New Books in Education Chris Higgins, "Undeclared: A Philosophy of Formative Higher Education" (MIT Press, 2024)
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Mar 4, 2025 Chris Higgins, Associate Professor and Chair of Formative Education at Boston College, dives into transformative higher education. He argues for universities to prioritize self-discovery and holistic development over mere credentialism. Topics include the evolution of student values, critiques of checkbox learning, and the need for public universities to foster civic engagement. Higgins also emphasizes the lessons from Black Mountain College and the importance of embodied learning, challenging the current structures that limit personal growth.
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Shifting Student Priorities
- Students prioritize financial well-being over a meaningful philosophy of life.
- This shift reflects broader societal changes and how universities market themselves.
College Closure
- A small Catholic college in Detroit closed despite ads highlighting non-financial benefits.
- This shows that focusing on meaning and purpose is the exception in higher ed marketing.
General Education Shortcomings
- General education is often treated as a box-checking exercise, not true intellectual exploration.
- Distributed elective systems lack a framework for integrating different fields of knowledge.