Polarization in higher education threatens open dialogue and a sense of belonging. In this study we ask: How are institutions engaging religious, secular, and spiritual (RSS) inclusion to mitigate polarization over time? Drawing on longitudinal data from the Interfaith, Spiritual, Religious, and Secular Campus Climate Index (INSPIRES Index), we employ descriptive statistics to examine trends in RSS climate assessments, training, public programming, and student-led forums across three survey waves. To contextualize the research design, we also draw from the authors’ diverse positionalities, integrating reflexive disclosure to show how identity shaped interpretation. Findings reveal steady growth in public engagement and student leadership, yet persistent gaps remain in required training and institutional infrastructure that support sustained dialogue, professional development, and resource allocation for RSS inclusion. These results underscore INSPIRES as not only an empirically valid assessment benchmarking instrument, but a strategic tool that enables campuses to highlight progress, address shortcomings, and catalyze institutional change toward pluralism.

While polarization is prevalent in education policy, this article provides an example of higher education leaders partnering with school leaders and legislators to create solutions to the teacher shortage crisis in Oklahoma. After reviewing the political landscape in which education policy is currently situated and analyzing an example of bipartisanship in Oklahoma, this article provides five pragmatic strategies leaders can use when addressing polarizing topics and working inside the aisles to facilitate positive change.

In this article, the author addresses the critical gap in professional development, which often prioritizes skill acquisition and competency frameworks over critical engagement with the wider social context within which higher education is embedded. The author argues that neglecting Critical Pedagogy hinders the field’s ability to empower professionals as agents of change. By discussing the transformative theories of Gramsci and Freire and the field of Critical Pedagogy more broadly and by examining diverse professionalization models across the globe, the article demonstrates how integrating Critical Pedagogy can improve professional development. The author emphasizes the need to move beyond market-driven approaches with a focus on institutional efficiency and individualistic career advancement, and highlight the importance to engage in “un-learning and re-learning” to cultivate critical consciousness and social agency. The conclusion poses a critical questions: How can we conceptualize professional development as a vehicle to empower professionals as catalysts for transformative social justice? This paper argues that Critical Pedagogy offers a powerful response to these questions and concludes that professional development should go beyond competencies—it should empower professionals to question the status quo.

The college experience is often defined by student involvement opportunities. Many students seek these opportunities to connect with other students in college, develop leadership skills, and gain work experience. While these positions, including resident assistants (RAs), are portrayed as leadership opportunities, there has been a shift that frames students as laborers and the university as an employer, resulting in an increase of undergraduate labor movements at higher education institutions. Applying a critical management perspective, this article argues that the issue of RA labor, and the possibility of unionization, should be considered through the perspective of university mission and values, shifting the conversation from opportunity and economics to one centering equity and justice.

Two focus group sessions were held with nine university students to explore what may help prevent suicide. Specifically, this study aimed to identify factors that prevented students from engaging in suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB); investigate how a university can provide better support for students dealing with mental health issues or engaging in STB; and explore whether spiritual care provided by university chaplains can help prevent suicide. The discussion highlighted four key points: (1) participants had various backgrounds, but all led to engagement in STB; (2) importance of psychotherapy; (3) importance of relationships; and (4) potential underutilization of university chaplaincy services.

Colleges and universities have long claimed their role in preparing a diverse society for civic participation. However, higher education’s reputation as an institution that cultivates tolerance and civil debate is under scrutiny. There is a perceived contradiction regarding the role that colleges play in creating civically engaged graduates, on the one hand, and preparing them to engage productively across ideological differences, on the other hand. Drawing on data from the National Survey on America Civic Health (n = 4,990), this study employs exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to understand the underlying structure of two components of civic virtue: tolerance for political disagreement and humility in political discourse. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is employed to examine the association between these two civic virtues and educational attainment. Findings illustrate a positive association between college attendance and higher scores in tolerance and humility among the U.S. population. Cautiously interpreted, the study suggests that colleges and universities may be places where tolerance and humility is nurtured. Implications, limitations, and future research on this topic are discussed.

Universities often champion an agenda focused on helping students find their direction and purpose in life. Although these efforts are supported by research consistently showing the benefits of purpose, several students may feel implicitly or explicitly left out of these university efforts, because they are in minority with respect to one or more personal identifications. This viewpoint discusses the potential obstacles and opportunities for underrepresented students in their pursuit of a purpose, and how university administrators can assist these students with purpose development. Recommendations focus on how to provide underrepresented students with purposeful role models, a greater sense of belongingness, and exercises to help them reflect upon their past to find their direction for the future.

This study examined how faith community interaction and faith community harmony relate to both state and trait body dissatisfaction, loneliness, and sociocultural pressures on appearance among college undergraduates. Participants (N = 1519) were college undergraduate students attending a private university in California. Participants included 546 males and 973 females, ranging in age from 18 to 23 years (M = 19.79, SD = 1.354). Participants completed an online survey that included measures of faith community interaction and harmony, loneliness, body dissatisfaction, and sociocultural pressures on appearance. Hierarchical regressions found that faith community harmony and faith community interaction predicted loneliness and body dissatisfaction, while only faith community harmony predicted sociocultural pressures on appearance. The implications of these findings for college students are discussed.

In the last several decades, service-learning has become a key feature of higher education. In this article, I argue that the work of Christian feminists Letty M. Russell and Sharon D. Welch enriches current scholarship on service-learning by drawing attention to foundational ethical issues. The first section of the article provides background on service-learning at U.S. colleges and universities, identifying major values and priorities that have informed its development. The second and third sections analyze Russell’s concepts of “weaponized difference” and “deformed hospitality” alongside Welch’s “ethic of control” and “ethic of risk.” I use these concepts to interrogate prominent aspects of traditional service-learning models and craft a framework, centered on two risk questions, to aid faculty and administrators as they reimagine service-learning opportunities, particularly in Christian educational contexts.

In this study, we examined whether leadership education has an effect on college students’ prosocial behaviors—social change behaviors, social perspective taking, and social generativity. Based on a propensity score analysis on a multi-institutional sample of 8,752 students enrolled at 69 colleges and universities in spring 2021, the results suggest that leadership education experiences have significant and positive effects on students’ prosocial behaviors. While co-curricular leadership education and leadership education not affiliated with campuses have significant and positive effects on all three prosocial outcomes, academic leadership education only has significant and positive effects on students’ social generativity.