Role of Higher Education in Preparing Undergraduates for Lives of Civic Responsibility, (The)

According to the authors, moral and
civic responsibility are inseparable. They note that American democratic principles, including tolerance
and respect for others, procedural impartiality, and concern for both the rights
of the individual and the welfare of the group, are all grounded in moral principles.
Likewise, the problems that the civically engaged citizen must confront always
include strong moral themes - for example, fair access to resources such as housing,
the moral obligation to consider future generations in making environmental policy,
and the conflicting claims of multiple stakeholders in community decision-making.
None of these issues can be adequately resolved without a consideration of moral
questions. A person can become civically and politically active without good judgment
and a strong moral compass, but it is hardly wise to promote that kind of
involvement. The authors note that because civic responsibility is inescapably threaded with moral values,
higher education must aspire to foster both moral and civic maturity
and must confront educationally the many links between them.(Author)