New Faculty Books in Higher Education
Faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership have released two books — one recognized by Christianity Today, the other a go-to resource for student affairs professionals.
Restoring the Soul of the University: Unifying Christian Higher Education in a Fragmented Age — by Dr. Perry Glanzer, MA ’91, professor; Dr. Nathan Alleman, associate professor; and Baylor alumnus Dr. Todd Ream, BA ’93, a professor at Taylor University — received an Award of Merit from Christianity Today.
The authors chart the history of the American university and cast an inspiring vision for the future, while claiming we currently live in the age of the “fragmented multiversity that has no unifying soul or mission.”
The authors say that today’s universities — in terms of money, prestige, power and freedom — appear to have gained the academic world. But at what cost? The multiversity is characterized by curricular division, the professionalization of the disciplines, the expansion of administration, the loss of community, and the idolization of athletics, they say.
Their focus is ultimately on the Christian university, and they ask: “What if the unifying center of the university, its soul, were reclaimed by a winsome faith in Jesus Christ?”
In another new book, Dr. Rishi Sriram, associate professor, has focused his contribution on the discipline of student affairs at institutions of higher education. Filled with real-life examples from student affairs work, Student Affairs by the Numbers aims to be the go-to resource for professionals who want to know the basics of quantitative research and statistics for their work in student affairs.
Sriram says that student affairs professionals need to know how to design a study, collect data, analyze data, interpret results, and present results in an understandable manner. This book establishes the need for these skills in student affairs and advises on how to develop a research culture, conduct research, and understand statistics — all with the goal of making higher education a more meaningful experience for students.