The Moral University — Higher Education in an Age of Uncertainty

Colleges and universities face unprecedented ethical challenges—pressures from politics, markets, and technology that raise deep questions about what higher education is for, whom it serves, and how it should change. This conference invites scholars and practitioners to reflect on the moral dimensions of academic life: from teaching and research to governance, access, and the evolving social role of the university. We seek presentations that explore these issues from any disciplinary, theoretical, or practical perspective. At the same time, and in keeping with the mission of the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum, the conference strongly welcomes presentations on the teaching of ethics in higher education broadly conceived. Submissions addressing pedagogical approaches, curricular design, assessment, institutional initiatives, professional programs, and classroom practices related to ethics—whether or not they directly engage the conference theme—are especially encouraged.

Possible areas for exploration include, but are not limited to:

• The purpose and public mission of higher education in a changing society

• Academic freedom, shared governance, and institutional integrity

• Free expression, protest, and the ethics of dialogue on campus

• Political and financial pressures on universities and their leadership

• The value and economics of higher education: debt, equity, and accountability

• Ethics in academic administration and decision-making

• Technology, AI, and the digital transformation of learning and research

• Teaching ethics across the curriculum and in professional programs

• Globalization, inclusion, and the moral boundaries of the university community

• The moral development, well-being, and agency of students, faculty, and staff