Duke University has long run a campus program to support students in moral reflection and in developing personal integrity. But this type of education - so essential later in the workplace (What workplace would that be? What I hear tell, you can do a whole lot better in American organizational settings without the heavy burden of moral reflection and scruple.) - remains notably absent in most schools of higher learning. (You’re going to have to define this wondrous Duke thing more precisely if you want me to get excited about it. What are you talking about?)

Academics, of course, are the core reason for college or university. Duke, for one, doesn't neglect that side of learning. And yet, according to a new survey, more than half of all faculty in higher ed say it's important that undergraduates develop moral character and enhance their self- understanding. (That “and yet” is pretty tricky. What sort of logical connection are you asking me to make here? If you ask me do I think students should be good, thoughtful people, I’m going to say yes. That doesn’t mean I think my university should offer Being a Good, Thoughtful Person courses.)

The survey, conducted among 421 institutions by an ongoing project at the University of California at Los Angeles, reveals a big disconnect between teachers and students that may explain why so few schools of higher education spend much effort on character education.

Connecting moral reasoning to spiritual values is often essential in character education. (How’d we slip from moral to spiritual?) And students don't shy away from telling pollsters that they want spiritual help and growth in higher ed. (What poll results, precisely, are you talking about here? “In higher ed“? Does that mean a majority of college students say they want sermons on character education from their professors?) But their professors remain shy about giving them that. (Hey baby, I ain’t shy. I’m just not a Character Education Facilitator.) Less than a third of professors say colleges should facilitate a student's spiritual development (The reiterated cliches and buzzwords in this piece are starting to make me sick), while a similar survey of students found nearly half say it is important that colleges encourage their personal expression of spirituality. (Is there even a shred of science to the claims you’re making? To the extent they’re comprehensible as claims?)

Discussing religion or spirituality in the classroom is indeed difficult for teachers. (Who says? I can talk about lots of things, including religion or spirituality. I often do, since most serious literature is involved with it in one way or another. But I don’t sermonize, and I never would.) And yet they also know that preparing students to act morally in their chosen profession is especially critical to their career success, not to mention society at large. (God, the cliches. Society at large. Again, I don’t think it’s ever been demonstrated that being an earnestly moral person correlates with career success. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence the other way. And professors are intellectuals dealing dispassionately with morally ambiguous texts and other complex phenomena -- they are not a career-morality preparation service the way H and R. Block is a tax-preparation service.)

The survey did find that a majority of faculty believe their own spirituality does have a role to play on campus, and 3 in 5 do consider themselves to be religious people. But a big majority of students say their professors never encourage discussions of spirituality or religion or provide opportunities to discuss the meaning or purpose of life. (This is too weird. Which professors? All schools have departments of philosophy; many have theology, or religion, or whatever, as well. WTF?) "It would appear that there is much more that colleges can do to facilitate students' spiritual development," says Alexander Astin at UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, which conducted the survey. (And Jesus said: Lo, I come to facilitate your spiritual development...)

Colleges need not resort to proselytizing, but schools such as Duke have found they can have more than honor codes or elective courses in ethics. A student's spiritual growth can be supported by such activities as writing self-reflective essays (just what our students need -- more opportunities to write about themselves) or in community service related to their studies (“I’m studying Michel Houellebecq with Professor Soltan. My community service is dating rancid pathetic horny old guys.“) Many colleges are introducing "service learning," or community work that allows students to experience the ethical or moral dilemmas that they will face in their careers.

An influential education think tank, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, in Stanford, Calif., has a project to look at how professional schools, from medicine to law, teach practical, moral reasoning. It found undergraduates are inspired by moral ideals but need help in working toward them. Only a few institutions integrate such learning in campus life, such as finding "teachable moments" that expand a student's heart for qualities such as compassion and integrity. (The marriage of bad writing and fuzzy thinking throughout this piece is extraordinary.)

Higher ed needs to break this barrier between professors and students that keeps them from talking about an essential in real education. (Does this editorial represent some cynical hack filling up column inches? UD votes yes.)