Society for Values in Higher Education

Once called “The Week of Work,” SVHE was and is unlike many of the “alphabet soup” academic gatherings.  Papers in progress are presented in various interdisciplinary seminars and in the Call for Papers (CFP) working groups, where each receives thoughtful and constructive response from participants. Plenary sessions give opportunity for coherent exploration of a thematic focus, with ample time as well for discussion with speakers. Although most Fellows are professionally involved with matters of higher education, many are from other ways of being. In addition, Families and partners are welcomed as full participants in all sessions (with special programming provided for those under 18).  We seek to create a setting where we are not just “managing knowledge” but also trying to live toward wisdom and committing ourselves as whole human persons to ‘the sterner discipline of seeking a common good in human affairs.”

Over the 4-5 days, we pursue these goals in formal and informal ways, including gathering for:

• Morning Groups which explore themes from “Historical Fiction” to “Theorizing Culture:  Knowledgeable Consumers and Consuming Knowledge,” “Autobiographical Writing” to “Philosophy of Place,” from “Pop Culture” to “Religion and Violence.” Whatever, the only rules are “first names only without regard to position” and confidentiality when appropriate to sustain a safe haven for frank discussions.
• Afternoon and Working Groups as well as Plenaries that delve into thematic concerns with both personal and public dimensions.
• Programs for the young and not-so-young “Society Brats” who have sailed on the Chesapeake Bay as well as discovered how we are all at least bicultural. Several have grown up to become Fellows and serve on the Board of Directors. To understand the impact of our inclusion of family, please read what one wrote when in junior high school. Noel Lampazzi
  
• Long conversation at breaks, over meals, and into the evening such that laryngitis is the only threat to the playing with ideas that is our mainstay.
• Ways to exercise through physical exertion as well as metaphysical meditation and musical teamwork.

We rotate the geographical locations of our conferences to accommodate our membership, favoring institutions with a strong commitment to providing a liberal arts education.