Heart Work

Abstract

The author reviews Palmer Parker’s and Arthur Zajonc’s collaboration on the book, The Heart of Higher Education: A Call To Renewal—Transforming the Academy through Collegial Conversations. This book is a rich exploration by Palmer and Zajonc, who are passionate about the love of knowing and knowledge. They cite research on college students’ hunger for an education that is deep, meaningful, imaginative, and purposeful. They examine the academy and offer many inroads into reviving curricula, fostering transformative dialogues, supporting faculty in bringing spirituality into the classroom, and connecting learning to the current concerns of society and planet. Their personal, in-touch style includes real-life stories, but is also grounded in perennial philosophy, addressing critiques and recognizing challenges and the interconnections among various disciplines. The authors weave in poetry from Rilke, share illuminating examples of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, and feature transformative interventions by professors, students, and college presidents. The book revives and advances higher education to call forth each student’s soul.