Growth Areas


Understand how you can grow in your engagement experience

Social Justice Activism, Multicultural Awareness, and DEI


DEFINITION

The knowledge and cognitive skills that support effective and appropriate interaction in a multitude of cultural contexts

  • Express value in intercultural interactions
  • State multiple general domains in which cultural variation may occur
  • Identify cultural factors such as history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, beliefs, and practices that may play a role in current/specific intercultural situations
  • Interpret intercultural experience from the perspective of more than one worldview
  • Evaluate natural, physical, social, cultural, historical, and economic legacies and hierarchies
  • Act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group
  • Analyze similarities and differences among cultures; suspend own judgement in interactions with culturally different others
  • Seek complexity in viewpoints and experience
  • Identify viable strategies for communicating or negotiating cultural differences in situations
  • Identify and critique interdependent global, regional, and local cultures and systems; evaluate implications for people’s lives

LEARNING

You might demonstrate learning/a transformation in the following ways:

  • Express value in intercultural interactions
  • State multiple general domains in which cultural variation may occur
  • Identify cultural factors such as history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, beliefs, and practices that may play a role in current/specific intercultural situations
  • Interpret intercultural experience from the perspective of more than one worldview
  • Evaluate natural, physical, social, cultural, historical, and economic legacies and hierarchies
  • Act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group
  • Analyze similarities and differences among cultures; suspend own judgement in interactions with culturally different others
  • Seek complexity in viewpoints and experience
  • Identify viable strategies for communicating or negotiating cultural differences in situations
  • Identify and critique interdependent global, regional, and local cultures and systems; evaluate implications for people’s lives

Civic Responsibility


DEFINITION

The duty to make a difference in the life of our communities and the development of necessary knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make a difference

  • Describe what you have learned about yourself as it relates to a clarified self-awareness as a citizen
  • Display a sense of duty or leadership to promote social justice locally or globally
  • Express strong interest in public issues
  • Express a commitment to taking actions or work toward a solution to a social problem
  • Apply knowledge from your own academic field of study to community service and problem-solving
  • Communicate effectively through expressing, listening, and synthesizing ideas based on others’ perspectives in a civic context

LEARNING

You might demonstrate learning/a transformation in the following ways:

  • Describe what you have learned about yourself as it relates to a clarified self-awareness as a citizen
  • Display a sense of duty or leadership to promote social justice locally or globally
  • Express strong interest in public issues
  • Express a commitment to taking actions or work toward a solution to a social problem
  • Apply knowledge from your own academic field of study to community service and problem-solving
  • Communicate effectively through expressing, listening, and synthesizing ideas based on others’ perspectives in a civic context

Ethical Leadership


DEFINITION

The assessment of one’s ethical values and the social context of problems and the ability to recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings

  • Describe and analyze both core beliefs/values and the origins of those beliefs/values
  • Recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings
  • Describe a complex list of ethical issues by determining important facts, stakeholders, consequences, duties, underlying values, and relationships related to the issue
  • Apply ethical concepts or theories to understand the perspectives of\ multiple stakeholders
  • Analyze competence and responsibility of stakeholders
  • Clarify alternative resolutions
  • State a position and defend against the objections from different ethical perspectives

LEARNING

You might demonstrate learning/a transformation in the following ways:

  • Describe and analyze both core beliefs/values and the origins of those beliefs/values
  • Recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings
  • Describe a complex list of ethical issues by determining importantfacts, stakeholders, consequences, duties, underlying values, and relationships related to the issue
  • Apply ethical concepts or theories to understand the perspectives of multiple stakeholders
  • Analyze competence and responsibility of stakeholders
  • Clarify alternative resolutions
  • State a position and defend against the objections from different ethical perspectives

Systems Thinking


DEFINITION

The cognitive process to understand how a system’s constituent parts influence each other and how they behave over time within the context of larger systems

  • Constructs problem statement with evidence of most relevant contextual factors
  • Identifies important aspects of the system
  • Describes how parts of the system interact
  • Relates how the system interacts with the outside world
  • Proposes one or more solutions that are sensitive to contextual factors such as ethical, logical and cultural dimensions of the problem
  • Develops a logical, consistent, feasible plan to solve the problem
  • Analyzes own and others’ assumptions and points of view when making an argument
  • Conceptualizes, applies, analyzes, synthesizes, and/or evaluates information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action
  • Makes logical conclusions based on previous evidence and evaluation
  • Synthesizes existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways
  • Performs, makes, thinks or acts in imaginative ways characterized by innovation, divergent thinking and intellectual risk taking

LEARNING

You might demonstrate learning/a transformation in the following ways:

  • Constructs problem statement with evidence of most relevant contextual factors
  • Identifies important aspects of the system
  • Describes how parts of the system interact
  • Relates how the system interacts with the outside world
  • Proposes one or more solutions that are sensitive to contextual factors such as ethical, logical and cultural dimensions of the problem
  • Develops a logical, consistent, feasible plan to solve the problem
  • Analyzes own and others’ assumptions and points of view when making an argument
  • Conceptualizes, applies, analyzes, synthesizes, and/or evaluates information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action
  • Makes logical conclusions based on previous evidence and evaluation
  • Synthesizes existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways
  • Performs, makes, thinks or acts in imaginative ways characterized by innovation, divergent thinking and intellectual risk taking

Professional Development


DEFINITION

The ability to clarify career goals while demonstrating the skills necessary to meet professional expectations.

  • Describe what you have learned about yourself as it relates to a clarified self-awareness as a citizen
  • Clarify self-interest, values, personal qualities, work style and relate them to career goals
  • Actively seek professional development opportunities and explore possible careers
  • Actively develop skills aligned with career direction
  • Understand the expectations of employers and today’s work environment
  • Demonstrate skills and ethical behaviors desired by the profession
  • Confidently communicate strengths and skills related to a profession
  • Reflect and re-assess career goals and actions

LEARNING

You might demonstrate learning/a transformation in the following ways:

  • Clarify self-interest, values, personal qualities, work style and relate them to career goals
  • Actively seek professional development opportunities and explore possible careers
  • Actively develop skills aligned with career direction
  • Understand the expectations of employers and today’s work environment
    Demonstrate skills and ethical behaviors desired by the profession
  • Confidently communicate strengths and skills related to a profession
  • Reflect and re-assess career goals and actions