The Study of Good Work in Higher Education

Researchers at Claremont, Harvard, and Stanford Universities are studying some of the outstanding institutions of undergraduate education around the United States, in the hope of learning what makes them exceptional. The study is led by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Claremont), Howard Gardner (Harvard), and William Damon (Stanford). In Phase I of the study, faculty, administrators, and staff discussed the schools’ strengths and missions, the opportunities and pressures that they face, the ways that they are responding to these forces, and their own commitments and goals. In Phase II, we are contacting students at the same schools, to learn about their expectations, goals, and experiences. Results of the study will be shared with the participating schools and with other interested institutions and individuals in higher education, with the goal of supporting the pursuit of good work in undergraduate education.

The Study of Good Work in Higher Education is conducted with the generous support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and The Atlantic Philanthropies.

   Good Work