Helping College Students Find Purpose

Today's college students are demanding that their educational experiences address the core questions of meaning and purpose. . . What does it mean to be successful? How will I know what type of career is best for me? Why do I hurt so much when a relationship ends? Why do innocent people have to suffer?

Faculty and administrators are in the unique position to make special contributions to their students' search for meaning, and when they work together, everyone on a college campus benefits. Helping College Students Find Purpose provides a theory-to-practice model of meaning-making that enables the entire campus community to participate in the process. Based on a practical how-to approach, the authors outline a series of concrete steps for applying the theory and practice of meaning-making to teaching, leading, administering, and advising.

Filled with real-life vignettes, this guidebook includes the background knowledge and proven tools that will help faculty and administrators act as effective mentors to students. While there is no single solution that can meet everyone's needs, the authors provide a series of classroom and cross-campus strategies that are specifically designed to help students successfully navigate their diverse meaning-making activities and effectively enhance their quest for meaning.

Janet Nash is a native of western New York but fell in love with the big sky and sunshine of Texas and has called the Lone Star State her home for almost three decades. She has enjoyed a career in public education both as a teacher and an educational diagnostician. Janet is passionate about volunteering within her community and making a positive impact in the lives of others. Some of her most cherished experiences include serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children, online evangelism, and working with the homeless. Each opportunity has allowed her to be a part of something larger than herself while making a difference in the lives of those she works with. Janet has been involved with prison ministry since 2017 serving as a Bible study mentor, pen pal, prayer partner, and assisting with in-person ministries at women's correctional facilities.Janet and her husband have been married for twenty-six years and are proud parents of three adult children. In her free time, she enjoys taking trips into the mountains with her family to relax and marvel at the beauty of nature.Visit her website at firmfoundationliving.com

Foreword vii

Preface xiii

About the Authors xxxi

Part I: Making Meaning in the Quarterlife 1

1. Is the Quarterlife Generation Ready for Meaning-Making? 3

2. Exploring the Meaning of Meaning: Existentialism and Postmodernism 27

3. Finding Meaning in Religion and Spirituality: Why Can't My Faith Be Cool? 51

Part II: Putting Meaning-Making to Work: Tools of the Trade 85

4. A Pedagogy of Constructivism: Deep-Meaning Learning 87

5. Make Room for Meaning: Practical Advice 127

6. The Ethics of Meaning-Making 161

7. Meaning Maxims for Both Inside and Outside the Classroom 179

Part III: Our Own Attempts to Make Meaning 203

8. Two Personal Reflections for Our Readers 205

Resources for Meaning-Making Educators 237

Resource A: Four Therapeutic Approaches to Meaning-Making 239

Resource B: Crossover Pedagogy 277

References 299

Index 309