Common Values in Higher Education, Searching for

Introduction

Increasingly intensified global challenges reveal unsustainable modes of economic development and severe environmental degradation. Any outbreak of crisis gives a warning signal about a possible “butterfly effect” of neglected ills on the existing social order. Graduates of elite universities undertaking future leadership responsibilities in this context, including teaching, need opportunities to reflect on values, ideally common values that might address the aforementioned concerns, embedded in their higher education experiences. Preparation for leadership must support students to recognize the significant potential they have to impact on the lives of others, including reasoning to support decision-making, especially when coping with value conflicts. To build a promising future for humanity, values development with intellectual training is a critical dimension for higher education generally and teacher education specifically. This chapter is grounded in the proposition...