A number of recently published books will be of interest to presidents and other leaders of small and mid-sized private colleges and universities. The books tackle a range of topics, including results of a large research project on responsibilities, meaning, and ethics of work; best practices for a research-supportive curriculum; the role of the library in the first year of college; and new ideas for collaborations between foundations and educational institutions. Several institutions also published historical coffee table-style books in honor of important anniversaries.

Responsibility at Work: How Leading Professionals Act (or Don’t Act) Responsibly
Edited by Howard Gardner
© 2007

Responsibility at Work focuses on how workers conceptualize and act upon their responsibilities at work. It examines creativity, drive, caring, and purpose as models for responsibility in the workplace. Factors such as gender, spirituality, time, leadership, and professional standards play a part in an individual’s ability to function at work. Based on a large-scale research initiative, the GoodWork® Project, the book reflects the information gleaned from in-depth interviews with more than 1,200 people from nine different professions—journalism, genetics, theatre, higher education, philanthropy, law, medicine, business, and pre-collegiate education. Of particular interest to higher education readers is research that shows that only students at three of ten colleges studied—Morehouse (GA), Mount St. Mary’s (CA), and Swarthmore (PA)—actually experienced at high levels the values that the faculty and administrators thought they were passing along. Gardner will present at CIC’s 2008 Presidents Institute details from his most recent book, Five Minds for the Future: Intellectual and Ethical Dimensions, describing the importance of the “five minds” and how to nurture them in leaders as well as students, particularly regarding ethical issues.

Hardcover copies of Responsibility at Work, published by Jossey-Bass, cost $27.95 and are available in bookstores.

Developing and Sustaining a Research-Supportive Curriculum: A Compendium of Successful Practices
Edited by Kerry K. Karukstis, Harvey Mudd College and Timothy E. Elgren, Hamilton College
© 2007

The publication is designed to share successful practices that enable faculty and institutions to design, implement, and sustain a research-supportive curriculum. The volume focuses on three broad areas: curricular elements and teaching and learning strategies that develop critical research skills; curricular infrastructure that enhances a research-supportive curriculum; and administrative contributions that initiate and sustain a research-supportive curriculum. Authors across disciplines and from a variety of types of institutions have contributed over 30 chapters and 50 “highlights” describing curricular approaches, methods, and techniques developed for their courses and programs of study to enhance the research experience of students and the research culture of their institutions. Specific examples of known practices at particular institutions are included in each chapter.

Copies of the publication, published by the Council on Undergraduate Research, may be ordered for $35 (CUR members) or $45 (nonmembers) through the CUR website at www.cur.org/publications/comporderform.pdf or by calling the office at (202) 783-4810.

The Role of the Library in the First College Year
Larry Hardesty
© 2007

This monograph reviews the present state of practice in integrating library instruction and first-year college programs in order to more effectively educate students. Written for librarians and faculty members, the book provides literature reviews of key issues, explorations of current strategies, and case studies of best practices. On a broader level the book investigates the growing complexity and evolution of college libraries into dynamic, teaching/learning institutions and relates those changes to another significant movement on campus—efforts to address the challenge of student failure in the first year of college though the creation of first-year programs. “By focusing on student learning, these two movements seek to continually transform the structure and processes of what they do to enable students to learn and succeed.” Chapter authors explore structures and practices for helping students learn to navigate the college library; use the Internet effectively; and find, analyze, and incorporate information into their academic work—a critical foundation for college success.

Paperback copies of this monograph cost $40 and can be ordered from the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition at www.sc.edu/fye/publications/puborder/m45form.pdf.

Reconnecting Education and Foundations: Turning Good Intentions into Educational Capital
Edited by Ray Bacchetti and Thomas Ehrlich
© 2006

The partnerships forged between foundations and educational institutions have long been a distinctive strength of American society and culture, but many are concerned that this relationship has frayed in recent years. Bacchetti and Ehrlich propose a new basis for collaboration against the background of provocative essays by leaders of both foundations and education. The book is part of a series from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Hardcover copies of this book cost $55 and may be ordered from Jossey-Bass at www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787988189.html.

Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education’s Strategic Imperative
Judith M. Gappa, Ann E. Austin, and Andrea G. Trice
© 2007

This book shows how profound changes in higher education are transforming the careers of faculty members and provides a model that makes it possible for all faculty members to be in a position to do their best. Fiscal constraints, growing competition for enrollments, new technologies, and demands for greater accountability are among the forces affecting faculty. The book offers a vision of academic workplaces that will attract superb faculty committed to fulfilling the missions of the universities and colleges where they work. The authors hold that five key elements are essential to help ensure that faculty members find their work satisfying and meaningful: equity, academic freedom, flexibility, professional growth, and collegiality. Ann Austin is a plenary speaker at CIC’s 2008 Presidents Institute.

Hardcover copies of this book cost $40 and may be ordered from Jossey-Bass at www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787966134.html.

A Great and Lasting Beginning: The First 125 Years of St. Ambrose University
George William McDaniel
© 2006

St. Ambrose University’s (IA) 125th anniversary is commemorated in this comprehensive history of the institution’s founding in 1882 through the present. Written from the perspective of a historian, Rev. George McDaniel, the book explains the evolution of St. Ambrose University, Davenport, and the surrounding communities within the broader context of American history, higher education, societal norms, the history of Catholic education, and even global events. Father McDaniel shows how St. Ambrose fits into the larger history of Catholic higher education, the history of the Midwest, and the diocese of Davenport.

Hardcover copies of this book cost $34.95 and can be ordered from the St. Ambrose website at www.sau.edu/125.

God Bless Newberry College!
Edited by Gordon C. Henry
© 2006

This Newberry College (SC) sesquicentennial anthology is not the traditional college history book. It contains nearly 125 segments of well-known college history as well as college trivia. The book focuses on “Memories of Newberry College’s Yesterdays and Today” with emphasis on historic events rather than contemporary history. The book is divided into three main sections: general college history, athletics, and appendices of statistical data. The title of the book is taken from the last words of Newberry College President George W. Holland on September 30, 1895.

Hardcover copies of this book cost $30 and may be ordered from Gordon C. Henry, Newberry College Archivist, Newberry College, Newberry, SC 29108, (803) 321-5135, ghenry@newberry.edu.

Lynchburg College: More Than Books and Bricks
Carolyn Austin Eubank and Betty Cooper McKinney
© 2006

As part of Lynchburg College’s (VA) centennial celebration, this 160-page heavily illustrated book provides a look at the college today and features profiles of some of the most beloved faculty members and coaches from the past, as well as testimonies from many of those who know the college best. It includes a brief historical overview of Lynchburg College, which was founded in 1903, and captures the spirit of the campus community through chapters that feature academics, spiritual life and the college’s relationship to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), athletics, campus life, community outreach, alumni, the centennial celebration, and Centennial Hall.

Hardcover copies of this book cost $36.70 including tax and may be ordered through the Lynchburg website at www.lynchburg.edu/morethanbooks.xml.