Working With the Difficult Past: Examples From the University of Maryland

Abstract

I N T R O D U C T I O NIn a recent article in the New York Times, Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust states that the American university is undergoing a crisis of purpose. She noted that with the election of President Barack Obama, coupled with the current economic crisis, universities will increasingly be called upon to help solve many of the social problems facing our nation. While many Americans have the notion that university education should serve the market, this market model conflicts with the idea that "universities are meant to be producers not just of knowledge but also (often inconvenient) doubt" (Faust 2009:2). Faust recognizes that people need jobs; however, they also seek meaning, understanding, and perspective. She writes "the question should not be whether we can afford to believe in such purpose in these times, but whether we can afford not to" (Faust 2009:2).Critics of American higher education have recognized the crisis of purpose that Faust describes for several decades. Colleges and universities have been called upon to renew their historic commitment to service. Government and business leaders as well as social policy experts are asking universities to assume a greater role in addressing society's increasing problems and meet growing human needs. New, developing programs in higher education are focusing on building and sustaining relationships with neighbors and communities. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (2010) suggests that recent educational innovations to advance civic engagement such as thematically linked learning communities, community-based research, collaborative projects, service ANNALS OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL PRACTICE 37.1, pp. 57-71.