A professor at Sarah Lawrence College, Samuel J. Abrams, first criticized what he believed to be a liberal political bias in programs offered outside of class and subsequently broadened his critique to other university administrators. As a way to explore why, he conducted a survey of 900 "student-facing" administrators across the country. His finding - 71% of them had either a liberal or very liberal political perspective. Abrams' research didn't explicitly connect his sample's political views with programs that they offer; he presumed that liberal bias would lead to more liberal inclinations in programs. Countering Abrams' assertion, Kevin Kruger, President of the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators, indicated that student affairs staff have a "strong desire to create 'an equal and open dialogue across ideologies'" and that these beliefs don't mean that the programs they offer are explicitly connected to a particular ideology.
Student affairs educators' philosophical perspectives originate from Dewey's "democratic education" approach and thus represent progressive and engaged learning. Considerable research on student learning over the last 100 years has documented that an experience-based and progressive approach that reinforces students' responsibility for their learning is most effective in preparing graduates for workplaces and service to their communities. This is not an ideological but a pedagogical concern.
I'm left wondering if Professor Abrams and others quoted in the article have attempted to look at the role of student affairs from an educational perspective rather than one that is political. Matthew C. Woesner, an associate professor at Penn State, wrote that "Even though faculty sometimes inject their politics into the classroom, administrators without an academic background don't always see the same need to balance viewpoints or inspire debate. Sometimes administrators aren't even aware of how insular their beliefs are." Woesner's comment reflects ignorance that student affairs educators are deeply informed of and utilize well established pedagogical practices in their work.
Dafina Lazarus-Stewart reinforced the points above in her response to the report of Abrams' research.
Student affairs educators' philosophical perspectives originate from Dewey's "democratic education" approach and thus represent progressive and engaged learning. Considerable research on student learning over the last 100 years has documented that an experience-based and progressive approach that reinforces students' responsibility for their learning is most effective in preparing graduates for workplaces and service to their communities. This is not an ideological but a pedagogical concern.
I'm left wondering if Professor Abrams and others quoted in the article have attempted to look at the role of student affairs from an educational perspective rather than one that is political. Matthew C. Woesner, an associate professor at Penn State, wrote that "Even though faculty sometimes inject their politics into the classroom, administrators without an academic background don't always see the same need to balance viewpoints or inspire debate. Sometimes administrators aren't even aware of how insular their beliefs are." Woesner's comment reflects ignorance that student affairs educators are deeply informed of and utilize well established pedagogical practices in their work.
Dafina Lazarus-Stewart reinforced the points above in her response to the report of Abrams' research.
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