Guest Lecture, April 8th, 2015, College Student Development in a Catholic University Context. Catholic Higher Education: History, Philosophy, & Culture (ELHE7503), Taught by Dr. Michael James, Boston College, Lynch School of Education, Department of Educational Leadership & Higher Education

1. College Student Development
in a Catholic University Context
Catholic Higher Education (ELHE7503/TMRE7117)
Daniel A. Zepp
April 8th, 2015

2. Outline
— What is a theory?
— Overview of college student development
theories
— College student development in a
Catholic university context
◦ Connection to readings
— Application to group projects
◦ Theory into practice

3. What is a theory?
— Informal/anecdotal theories
◦ Common sense or a particular point of view based
on experience, assumptions, and beliefs
— Examples
◦ “Co-curricular involvement is associated with higher
levels of satisfaction with the college experience”
◦ “Black college students are more likely than students
of other racial/ethnic identities to experience
discrimination in college”
◦ “Enrollment in philosophy and theology courses is
associated with higher levels of moral development”
Jones, S. R. & Abes, E. S. (2010). The nature and uses of theory. In Student services:A handbook for the profession.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

4. College Student Development

5. College Student Development
— Psychosocial theories
— Cognitive theories
— Person-environment (ecological) theories
— Social identity theories
— Holistic theories (Journey Into Adulthood)

6. Psychosocial Theories
— People develop in patterned ways – certain
tasks/skills/roles must be mastered to
successfully manage a certain life stage
— Eriksonian “identity” (1953)
◦ Existential question for stage of adolescence:
– Who am I? Who can I be?
— Chickering’s seven vectors
◦ 1) Developing competence, 2) Managing
emotions, 3) Moving through autonomy toward
interdependence, 4) Developing mature
interpersonal relationships, 5) Establishing
identity, 6) Developing purpose, and 7)
Developing integrity

7. Cognitive Theories
— Integrated structures that move from simple
to complex meaning-making (stage theories)
— Cognitive and affective (Piaget, 1968)
— Intellectual (Perry, 1970)
— Moral (Gilligan, 1982; Kohlberg, 1972)
— Faith (Fowler, 1981)
— Consciousness (Kegan, 1998)

8. Person-Environment (Ecological)
Theories
— By actively engaging with environment, college
students increase in complexity as do their
environments (reciprocal influence)
— Gender as a performance (Butler, 1990)
— Emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2000)
— Positive college student outcomes associated
with
◦ Challenge and support (Sanford & Adelson,1962)
◦ Involvement (Astin, 1984)
◦ Integration in academic and social systems (Tinto,
1993)
◦ Engagement (Kuh et al., 2005)

9. Holistic Theories
— College students are whole persons (e.g. not simply
“cognitive” beings)
◦ Previous theories are not necessary incorrect, but
incomplete as independent and discrete theories
— Parks (2000)
◦ Forms of dependence (psychosocial)
◦ Forms of knowing (cognitive)
◦ Forms of community (person-environment)
— Journey Into Adulthood (2007)
◦ Intellectual (cognitive)
◦ Social (person-environment)
◦ Spiritual (Jesuit Spirituality; Parks,2000)

10. Journey Into Adulthood (2007)

11. Journey Into Adulthood (2007)
— Intellectual, spiritual, and social are
dimensions of a whole
— Think integration and intersection
◦ Not an additive:“Intellectual + Spiritual +
Social”
– Intellectual not simply for academic affairs
– Spiritual not simply for campus ministry
– Social not simply for student affairs
◦ Holistic development Inside and outside of
classroom

12. Missions of Other Catholic Colleges
and Universities
— Franciscan University of Steubenville (IL)
◦ Moral, spiritual, and religious values
◦ “An education that challenges you intellectually,
forms you professionally, and feeds you
spiritually”
— Merrimack College (MA)
◦ Intellectual, moral, spiritual, physical, and personal
awareness to make wise choices of life, career,
and service
— Stonehill College (MA)
◦ Moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social

13. Missions of Christian Colleges and
Universities
— Aquinas College (TN)
◦ Intellectual, moral, spiritual, and professional
— Baylor University (TX)
◦ Spiritual maturity, strength of character and moral
virtue
◦ “Beyond the intellectual life, the University
pursues the social, physical, ethical, and spiritual
development of each student”
— Liberty University (VA)
◦ Spiritual, intellectual, social and physical value-
driven behavior

14. Mission of Secular Colleges and
Universities
— Harvard College (MA)
◦ Intellectual transformation, social
transformation, and personal transformation
— Duke University (NC)
◦ Intellectual growth, high ethical standards, and
full participation as leaders in their
communities

15. Connection to Readings
— What developmental outcomes are
highlighted in the readings?
◦ Effective Student Leadership
◦ CARA studies
◦ BCQ 2008 Survey
◦ HERI Data
◦ Promising Practices Guidebook
— How are these outcomes distinctive, if at
all, in a Catholic university context?

16. Catholic College Identity (PBS)
— Georgetown and Ave Maria
◦ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/
2013/10/25/october-25-2013-catholic-college-
identity/20827/

17. Implications for Practice
— Catholic colleges and universities are
concerned with the holistic development of
their students (whole person education)
— For group projects…
◦ How does your college/university fit into the
American/Christian/Catholic landscape?
– Points of commonality
– Points of departure

18. Points of Departure
— What is distinctive about your Christian
college/university?
— What is distinctive about your Catholic
college/university?
— What is distinctive about your charism/
spirituality? (if applicable)
— What is distinctive about your approach
to college student development?

19. Points of Commonality
— How is your college/university in sync
with other colleges and universities?
— How is your approach in sync with
theories of college student development?
◦ Cognitive
◦ Psychosocial
◦ Person-environment
◦ Holistic

20. Application to Group Projects
— Student development theory implications:
◦ The Board of Trustees
◦ The President’s Cabinet
◦ The Senior Academic Officer’s Staff
◦ The Senior Student Affairs Officer’s Staff
— Theory into practice
◦ Not simply an approach (e.g. mission
statement) but embedded in institutional
initiatives