Robert Putnam did speak to the AAHE Conference this month in Chicago. His
presentation shadowed his writings reflected in the "Bowling Alone" and
"Strange Disappearance" articles, although he did not spend much time on
the "TV factor."
His presentation included a variety of indicators of the "serious erosion
of social capital." His analysis of this breakdown reaffirms the need to
support student and faculty "civic engagement" for the good of a
participative democracy. My interpretation of his message suggests the
need for us to foster civic "associations" of face-to-face,
person-to-person relationships that build "social trust." He did not go so
far as to identify what those associations were. However, his conclusion
called the members of his audience to meet this challenge and "create new
ways of creating community."
He did assert that his findings suggest public policy implications.
Although he said he would never advocate for "less cops on the street," he
did ask us to consider balancing the effects of money spent on "10% more
police" or using those same funds to support "ways for us to get to know
our neighbors." My interpretation is that he finds certain value in
cultivating "trust" and "community awareness" toward fighting crime.
Although one respondent suggested that the independent sector possessed
increasing strength, I believe he offered an effective challenge to us as
educators to foster civic engagement for the sake of democracy.
I'm sure that each of us can add our own reasons for needing to foster
civic and service participation. In the future, I'd like to talk about
ways that higher education can be a "catalyst" in this business of
"creating community" for the sake of democracy and serving the common good.
Yet, maybe that's what creating "the New American College" is all about!
Cliff Briggs
Service Learning
CSU, San Marcos