Educators

HECUA? Why HECUA?

HECUA is an independent, non-profit organization founded and governed by member institutions of higher education. HECUA exists to enrich the liberal arts education mission of each of its member institutions with experiential, interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary learning programs best achieved through inter-institutional cooperation.

HECUA's Mission

HECUA builds academic-community partnerships for social change. HECUA uses community-based learning methods to explore the dynamic relationships between theory and practice and to help students build skills and knowledge for bringing about just and sustainable communities and societies.

HECUA's Vision

HECUA seeks to inspire and involve students, faculty, member institutions, and the communities where our programs take place. HECUA seeks to:
• provide a model for the integration of domestic and international student learning;
• foster democratic movement-building with local and international partner organizations;
• sustain lasting relationships with faculty and staff at member schools that allow the consortium to be continually renewed and reinvigorated;
• communicate about the multiple impacts of HECUA programs in visible and compelling ways;
• seek to dismantle the barriers that prevent students from participating in HECUA programs for all students who desire the opportunity to participate; and
• practice the kind of equity, justice and inclusiveness that we teach and learn about with our students and communities.

HECUA's Values: Education For Equity and Justice

HECUA programs employ a philosophy of education that values equality and justice in our classrooms and communities. We believe:
• that everyone is a teacher and a learner and that knowledge valuable to social change comes from many places, including the community and the academy;
• that how we act in the world and how we understand our actions and outcomes are intricately linked in the process of social change. Thus, we must continually act, reflect, and make meaning of our learning experiences in the classroom and in the community;
• that all knowledge of social reality has historical, political, and economic contexts. Our role as teachers and learners is to explore the perspectives that arise from these diverse contexts;
• that our role as educators is to assist learners in developing and articulating a sense of values and ethics in relation to the world and to facilitate the development of skills to act with passion and purpose in their communities;
• that at the heart of our engagement with the world is a consistent and critical mode of thinking that asks difficult questions about power, perspective, access, and interests.

HECUA's Methods

Issues of social justice can be discussed in a classroom. but the lessons learned are more powerful when they are put into practice. HECUA gives students the chance to bridge academic learning with direct experience. It leads students deep into communities to apply academic theories in the real world. Students develop critical analyses and hands-on skills for creating social change.
HECUA offers students dynamic learning environments. Methods include seminars, field research, independent and group study projects, and substantive and meaningful internships. Program directors and instructors are teams of local teachers, often including Ph.D. faculty members. Teaching teams serve as mentors, advisors, co-learners and connections to the community. Academic seminars are integrated with internships and/or field studies to allow students to put classroom theories into practice. Equally important, students challenge classroom theories based on their community experience. Programs require all students to actively participate in their own learning and contribute to the learning of the whole group.
HECUA learning is intentionally designed to be transformational. Our teaching philosophy takes students and faculty into the community to learn from practitioners of social change. The result: informed, engaged, connected students, and prepared and experienced participants in society.