Diverse encounters enhance learning

Engagement of students with each other was identified long ago in Alexander Astin's Four Critical Years (originally published in 1977) as one of the most powerful influences in learning. Engagement across difference has also been found to be one of the highest predictors of leadership learning by the Multi-Institution Study of Leadership (Dugan and Komives, 2007). With the combination of these research findings, educators have no better resource for learning than diverse peer interactions both in and outside of the classroom. Elizabeth Aries adds more evidence of the value of diversity in The Impact of College Diversity: Struggles and Successes at 30, where she concluded that "interactions with peers of another race and class influenced development of citizenship skills and civic engagement, as well as Black students' ability to cope with the challenges they faced in the professional world."

Ibram X. Kendi's boundary-breaking "anti-racism" work offered ideas and provided language for both the oppressed and oppressors to join together in challenging systemic conditions that perpetuate racism. The influence of his work is evident in the center he founded at Boston University, presently undergoing a reset for it to become a sustainable catalyst for challenging racism. Hitting it big with research and publications can place a scholar at risk. A clear example is that the financial troubles Kendi's BU center faces are stirring both questions and affirmations.

There's only one small problem - students tend to avoid peers from different racial and cultural backgrounds! The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology summary of the research study of 11,000+ students' diaries indicates "fewer cross-race and cross-class interactions than would occur at chance" and less satisfaction in these encounters. The most positive outcome of cross-group interaction is that minoritized students performed better academically, a result of their greater sense of being included. Nicole Stephens, a faculty member on the Northwestern University's Kellogg School research team, commented on the implication of the study by saying, "We need to think about how to intentionally create systems to ensure that people are actually interacting across differences and have the potential to benefit from those differences." Fostering intercultural competence is especially important to improving the experience of international students studying in U.S. institutions.

The rise of white Christian nationalism is one force that potentially drives students away from each other, isolating in enclaves of sameness based on presumed religious ideas. The danger in white Christian nationalism is its foundation in fundamental and evangelical ideology, which in itself is a type of thinking that is antithetical to the critical thinking that universities seek to inculcate in students. The Brookings Institute and Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) identified the number of those in the general population who endorse a white Christian nationalist perspective and what they are ready to do to impose their political views. Educational associations are urging the Biden administration's Department of Education to reverse the Trump era "free inquiry rule," a move actively resisted by some students and House Republicans. Providing public resources to religious organizations challenges the convention of separating church and state as well as potentially supporting organizations that may discriminate against their peers.

Although not explicitly connected to the rise of white Christian nationalism, a revival at Asbury University reflects a type of evangelism central to fundamentalism within Christianity. Students spontaneously continued gathering for 10+ days, closing on February 19, 2023. Samford and Lee Universities had spin-off revivals of their own and Western Kentucky and Ohio State followed later. The Asbury revival, its origins and implications, is affirmed by some and questioned by others. The language and customs that mirror the conservative sects of Christianity were mixed with confessions of racism, sexism, and ways the church has hurt people at Lee University. The growing awareness of how the church has perpetuated wrongs may be an opening for students of various cultural and religious perspectives to come together.

Protecting free exchange of ideas across the ideological spectrum is the objective of the Academic Freedom Alliance. A statement issued by AFA warned that "Selective political interventions to override the free exchange of ideas on university campuses will inevitably damage our institutions of higher learning and hamper their ability to contribute to the advancement of knowledge." The combination of encouraging student openness and preserving a supportive campus culture that welcome diverse encounters remains one of higher education's greatest challenges. Claims that higher education is indoctrinating students in liberalizing ways may be fear-mongering, especially considering students' trust of professors, a level of trust that exceeds their trust in presidents or DEI officers related to diversity issues. However, some educators warn that the liberal bias of some colleges and universities threatens credibility as a place where free exchange of views is supported.

A poll found that the vast majority of all Americans, both liberal and conservative, believe that students should be exposed to a diversity of ideas. There is remarkable agreement about the importance of being exposed to opposing views as well as the right to express dissent through protesting, but not interrupting, speakers. As an example of conservatives who support diversity education and academic freedom, the chancellor of the Georgia state system, who is a former Trump administration official, issued a report that advocated for DEI expenditures across the state. As a result of legislative action and the growing hostility related to diversity advocacy in conservative states, DEI officers on some campuses have begun to see their roles as more about battling backlash than positive change. The result - some refuse employment in conservative settings, others stay and fight, and another option involves dispersing responsibility through "shared equity leadership."

A core issue related to fostering diverse encounters is the representativeness of the faculty. The composition of the professoriate is radically different than the population at large and of students. Faculty differ "not only demographically, but economically, ideologically and politically and in terms of religion and sexual orientation." Steven Mintz asserted that this critical element of learning from diverse peers and teachers can be resolved through "attaching greater value to the very qualities we claim to care about - faculty who are community engaged, culturally responsive and dedicated to mentoring not just doctoral candidates, but all students." It's about a wholistic view that includes diverse identities as well as all the other dimensions of a highly impactful learning environment.

With the benefits so clear and documented over time, how can educators foster more openness and comfort in cross-group interactions? As Stephens suggests, intentionality is key. Leadership educators and internationalists have a lot at stake as they strive to enhance students' leadership learning and international awareness and dexterity.

Relationships and ChatGPT in learning

Inside Higher Education's Steve Mintz frequently offers insightful reflections with which I resonate. The Power of Relationships in Undergraduate Education is a review of two books directed at how relationships matter, relationships among students and with faculty. I tend to resonate with Mintz' articles because his content is often very familiar and comfortable for me, which is the case with this article. The points he makes are as old as the stories of Socrates who advocated the importance of discourse and intimate interaction in learning and as contemporary as the expressed preferences of students who are now studying in higher education institutions.

There is a fresh insight that I've previously not pondered - how undergraduates' inclination toward career preparation has turned higher education into a transaction, one in which students seek efficiency rather than depth. Mintz' conclusion is that meaningful relationships must be cultivated if students are to receive the quality of education that they need. He proposes very traditional strategies to enhance relationships such as mentoring, increasing peer interaction, and other high-impact practices. Mintz acknowledged that few students in the U.S. higher education sector actually have experiences that mirror these qualities but others deny that personalized liberal education is in a death spiral.

Enter artificial intelligence - Chat GPT... The emergence of technology complicates the question of relationships. The jury appears to be "in," confirming that technology is very powerful and must recognize the changing nature of the workforce. The big question is how can technology be turned into something personal. As an example, John Warner suggests that ChatGPT might offer a way to prioritize learning by moving away from the routine aspects of writing and on to more substantive engagement. For faculty attempting to control students' use of ChatGPT Warner asserts, "If ChatGPT can do the things we ask students to do in order to demonstrate learning, it seems possible to me that those things should've been questioned a long time ago."

Reinforcing its importance as a disruptive technology, educators have begun to harness it for good, including experimenting with conversations on complicated questions of life and exploring the essentials of what constitutes good writing. ChatGPT was also lauded as helping students with learning challenges level the playing field. Some educators offer the analogy of reactions to the calculator in math to that of ChatGPT emerging in writing. While there are similarities between the calculator and ChatGPT, especially in relation to expediting tasks, there is a real difference in that writing is, itself, a process that requires advanced personal, contextual revelation. Others offer the perspective that any technology that moves learning away from "teaching to the test" would be beneficial to everyone. Other strategies being adopted include faculty talking directly about ChatGPT at the beginning of their courses, which then pulls the AI technology into a role as a companion in learning.

Some academics have equated ChatGPT with the plague, warning that it will forever change higher education and offering recommendations on how to combat its spread. After raising the questions of relationships and ChatGPT in different posts, Steve Mintz offers practical advice about how to accept, and incorporate, ChatGPT into instruction. His process includes assigning students to write a short essay with four parts: 1. a proposed prompt to ChatGPT; 2. ChatGPT's response; 3. an original essay that builds in the ChatGPT text supplemented by additional research and bibliography; and 4. corrections, revisions, and additions to the ChatGPT response. Students essays are then discussed in class.

Steps aimed at neutralizing ChatGPT include the creation of software that detects its use, training that informs faculty of the options they have in responding, and suggestions for policy related to it. The Brookings Institute offers a policy view on ChatGPT that applies in higher education and beyond, including handling the commercial risks and mitigating malicious use of AI.

The belief that many educators are embracing is that ChatGPT is a force that cannot be ignored. Thoughtful examination of the promises and pitfalls of AI in learning will remain central in campus and policy discussion going forward.

China v. U.S.A. rivalry could impact higher education

The President of the National University of Singapore warned that the tensions between China and the U.S.A. could impact higher education in Asia. The rivalry between the two super-powers could disrupt research and other collaboration as smaller countries in Asia navigate a path that allows for continuing relations with the two competitors.

While warning of broader problems throughout Asia, the NUS President continues to focus on making sure that his institution is in the best possible position. Concerns for stability and preeminence as an elite institution harken back to the controversy of NUS parting ways with Yale University. The decision was criticized by some as arbitrary and ill-timed but consideration was evidently underway further back than most realized. NUS reported that expansion of curriculum beyond just those enrolled in the Yale-partnered program was the objective. This expansion is underway as well as other innovations such as offering a grade-free year (similar to MIT's first-year strategy). The grade-free year allows students to explore more diverse subjects without the threat of failure while at the same time encouraging students to double-major.

U.S. institutions that have counted on significant enrollment of Chinese students face significant challenges left from the pandemic. As travel restrictions are lifted, recruiters will find changing expectations from prospective Chinese students and families. Shifting federal policies are part of the problem but more important is the loss of confidence in the U.S. as a desirable destination. Recent policy changes invalidating online programs for Chinese students left many of them scrambling for in-person options, which could result in a boost in students from China studying in many other countries.

William C. Kirby's Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China raises important questions about the potential for China to overtake the primacy of U.S.A. higher education. If the U.S.A. wants to maintain world-wide preeminence it must understand that: institutions can improve and/or decline rapidly (so watch out!), sustained ambition is essential, and elite education and national power and world leadership are engaged in a powerful dialectic.

One measure of China's viability in the international higher education world is its ability to attract scholars who are willing to serve as repatriated Chinese or expatriate intellectuals. China is failing this test thus far. The Young Thousand Talents initiative was designed to  draw scholars particularly in STEM fields to China, resulting in the return of many Chinese who studied abroad and did not return to China but stayed in the U.S.A. or other countries to pursue their careers. Chinese authorities claim that YTT is working but others suggest that improvement of the research infrastructure needs to occur first.

In addition to China's inability to attract scholars, U.S. institutions that previously struck agreements to offer branch programs in China are now experiencing more headwinds. The challenges of operating in China is causing institutions such as Duke University to carefully consider whether or not they will continue. University of Michigan severed its relations with Shanghai Jiao Tong University under pressure from House Republicans and others are likely to follow as the 2025 Trump administration and Republican dominated House and Senate begin to flex their muscle.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 raises academic questions

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 raised academic freedom concerns related to Qatar's Education City American branch programs. Geoff Harkness, who formerly served in a postdoctoral teaching role for Carnegie Mellon University and Northwestern University in Qatar, commented "The World Cup is a branding opportunity of a lifetime for a country like Qatar... Education, and Education City in particular, is a big part of the image that Qatar is trying to project to the world, using the World Cup as a platform to do so." Harkness claimed he left his teaching roles in 2013 partially due to concerns over academic freedom.

Craig LaMay, who taught and served for a time as the Dean of Northwestern's program, said that he was once ordered to cancel a student event that included a gay performer. As a result, he "remained unconvinced and uncertain about the country's prospects as a higher education destination, noting that a lot of institutions were rethinking the value of international campuses more widely, not just in Qatar."

Another Carnegie Mellon University faculty member, David Busch, reflected on his two years at the Qatar campus. His essay referenced F. Scott Fitzgerald's assertion in "The Crack-Up" that "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." He went on to describe asking students in his class to debate the historical record of race in the U.S.A. and a current pressing public policy issue. The students explored the same issues related to Qatar on a second day. The example was used to demonstrate Fitzgerald's thesis that first-rate intelligence could see both the negative and positive aspects of the two governments. Busch assessed the debate about the U.S.A. as effective but he was disappointed in the defensiveness he observed when it came to Qatar, supporting the Fitzgerald thesis in one case but not in the other. When exploring whether or not teaching in Qatar was effective or defensible, Busch cited Fitzgerald again - "I must hold in balance the sense of the futility of effort... and the sense of the necessity to struggle."

Having worked for Qatar Foundation and interacted with faculty and students of branch programs on a regular basis from 2007-14, I recognize the tensions that Harkness and LaMay expressed. I saw the tensions somewhat differently as a result of my working directly with QF and Qatari colleagues where faculty working for the branches have much less contact with the real people and leaders of the country. My view is that significant change has been, and continues to be, underway. A deep encounter of cultural perspectives like that of U.S.A. academic institutions in an Islamic monarchy is destined to have points of conflict on everything from recognition of LGBTQ+ rights to free speech and more. The point for me was and continues to be that the change process is underway and that it requires adaptive responses among everyone and every institution involved.

Social media for academics

The controversy over Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter has caused many academics and others to withdraw from, or cancel, their subscriptions. I've struggled with what to do, recognizing that I get a lot of my early notifications on world issues through my Twitter feed. Even though I have few followers and most of my posts are ignored, I remain a Twitter subscriber for now. Interestingly enough, the only example where I get likes or reposts is if I post on Pete Buttigieg. He must have an amazingly attentive social media team!

Insider Higher Education's Ray Shroeder offered perspective on social media presence that helped me look at which platforms are worth retaining and others to consider. Some of the dispersion of academic Twitter usage is going to Mastodon but other platforms may emerge. Considering Twitter's instability, LinkedIn is apparently expanding beyond job future networking. I only sporadically use LinkedIn and, as with any social media, consistent promotion and amplification is required in order to be anything close to an influencer. The other platform he noted was Blogger, which I began using in 2005 and through which I maintain two blogs - Pursuing Leadership by Denny and this Global Student Affairs blog. My followers are few in number and it is questionable how useful my involvement is but I stick with it in order to stay contemporary.

A major question related to social media is whether my participation is about gathering information or offering my views and influencing thinking. I would love to know what you're thinking. Please let me know where you are headed in your social media. Also, let me know if you see value in any of my posts on Blogger, Twitter, or LinkedIn. My blogs were unfortunately dominated by foreign intrusion several years ago so I closed down comments. The other two platforms are still readily available for likes and comments.

Anti-corruption major and COVID protests in Chinese universities

Sixteen universities in China are rolling out a new major in anti-corruption. The new undergraduate focus is a response to "China's need for more skilled graduates to root out administrative misconduct." However, some "raised concerns about the future employability of students majoring in the topic and their retention in the public sector."

The question that immediately comes to mind is how corruption is defined and the potential that it might even include views or actions that challenge communist ideology. Reducing corruption in private and public behavior is important in all countries but how that is defined is critical.

As the focus on corruption gains traction, Chinese higher education is facing protests that mirror the national push-back on COVID restrictions. Blank sheets of paper have become the symbol of protest, due to Chinese citizens fear of reprisal for voicing their views. The implications for U.S.A. study abroad and branch programs or campuses in China are significant.

Russian education - moving toward indoctrination?

Is the new required course design for Russian higher education, "Fundamentals of Russian Statehood," just another course or an example of increasing attempts to indoctrinate? The creators of the course are stalwart Putin and state supporters. The ideological bent of the course has caused some academics to fear encroachment into academic freedom but others simply view the course as a hurdle that students will be able to circumvent through cheating and apathy. Previous attempts at state brainwashing improved "students' skill at cheating and thwarting attendance monitors," commented an alumna of Saint Petersburg State University who subsequently completed the master's program in international education at the University of Oxford.

Russia and China have both attempted to move up in the world rankings of academic institutions, primarily by supporting research and placement of academic articles in prestigious journals. The problem is that academic substance and positive student outcomes are related to a broader array of opportunity - student engagement, dialogue across difference, and critical thinking as examples. Will Russian and Chinese educators eventually recognize that the path to academic excellence isn't just in the research rankings but also the experience of students?