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IAU 2010 Annual Conference

Value-Based Education and University Ethical

Leadership

Simon S.M. HoVice Rector

The University of MacauJune 2010

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Major Sins of our Time (M. Gandhi)

1. Politics without principles2. Wealth without work3. Pleasure without conscience4. Knowledge without character5. Commerce without morality6. Worship without sacrifice7. Science and technology without humanity

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The Global Challenges/Crises

Isolated unyielding challenges confronting the world community will be merging into a tight and unyielding web of crisis:

Financial/economicEcological/ environmentalSocio-culturalIdentity/ spiritual

Reaching critical thresholds in the next decade? A whole human system crisis?

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The Global Challenges/Crises

Globally observing the lowest level of trust, with the highest level of cynicism

Values are blurred, always just slogans

Personal success is often defined by the power or the wealth that one holds

Economic growth exist side by side with social injustice and all sorts of social problems like drugs, divorce, abortion, suicides, isolations, etc.

Decreasing moral standard, pollution, corruption, fraud, discriminations, etc.

Tearing the fabrics of our societies apart, and the need for moral regeneration

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Addressing the Global Challenges/Crises

Need a human choice for a sustainable, satisfying & soulful society => facing this world with a soul that dreams in hope.

What is the role & functions of higher education in this reform process?

It becomes critical for us as higher education leaders to step back and to think in terms of what we should do to change this world community.

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Knowledge as Power to Reform

Universities create, keep and disseminate knowledge

Gateway to power, significantly affecting the socio-economic life quality throughout the world.

Thus with moral responsibilities to maintain the well-being of a society.

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Knowledge as Power to Reform

Knowledge does not give people real power.

Real power is being able to make the choice between right or wrong, good or evil, life and death, love or hate, wait or act, etc.

Many teachers & students are not concentrating on continuous learning/knowing but try to prove how knowledgeable (ignorant) they are.

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Other Problems of Today’s Higher Education

Focus too much on research overlooking teaching

Teachers’ insufficient interaction with students outside classrooms

Too narrow major programme curriculum

Disciplinary fragmentation & academic separations

Emphasis too much on science & technology overlooking humanity

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Other Problems of Today’s Higher Education

Many universities these days more like business corporations focusing on figures, size, resources, reputations, rankings, etc.

A degree often viewed as the exit route to a better life style rather than the beginning of a life journey to know and to serve.

Individual isolation lacking inter-personal connections

Lacks a sense of ‘learning community’

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Role of Higher Education in Re-stalling Core Values

Higher education needs to recognize and re-build the core values of a modern free society.

University education is to train a responsible, satisfying & soulful person, not a smarter manager/professional who can just make more monies.

We are about the teaching of hope; the incubator for reconciliation/connection.

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Some Core Values of a Modern Society

FreedomCredibility/IntegrityJustice/FairnessTrust/Respect Open communicationEmbrace of diversity/differenceToleranceHopeLoveSocial Citizenship & responsibilityHarmony/unityHuman dignity of everyone

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Value-based Education

“We teach because we shape the future.”

William Butler Yeats: “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire”.

Changing hearts, changing minds, changing lives

Ignite a revolution of rising expectations

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Value-based Education

the formation of qualities to help students become decent human beings.

nurturing the human spirit and freedom in the service of humanity.

on the quality of life and on the ability to sustain a connected view of things characterized by many of the core values

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Value-based Education

Trust should characterize administrators-faculty-student relationships

Academic knowledge is not private but common public, using for the good of the society

Issues facing higher education, such as human right & dignity, discriminations, power abuse, conflicts of interests, academic dishonesty, and interpersonal isolation argue for the pursuit of an ethical context

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Value-based Education

Education without ethics is snobbish and dangerous.

Unethical behavior exist when institutional leaders tolerate.

Educational institutions at all levels should take a major role in ethical leadership development.

To foster teachers’ & students’ awareness of ethics issues and to equip with them an ethical framework for handling ethical dilemma decision making.

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Challenges for Ethical Leadership

Leadership is crucial to universities’sensitivity to values in higher education

The leadership values and ethics are the same as before, but the recent new environment changes rapidly

Universities can be leaders to lead other institutions

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Important Attributes of Ethical Leadership

Character/virtueIntegrity/honestyTrust/RespectCompetence/KnowledgeCommitmentVisionaryOptimismInspirationCaringCompassion/HumilityResponsibility/AccountabilityTransparency

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Sustaining Ethical Leadership

To identify university leaders’ beliefs and principles with reference to ethical leadership in the context of higher education

Moral issues are not always clear cut, yet, it is important that they be addressed in the teaching and practice of all disciplines

To provide equal access to opportunity for learning, growth and participation to all students, faculty, and staff

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Sustaining Ethical Leadership

This would become possible when the people, the system, the policies, the activities, the process and the culture are aligned

We can change the world only if we have that good alignment

We need an effective institutional culture and ethosof higher education ethics

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The Learning Common

The current lack of a sense of ‘community’, ‘connectedness’, ‘shared values’ and ‘mutual responsibilities’ that give direction and purpose

University strategic planning should emphasize the ‘learning common’ concept as the institutionalization of an environment which addresses concern for values and ethics in higher education.

Recognized as an effective approach resolving current deficiencies in higher education.

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The Learning Common

Embraces a distinctive ethos or culture, loaded with values and sustains a context for ethical behaviour

Curriculum addressing social concerns

Enables discipline-isolated faculty members to approach other disciplines without losing academic freedom

Addressing the growing diversity among students in terms of age, race, religion, martial status, & admission criteria, etc.

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The Learning Common

Connect leadership, faculty members, staff and students

Help resolve the gap between science/technology and humanity

Help resolve the tension among research, teaching, and student mentoring

‘Residential colleges’ concept gives direction to students and anchors their learning experience in the intellectual life

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Questions & Views are Welcome 歡迎提問