Marquette University educators collaborate on book, “On the Vocation of the Educator in this Moment”

Nov. 22, 2021

Faculty, staff were invited to reflect on this moment from their own perspectives, expertise, and experiences

“On the Vocation of the Educator in this Moment” coverMILWAUKEE — Thirty members of the Marquette University faculty, graduate student instructors and staff have collaborated on a book titled, “On the Vocation of the Educator in this Moment,” which features 24 reflections that capture a specific moment in time as educators across the country and around the world were called to rethink their pedagogical strategies and vocations.

With higher education navigating the global pandemic, an increased awareness of social justice, and a changing landscape on college campuses across the country, Marquette faculty were invited to reflect on this moment from their own perspectives, expertise, and experiences.

This book was coordinated through Marquette’s Center for Teaching and Learning and co-edited by Dr. Jennifer S. Maney, director of the center, and Dr. Melissa M. Shew, senior faculty fellow with the center and visiting associate professor of philosophy. The production was in collaboration with Marquette University Press and the Haggerty Museum of Art, which provided art for the book.

“This book marks a distinct moment in time from spring 2020 until spring 2021, as a crucial moment in both our collective and individual histories,” the editors said. “Our hope is that the book was a helpful experience for contributors, will shine a spotlight on the excellent work being done at Marquette to meet the needs of students and the world, and will enter into scholarly conversations about how to address various crises facing higher education today.”

Shew, who collaborated on one of the book’s essays, added, “This book is deeply personal, asking us to reckon with who we are in these moments of great challenge, and showcases the creative ways that educators were totally disrupted, but were called to show up and create new ways of teaching for their students.”

Maney remarked that this book is a good instance of “Ignatian spirituality during a historical moment” that reminds us of our “shared humanity.”

The essays are broken into four sections, Be Still, Be Engaged, Be Transformed, and Be Connected, and address the challenges facing educators both personally and professionally over the last year.

More information on the book, including a complete list of contributors and essays, is available on the Haggerty Museum of Art website.