Abstract

From its inception through the mid-nineteenth century, American higher education was infused with the Judeo-Christian ethic and included moral education of the student body as an essential part of its mandate. Today, religious indoctrination is legally proscribed in secular education, and generic standards for moral education are undefined. Yet, an extensive body of contemporary educational literature perceives a need for student maturation in matters of social behavior, moral sensitivity, and preparation for effective citizenship. Through the use of institutional documents and interviews, the present study has examined five institutions of varying location, size, and public/private status, to ascertain each institution's concern for influencing student moral development, and the extent to which the resultant process is prescriptive, advocatory, or descriptive. The study reveals very real differences in both the principles and practices of moral education, and provides insight into the extent to which universities perceive their undergraduates to be adults