Intellectual Virtues

Aaron Cirzan
The development of intellectual virtues is not only the cornerstone of a collegiate education, but
the basis of all meaningful learning experiences. Skills such as honesty, perseverance and the love of
truth are intertwined with the academic skills of critical thinking, writing and calculation. Academic skills
and intellectual virtue can coexist in a curriculum, and in fact should; it is not one or the other. An
education that is invested in supporting positive virtues supports the needs of college donors and
corporate funders, by preparing graduates to effectively navigate the corporate world with intellectual
virtue, and academic skill. By developing such intellectual virtues, students are able to excel
academically, and ultimately in the workplace (Schwartz & Sharpe, 2012).
Social relationships and self-esteem, amongst other intellectual virtues, play a direct role in
academic adjustment and success (Hagedorn, 2011). Intellectual virtues bring meaning to an education,
and subsequently to existence. Through meaning, students from young to old, find a purpose in what
they are doing and are able to withstand trials and tribulations in their experiences (Hagedorn, 2011).
Through finding success despite everyday perils students face in the classroom, students are also able to
find self-validation. When students feel self-validation, they feel capable of learning and valued at their
own institution (Hurtado, Cuellar & Guillermo-Wann, 2011). Validation can come through academic and
curricular success, but can also come through personal and social adjustment, which is spurred by the
development of intellectual virtues. Therefore, the base of academic success is built on the support to
succeed from the development of intellectual virtues.
One major issue that many professors face, in the argument of teaching intellectual virtues, is
the fact that intellectual virtues are not universally agreed upon (Schwartz & Sharpe, 2012).
Furthermore, with more faculty becoming non-tenure track, job security has become a major concern,
leaving university professionals worrying about rocking the boat (Kezar & Maxey, 2013). For such
reasons, integrating intellectual virtues into college teaching can be risky. Nonetheless, the impact of
virtue integration on student learning is too large to pass up. The challenges of being non-tenured track,
or part time, are immense, but as educators, it is our responsibility to engage students in learning, and
intellectual virtues are a significant part of that.
The issue of political accountability and donor and corporate needs do not inhibit the ability of
an institution or faculty to integrate intellectual virtues into college teaching. In fact, it is the job of
university administration, and in some cases faculty, to highlight the positive and necessary role
intellectual virtues have in preparing college graduates. A fundamental part of collegiate learning is
critical thinking and explorative inquiry which is supported by the development of intellectual virtues.
Currently, there is a concern that critical thinking skills are not actually being addressed in higher
education. The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) indicates that this assertion is a reality (Schlueter,
2016). The installation of teaching intellectual virtues into a college curriculum can provide students
with the context for learning information as well. By doing this, students are able to engage in higher
level thinking skills and develop transferrable skills which are necessary for education and the work
place. Furthermore, research shows that integrating subjective, academic facts, and objective,
intellectual virtue, learning into teaching provides for more effective teaching (Palmer, 2009).
I will integrate intellectual virtues in my classroom, and in turn begin to facilitate meaningful
learning experiences. In every educational role I have had and every role I plan to take, integration of
virtues is a base. It has landed me in hot water from time to time, but through identifying the inherent
need of intellectual virtues in education, I have always been able to justify such teaching. It is

Intellectual Virtues
Aaron Cirzan
unreasonable and irresponsible to think that intellectual virtues do not, or cannot, have a place in
todays universities.

References
Hagedorn, L.S. (2011). The Meaning of Academic Life. Presidential Speech Draft.
Hurtado, S., Cuellar, M. & Guillermo-Wann, C. (2011). Quantitative Measures of Students Sense of
Validation: Advancing the Study of Diverse Learning Environments. Enrollment Management
Journal.
Kezar, S. & Maxey, D. (2013). The Changing Academic Workforce. Trusteeship Magazine.
Palmer, P.J. (2009). Transforming Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: An Interview with Parker
J. Palmer. Spirituality in Higher Education Newsletter. Vol 5, Issue 2.
Schlueter, J. (2016). Higher Eds Biggest Gamble. Inside Higher Ed.
Schwartz, B. & Shapre, K. (2012). College Should Teach Intellectual Virtues. The Chronicle of Higher
Education.