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Unit1:FromCompetencetoCommitmentErnestBoyer1.Today'sstudentshaveambiguousfeelingsabouttheirroleintheworld.Theyaredevotingtheirenergiestowhatseemsmostrealtothem:thepursuitofsecurity,theaccumulationofmaterialgoods.Theyarestrugglingtoestablishthemselves,buttheyoungpeoplealsoadmittedtoconfusion:Whereshouldtheyputtheirfaithinthisuncertainage?Undergraduatesaresearchingforidentityandmeaningand,liketherestofus,theyaretornbyidealismofserviceontheonehand,andonthehand,thetemptationtoretreatintoaworldthatneverrisesaboveself-interests.(MainIdeaofPP1)2.Intheend,thequalityoftheundergraduateexperience(=education)istobemeasuredbythewillingnessofgraduatestobesociallyandcivicallyengaged.ReinholdNiebuhroncewrote,Mancannotbeholdexcepthebecommitted.Hecannotfindhimselfwithoutfindingacenterbeyondhimself.Theidealismoftheundergraduateexperiencemustreflectitselfinloyaltiesthattranscendself.Isittoomuchtoexpectthat,eveninthishard-edged,competitiveage,acollegegraduatewithlivewithintegrity,civility-evencompassion?Isitappropriatetohopethatthelessonslearnedinaliberaleducationwillrevealthemselvesinthehumanenessofthegraduate'srelationshipwithothers?3.Clearly,thecollegegraduatehascivicobligationstofulfill.ThereisurgentneedinAmericanteachingtohelpclosethedangerousandgrowinggapbetweenpublicpolicyandpublicunderstanding.Theinformationrequiredtothinkconstructivelyabouttheagendasofgovernmentseemsincreasinglybeyondourgrasp.Itisnolongerpossible,manyargue,toresolvecomplexpublicissuesthroughcitizenparticipation.How,theyask,cannon-specialistsdebatepolicychoicesofconsequencewhentheydonotevenknowthelanguage?4.Shouldtheuseofnuclearenergybeexpandedorcutback?Cananadequatesupplyofwaterbeassured?Howcanthearmsracebebroughtundercontrol?Whatisasafelevelofatmosphericpollution?Eventhesemi-metaphysicalquestionsofwhenahumanlifebeginsandendshaveitemsonthepoliticalagenda.5.CitizenshavetriedwithsimilarbafflementtofollowthedebateoverStarWarswithitshighlytechnicaljargonofdeterrenceandcounter-deterrence.Evenwhatonceseemedtobereasonablylocalmatters---zoningregulations,schooldesegregation,drainageproblemspublictransportationissues,licensingrequestsfromcompetingcabletelevisioncompanies-callforspecialistswhodebatetechnicalitiesandfrequentlyconfuseratherthanclarifytheissues.Andyettheverycomplexityofpublicrequiresmorenotlessinformationmorenotlessparticipation.6.Forthosewhocareaboutgovernmentbythepeople，thedeclineinpublicunderstandingcannotgounchallenged.Inaworldwherehumansurvivalisatstake,ignoranceisnotanacceptablealternative.Thefullcontrolofpolicybyspecialistswithlimitedperspectiveisnottolerable.Unlesswefindbetterwaystoeducateourselvesascitizens,unlesshardquestionsareaskedandsatisfactoryanswersareoffered,werunriskofmakingcriticaldecisions,notonthebasisofwhatweknow,butonthebasisofblindfaithinoneoranothersetofprofessedexperts.7.Whatweneedtodayaregroupsofwell-informed,caringindividualswhobandtogetherinthespiritofcommunitytoleanfromoneanother,toparticipate,ascitizens,inthedemocraticprocess.8.Weneedconcernedpeoplewhoareparticipantsininquiry,whoknowhowtoasktherightquestions,whounderstandtheprocessbywhichpublicpolicyisshaped,andarepreparedtomakeinformeddiscriminatingjudgmentsonquestionsthateffectthefuture.Obviously,nooneinstitutioninsocietycansingle-handedlyprovidestheleadershipwerequire.Butweareconvincedthattheundergraduatecollege,perhapsmorethananyotherinstitutions,isobligedtoprovidetheenlightenedleadershipournationurgentlyrequiresifgovernmentbythepeopleistoendure.9.Tofulfillthisurgentobligation,theperspectiveneededisnotonlynational,butalsoglobal.Today'sstudentsmustbeinformedaboutpeopleandculturesotherthantheirown.Sincemanhasorbitedintospace,ithasbecomedramaticallyapparentthatweareallcustodiansofasingleplanet.Inthepasthalfcentury,ourplanethasbecomevastlymorecrowded,moreinterdependent,andmoreunstable.Ifstudentsdonotseebeyondthemselvesandbetterunderstandtheirplaceinourcomplexworld,theircapacitytoloveresponsiblywillbedangerouslydiminished.10.Theworldmaynotyetbeavillage,butsurelyoursenseofneighborhoodmustexpand.WhendroughtravagestheSahara,whenwarinIndo-Chinacreatesrefugees,neitherourcompassionnorouranalyticintelligencecanbeboundedbyadottedlineonapoliticalmap.Wearebeginningtounderstandthathungerandhumanrightsaffectalliancesasdecisivelyasweaponsandtreaties.Dwarfingallotherconcerns,themushroomcloudhangsominouslyoverourworldconsciousness.Theserealitiesandtheobligationstheyimposemustbeunderstoodbyeverystudent.11.Butduringourstudywefoundoncampusadisturbinglackofknowledgeandevenattimesaclimateofindifferenceaboutourworld.Refugeesflowfromonecountrytoanother,buttoofewstudentscanpointtothesegreatmigrationsonamaportalkaboutthefamines,wars,orpovertythatcausedthem.Philosophers,statesmen,inventorsandartistsfromaroundtheworldenrichourlives,butsuchindividualsandtheircontributionsarelargelyunknownorunremembered.12.Whilesomestudentshaveaglobalperspective,thevastmajority,althoughvaguelyconcerned,areinadequatelyinformedabouttheinterdependentworldinwhichtheylive.13.UniversityofNotreDamecampusministerWilliamT