Senior Scholar Elizabeth Minnich
 Our senior scholar and intellectual leader for the 2009-11 seminar will be Elizabeth Minnich, a widely published philosopher, an esteemed teacher, and a Senior Scholar at the Association of American Colleges & Universities.
Minnich has written extensively on the topic, including "Teaching Thinking: Moral and Political Considerations" (2003) and the award-winning book, Transforming Knowledge (2005).
Research Scholars
John Ottenhoff, Vice President, Associated Colleges
of the Midwest
Donna Engelmann, Professor and Chair, Philosophy
Alverno College
Rita Pougiales, Member of the Faculty in Anthropology
and former Academic Dean, Evergreen State College
Stephen Bloch-Schulman, Assistant Professor, Philosophy,
Elon University
Ed Whitfield , Social Activist, Writer and Faculty Consultant on issues regarding truth, justice, reconciliation, and democracy
> Participant roles and Scholar profiles.
Timeline
 Seminar participants will first meet on Elon’s campus July 12-17, 2009 to immerse themselves in the literature on democratic thinking and to plan their research projects,
which they will be working on through the 2009-2010 academic year. In the academic year following the first summer seminar, participants will conduct research, collaborate online with other seminar members and with the Research Scholar mentoring their work, and will disseminate their work, including (but not limited to) leading a discussion/workshop on their home campus drawing from the seminar’s work.
Participants will have similar responsibilities during the second year of the seminar, including attendance at the summer gathering to share their progress and to plan for integration and further dissemination of the Elon Research Seminar work. The seminar will meet a final time during the summer of 2011 to synthesize what participants have learned and disseminate the insights they have gained.
Who May Apply
 Faculty and student affairs professionals from colleges and universities are invited to apply; the seminar will be capped at 20 participants. We welcome applications from both individuals and campus teams, from across the United States and around the world.
Ideal participants will be dedicated to facilitating undergraduate learning and development, interested (and may be active already) in conducting research to investigate how we can prepare our students to engage fully in democratic thinking, and prepared to work on models of teaching and learning that can be shared broadly with other educators.
How to Apply
Applications are due by 5 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
on April 1, 2009. Participants will be notified of acceptance
by April 8.
> Seminar logistics and application.
Expenses
Seminar participants will be charged a one-time $1000 registration fee. Expenses related to the seminar, including lodging and meals during the seminar’s 2009-2011 summer meetings, will be paid by Elon University. Other participant expenses, including travel and any research costs, will be paid by the participants and/or their home institutions.
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The inaugural seminar will focus on questions about thinking and its relationship to democracy. Many colleges and universities have renewed their focus on helping students to develop the habits, skills, and knowledge to participate fully and effectively as citizens. This seminar will concentrate on the intellectual foundations of these efforts to prepare students for lives as citizens by focusing on the teaching of democratic thinking. The seminar is co-sponsored by Elon University and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
