and our sense of has gotten way out of balance. Thus, while we more whole connectedness to each other and to the world are justifiably proud of our “outer” develop- around us. Spirituality can also have to do ment in fields such as science, medicine, tech- with aspects of our experience that are not nology, and commerce, we have increasingly easy to define or talk about, such things as in- come to neglect our “inner” development— tuition, inspiration, the mysterious, and the the sphere of values and beliefs, emotional mystical. Within this very broad umbrella, maturity, moral development, spirituality, and virtually everyone qualifies as a spiritual be- self-understanding. ing, and it’s my hope that everyone—regard- What is most ironic about all of this is that less of their belief systems—can find some while many of the great literary and philo- personal value and educational relevance in sophical traditions that constitute the core of the concept. a liberal education are grounded in the maxim, “know thyself,” the development of self- ALEXANDER W. ASTIN is Allan Murray Carter awareness receives very little attention in our professor and director of the Higher Education schools and colleges, and almost no attention Research Institute at the University of California, in public discourse in general or in the media Los Angeles. Adapted from a paper given at the in particular. If we lack self-understanding— conference on Spirituality and Learning. the capacity to see ourselves clearly and

34 L IBERAL E DUCATION S PRING 2004 Central Place in Liberal Education

Annual Meeting FEATURED TOPIC Annual Meeting 6L 36 focus onthematerialexterior. the spiritualinteriorhasbeenreplacedbya value forstudents.Inotherwords,afocuson ingful philosophyoflifewasthenumberone early 1970s,atimewhendevelopingmean- tial—have literallytradedplacessincethe trasting values—thematerialandtheexisten- a meaningfulphilosophyoflife.”Thesecon- likely toconcernthemselveswith“developing cused onmakingalotofmoney, andmuch academically andpolitically, muchmorefo- they havebecomemuchlessengagedboth supporters ofgayrights.Thebadnewsisthat most recentlytheyhavebecomemuchstronger equity andofstudents’rightsingeneral, come strongsupportersofbothgenderandracial newsistheyhavebe- (Astin 1998),thegood have beenchangingduringrecentdecades dents. Ifwelookathowourstudents’ to takealookattheinteriorlivesofourstu- waytostartis ity andhighereducation,agood In exploringtheconnectionbetweenspiritual- Students, curriculum,andinstruction understand others? act aswedo—thenhowcaneverexpectto andtounderstandwhywefeel honestly IBERAL E DUCATION S PRING 2004 values less of beingasentienthumanisthatwecan think andreason;onthecontrary, theessence sciousness, ofcourse,isnotsimplythatwecan self-understanding. Therealityofhumancon- leadership, interpersonalunderstanding,and tive” skillssuchasempathy, cooperation, if anyattentiontothedevelopmentof“affec- cognitive, technical,andjobskills,wepaylittle pedagogical effortindevelopingthestudent’s dealofour on. Andwhileweinvestagood so lations, howmanycreditstheyreceive,and tions, whethertheyfollowtherulesand perform onclassroomexercisesandexamina- focus isonwhatstudents theprimary opment. Inmostinstitutionstoday how weapproachstudentlearninganddevel- development hasenormousimplicationsfor developed forlabelingouraffectiveorfeeling all ofthedifferenttermsthatourculturehas English dictionary. WhatIwaslookingforwere of readingthrougheverywordinamedium-sized 2003), Itookonthesomewhatdauntingtask just completedonhumanconsciousness(Astin frustration andexcitement,curiositylove. that wecanexperiencejoyandcontentment, Putting moreemphasisonstudents’interior Recently, inconnectionwithabookI’ve do : howwellthey regu- feel , Our thoughts and states. I eventually came up our reasoning are A similar imbalance can be with a list of more than a almost always seen in the way we approach thousand different words, taking place in faculty development, where which only begins to do jus- we typically think in terms of tice to the incredibly rich some kind external matters such as schol- diversity of feeling states that of affective “bed” arly activities, teaching tech- can arise in the human aware- or context niques, and service to the in- ness. When you contemplate stitution and to the community. the different combinations of The internal aspects of the these feeling states that are possible in any faculty member’s development—values, be- given moment of awareness, the numerical liefs, hopes, fears, and frustrations—get rela- FEATURED TOPIC possibilities for varying feeling states are tively little attention. staggering. It is probably important to acknowledge at What was perhaps most surprising in my this point that in many respects the way we search for feeling words was the discovery that conduct higher education is simply a reflection there are several dozen different affective states of the larger society. It is probably no exagger- that have to do with thinking. Let me share just ation to say that the modern world, and the a brief sampling of these terms, and as I run United States in particular, has in recent years down the list, ask yourself, “Is this something become increasingly focused on the external about the students’ interior that a classroom aspects of society: economics, acquisitiveness, teacher should be concerned about?” Sur- competitiveness, etc., to the point where the prised, doubtful, focussed, reflective, skepti- human condition and the quality of life is judged cal, comprehending, mindful, astonished, un- primarily in terms of things. Higher education sure, interested, confused, amazed, curious, similarly tends to judge itself in materialistic and—the feeling state that most frustrates terms: enrollments, funding, the test scores of those of us who teach—boredom. Clearly, this our students, the publication record of our fac- list makes it hard to argue that there is any ulty, and our rankings in popularity polls. such thing as “pure” cognition that can be Partly as a response to this external/materi- studied in isolation from affect; on the con- alistic emphasis and to the fragmentation that trary, it would appear that our thoughts and it generates, I see a movement gradually our reasoning are almost always taking place emerging in higher education where many in some kind of affective “bed” or context. academics find themselves actively searching for meaning and trying to discover ways to Faculty, administrators, and institutions make their lives and their institutions more For many years now I’ve been interested in edu- whole. I think this movement reflects a growing cational transformation and reform, and concern with recovering a sense of meaning nowhere is the importance of this issue of “the in American society more generally. The par- inner versus the outer” more obvious than in ticular “spiritual” questions that give rise to the case of our attempts to change institutions. these concerns encompass a broad set of issues: When we talk about educational reform in the • How do we achieve a greater sense of academy, for example, we usually focus heavily community and shared purpose in higher on exterior “structures” such as programs, poli- education? cies, curricula, requirements, resources, and • How can we provide greater opportunities facilities. As a consequence, we ordinarily give for individual and institutional renewal? little attention to the “interior” of the institu- • What are the causes of the division and tion, by which I mean the collective or shared fragmentation that so many academics beliefs and values of the faculty that constitute experience in their institutional and per- the “culture” of the institution. Our research on sonal lives? institutional change and transformation suggests • What does it mean to be authentic, both strongly that any effort to change structures has in the classroom and in our dealings with little chance of success if it ignores our collective colleagues? interiors or culture. In other words, changing • What are some of the practices and tradi- our institutions and programs necessarily re- tions that make it difficult for us to be quires us to change the academic culture as well. authentic in an academic setting?

S PRING 2004 LIBERAL E DUCATION 37 FEATURED TOPIC portant pointisthatacademiahasforfartoo and purposeinlife,isnottheissue.Theim- spirituality or, ifyouprefer, senseofmeaning little ornopart. spirituality; forothers,suchbeliefsmayplay gious beliefsmayindeedformthecoreoftheir ity inauniqueway. Forsomeacademics,reli- that eachpersonwillviewhisorherspiritual- issues coverawiderangeofquestions,and 8L 38 Howcanwehelpourstu- • Whataresomeofthedis- • emic andpersonallives? sense ofmeaningandpurposeintheiracad- dents achieveagreater ter servethepublicgood? society? Howmightwebet- in relationtothelarger education isexperiencing connections thathigher Such questionsmakeitclearthat“spiritual” One-third(38percent)ofthestudents • Three-fourths(76percent) ofthestudents • Two-thirds(65percent) reportthatthey • religious development. challenges andstrugglesintheirspiritual Significant numbersofstudentsareexperiencing Three-fourthsofthestudents(77percent) • Overhalfofallstudents(58percent)placea • a stronginterestinspiritualmatters. enrolled atforty-sixdiverseinstitutionsreveals A spring2003surveyof1,680collegejuniors IBERAL upbringing,” atleast“tosomeextent.” report feeling“disillusionedwith myreligious (6 percentfrequently). at leastoccasionally“feltangrywith God” frequently), andnearlyhalf(46percent)have and death”atleastoccasionally(21percent have “struggledtounderstandevil,suffering, religious matters”atleast“tosomeextent.” they are“feelingunsettledaboutspiritualand and asimilarnumber(68percent)saythat least occasionally(18percentfrequently), question theirreligious/spiritualbeliefsat believe that“weareallspiritualbeings.” that theyhavehadaspiritualexperience. my life,”andmorethantwo-thirdsreport high valueon“integratingspiritualityinto STUDENTS ANDSPIRITUALITY E DUCATION How S one defineshisorher PRING 2004 programs necessarily programs change theacademic institutions and culture aswell culture requires usto requires Changing our same issuesamongthemselvesandwithus. courage ourstudentsfromengagingthese colleagues. Atthesametime,welikewisedis- ity, wholeness,andfragmentationwithour discuss issuesofmeaning,purpose,authentic- our mostdeeplyfeltvaluesandwehesitateto same issues. sessions havebeenconvenedtodiscussthese ence atseveralnationalconferenceswhere has beenstronglyreinforcedbyourexperi- issues ofmeaning,purpose,andspirituality— study—that collegefacultyareeagertodiscuss and Astin1999).Ourmajorfindingfromthis four diversecollegesanduniversities(Astin interviews withseventyfacultymembersfrom in-depth studywhereweconductedpersonal ality inHigherEducation. ity inHigherEducation( The InitiativeforAuthenticityandSpiritual- for thesedialogues—nowformallyknownas text ofhighereducation.Thesteeringgroup meaning, purpose,andspiritualityinthecon- demics wasencouragedtoexploreissuesof retreat meetingswhereadiversegroupofaca- Institute afewyearsagoconvenedseriesof In recognitionoftheseproblems,theFetzer The Fetzerdialogues ries, motives,concepts, andbeliefs,butit is only servesas a repositoryforallofourmemo- its powerarenothingshortof awesome.Itnot mind, thepreconscious—its capabilitiesand mind—the unconscious,the nonconscious Whatever onepreferstocall this“other” part ofthemindthatdoesmost ofthework. that theremustbeanothercompletelyhidden conscious mind,itquicklybecomesobvious ous contemplationofwhatgoesoninone’s If onespendsevenalittlebitoftimeinseri- Inspiration andcreativity ( munity forIntegrativeLearningandAction tion asTransformation (EasT)andTheCom- joined withtwootherorganizations—Educa- CILA One outcomeofourFetzerdialogueswasan )—to formTheConsortiumonSpiritu- work becomesdivorcedfrom Under theseconditions,our vant toourvocationorwork. as ifourspiritualsideisirrele- we arenotspiritualbeings,or lives, whereweacteitherasif fragmented andinauthentic long encouragedustolead IASHE )—recently such as a painting, invention, essay, poem, Annual Meeting sculpture, musical composition, dance rou- tine, or theatrical production, but it can also be something less tangible such as a scientific theory, an idea for urban renewal, or a new way of teaching, mentoring, parenting, lead- ing, collaborating, mediating, or serving those in need. Viewed in this way, creativity is (or should be) central to the goals of liberal learning. Indeed, creativity is a fundamental part of human existence or, as several people have observed, FEATURED TOPIC “your life is your own greatest work of art.” That creativity is closely connected to the mystical and the spiritual becomes obvious when we look at verbatim accounts of what people in various fields experience during the process of creating: • a painter/sculptor: “There’s something flow- ing through you that’s not you. To me, the feeling is tangible proof of the existence of also the source of our intuition, inspiration, spirit: something we can tap into that’s creativity, and spirituality. beyond ourselves and our senses. The high- When we consider those vitally important est goal we can aspire to is to be transmitter human qualities that are implied by words like of that” (Miller 1997). intuition, inspiration, and creativity, we are • a writer: “I think creativity is spiritual…a coming pretty close to what some people refer synonym for inspiration…suddenly it comes to as the “mystical” aspects of human experi- clear to me what I need to say and how to ence. None other than Albert Einstein (2000) say it. I feel awe when this happens, it’s an has said, “The most beautiful thing we can ex- inspiring experience… I’m tempted to say perience is the mysterious. It is the source of it comes from God. For me this is an experi- all true Art and Science.” ence of divine self-disclosure” (Wakefield If we academics are really serious when we 1996). claim that our institutions are devoted to ad- • composer Johannes Brahms: “I … feel that a vancing the arts and sciences, shouldn’t we do higher power is working through me…. It everything we can to nurture and cultivate that cannot be done merely by will power work- mysterious, nonconscious part of the human ing through the conscious mind…I imme- psyche from which all of our inspiration and diately feel vibrations that thrill my whole creativity emerges? Intuition is, of course, in- being… Those vibrations assume the forms timately connected to inspiration and creativ- of distinct mental images… the ideas flow ity. While doing something creative can some- in upon me, directly from God… measure times involve a good deal of logical thought by measure the finished product is revealed or reasoning—a scientist, for example, who is to me… the conscious mind is in temporary attempting to devise a theory to explain cer- abeyance and the subconscious is in con- tain observations—many people, especially trol, for it is through the subconscious mind those in the fine and performing arts, believe … that the inspiration comes. I have to be that thinking can actually interfere with creativ- careful, however, not to lose consciousness, ity. Indeed, when you read personal accounts of otherwise the ideas fade away” (Abell 1987). what people experience in their waking con- • composer Richard Struass: “When in my sciousness during the creative process (see be- most inspired moods, I have definite com- low), it becomes clear that intuition is almost pelling visions, involving a higher selfhood. always a part of that process. I feel at such moments that I am tapping Creativity is basically a process whereby we the source of Infinite and Eternal energy bring into existence something new or original. from which you and I and all things pro- That “something” can be a creative product ceed. Religion calls it God” (Abell 1987).

S PRING 2004 LIBERAL E DUCATION 39 FEATURED TOPIC of grammarandsentencestructure. nor doesthenovelistignorerationalrules rational rulesofcolormixingorperspective, the sameway, thepainterdoesnot ignorethe and logicalrulesofharmonytheory. In does notthereforeignorealloftherational ting thenewmusictopapercomposer rational process,butintheprocessofcommit- that givesrisetothemusicisatrans-ornon- writes agreatpieceofmusic,theinspiration transcend otherwise opposedto,rationality;rather, they experience arebynomeanscontraryto,or the mysticalorspiritualaspectsofourconscious tional than ition andcreativityare,infact,more spiritual as“irrational,”theprocessesofintu- may beinclinedtoviewthemysticaland for highereducation?Whilesomeacademics What aretheimplicationsofsuchaccounts 0L 40 tion thatsuggest thatwemaybereadytopay several recent developmentsinhighereduca- scious experience?Asithappens, thereare phasis totheseneglectedaspects ofourcon- How, then, dowebegintogivegreaterem- Toward amorespiritualacademe 1915 What arewetomakeofsuchaccounts? • Robert L.Kelly:“Theliberalcollege • Robert L.Kelly,executivesecretaryof • Arthur E.Morgan,presidentofAntioch November 1930 Lines fromAAC’s Ninety Years inPrint IBERAL intellectual foundations.” build anewcivilizationonspiritualand [aims] topersevereinthecolossaleffort earshot ofalltherest.” AAC: Radio“hasbroughtusallinto restricted locality.” of timeisasprovincialtoliveina College: “Toliveinaverysmallsection rationality. Thus,whenacomposer E ir DUCATION rational. Thepointhereisthat Bulletin S PRING , 2004 trans ra- reflection experience appears tobetheuseofpersonal pedagogical keytoaneffective servicelearning among thestudentsthemselves. Moreover, the students andtheservicerecipients butalso around of spirituality. First,theentireprocessisbuilt ence appeartobeespeciallyrelevantissues sang, Ikeda,andYee 2000). Astin, Sax,andAvalos 1999;Astin, Vogelge- teaching suchcourses(AstinandSax1998; ers themselvesarealsooftentransformedby ticipation inservicelearning,andtheteach- development arefavorablyinfluencedbypar- of thestudent’s academic,personal,andmoral ing apedagogicalpanacea:Almostallaspects we’ve lookedatinthepastfourdecadestobe- kind ofpedagogycomescloserthananything search onstudentssuggeststhatthisunique the fieldof ing numbersofacademicswhoareinvolvedin purpose inlife. emic workandtheirsenseofmeaning make deeperconnectionsbetweentheiracad- their educationinamoreholisticway, andto case, weareencouragingstudentstolookat popularity of“Freshman101”courses.Inthis more centralplaceinourinstitutions. who wouldliketoseespiritualissuesgivena movements arenaturalalliesforthoseofus spirituality. Thepeopleinvolvedinthese sic, notjusttothelearningprocess,butalso tion ofthehuman thus redirectourattentionmoreinthedirec- process inamoreholisticway. Thesereforms but alsotowardseeingtheentireeducational cern notonlyfortheinteriorsofourstudents, what weacademicsdotowardagreatercon- direction: toshiftourattentionawayfrom innovations arecertainlyheadedintheright more “spiritual”approachtopedagogy, these at thesuggestionthattheyareadvocatinga been promotingthesechangesmightwonder ties teacher andlearnertowardlearning shift inemphasisawayfromtheindividual learning from teachingandmoreinthedirectionof redirect theattentionoffacultyandstaffaway our students.Oneoftheseisthemovementto more attentiontoourinnerlivesandthoseof Two aspects oftheservicelearningexperi- One finalsetofpotentialalliesisthegrow- Another promisingtrendisthegrowing . Whilesomeofthereformerswhohave . Anothercloselyrelatedtrendisthe connectedness : Whatdidthe serviceexperience service learning connectedness , notonlybetweenthe . Longitudinalre- that issoba- communi- Annual Meeting FEATURED TOPIC

mean to you, not only in terms of the academic our students to lead more meaningful lives as content of the course, but also in terms of who engaged citizens, loving partners and parents, you are, why you are a student, and what kind and caring neighbors. nn of life you want to lead? The most powerful service learning experiences turn out to be Survey results were presented in a talk at the Annual those that combine individual reflection— Meeting. keeping journals, writing integrative essays about the service experience, etc.—with group To respond to this article, e-mail [email protected], sessions, where students collectively reflect on with the author’s name in the subject line. the meaning of their service experience. This growing awareness of the importance WORKS CITED of spirituality in higher education was recently Abell, Arthur M. 1987. Talks with great composers. underscored by the Templeton Foundation New York: Philosophical Library, 4-6. Astin, A.W. 1998. The changing American college through its award of a $1.9 million grant to student: Thirty-year trends, 1966-1996. The Review UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute of Higher Education, 21:2, 115-135. to support a large-scale longitudinal study of Astin, A.W. 2003. Mindworks: Becoming more conscious spiritual development in college undergraduates. in an unconscious world. Unpublished manuscript. A pilot study of 3,700 students enrolled at Astin, A. W. and H. S. Astin. 1999. Meaning, purpose and spirituality in the lives of college faculty. Los forty-six colleges and universities was initiated Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute. in spring 2003, and a full-scale assessment of Astin, A. W. and L. J. Sax. 1998. How undergraduates 90,000 students enrolling at 150 institutions will are affected by service participation. Journal of be initiated in fall 2004. (See www.spirituality. College Student Development, 39:3, May/June. ucla.edu). Astin, A. W., L. J. Sax, and J. Avalos. 1999. Long- term effects of volunteerism during the undergrad- uate years. The Review of Higher Education, Winter, Conclusion 22:2, 187-202. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in Astin, A. W., L. J. Vogelgesang, E. K. Ikeda, and J. A. mind about spirituality is that is touches di- Yee. 2000. How service learning affects students: rectly on our sense of community. More than Executive summary. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute. anything else, giving spirituality a central Einstein, Albert. 2000. What I believe. In Alice place in our institutions will serve to Calaprice, ed. The expanded quotable Einstein. strengthen our sense of connectedness with Princeton: Princeton University Press. each other, our students, and our institutions. Miller, E. Patrick. 1997. The clear path to creativity: This enrichment of our sense of community An interview with Dan Wakefield. The Sun, April, 7. Wakefield, Dan. 1996. Creating from the spirit: A path will not only go a long way toward overcom- to creative power in art and life. New York: Ballantine ing the sense of fragmentation and alienation Books, 212. that so many of us now feel, but will also help

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