In Pursuit of Scholarly Values
Three questions with Duncan Pritchard
In Pursuit of Scholarly Values
Three questions with Duncan Pritchard
In Pursuit of Scholarly Values
Three questions with Duncan Pritchard
Like nearly half of UC Irvine undergraduates, Duncan Pritchard was a first-generation college student. He was a child in an industrial town in central England when he became fascinated by an encyclopedic history of the world – and the experts who had written various sections. “I discovered there were these people who spent their life being experts in their field – like experts in Egyptology!” Pritchard recalls. “That sounded marvelous to me. So I knew I wanted to be an academic.”
Now a Distinguished Professor of philosophy at UC Irvine, he is an internationally recognized expert on epistemology – the theory of knowledge – and the author of 15 books on philosophy. He directs UCI’s Center for Knowledge, Technology & Society and spearheads the Anteater Virtues program, a series of online modules designed to foster the intellectual virtues of curiosity, integrity, humility and tenacity. Every student learns about the Anteater Virtues during orientation, and since the program’s launch in 2019, more than 3,000 of them have chosen to continue the lessons throughout their course of study. Beginning in 2025, graduating students who complete the full curriculum will receive a notation on their transcript and a “virtuous learner” certificate.
But as a researcher himself, Pritchard wants to know: Is the program making an impact?
Early results show promise. Researchers with the UC Irvine Measuring Undergraduate Success Trajectories project are finding that students who participate in the Anteater Virtues program develop stronger intellectual character, achieve more academically and perhaps even improve their mental health. Worldwide demand for similar curricula is growing. UC Irvine’s model has been adopted at higher education institutions in Australia, Argentina and the U.K. and at several high schools across California. Pritchard aims to expand to more UC and community college campuses in the future.
When Chancellor Howard Gillman named 2024-25 the Year of Scholarly Values, he appointed Pritchard chair of the committee tasked with hosting campuswide conversations and events to further define and support these attributes. Pritchard spoke with UC Irvine Magazine contributing writer Christine Byrd about their importance in an era of increasing skepticism toward academia.
Like nearly half of UC Irvine undergraduates, Duncan Pritchard was a first-generation college student. He was a child in an industrial town in central England when he became fascinated by an encyclopedic history of the world – and the experts who had written various sections. “I discovered there were these people who spent their life being experts in their field – like experts in Egyptology!” Pritchard recalls. “That sounded marvelous to me. So I knew I wanted to be an academic.”
Now a Distinguished Professor of philosophy at UC Irvine, he is an internationally recognized expert on epistemology – the theory of knowledge – and the author of 15 books on philosophy. He directs UCI’s Center for Knowledge, Technology & Society and spearheads the Anteater Virtues program, a series of online modules designed to foster the intellectual virtues of curiosity, integrity, humility and tenacity. Every student learns about the Anteater Virtues during orientation, and since the program’s launch in 2019, more than 3,000 of them have chosen to continue the lessons throughout their course of study. Beginning in 2025, graduating students who complete the full curriculum will receive a notation on their transcript and a “virtuous learner” certificate.
But as a researcher himself, Pritchard wants to know: Is the program making an impact?
Early results show promise. Researchers with the UC Irvine Measuring Undergraduate Success Trajectories project are finding that students who participate in the Anteater Virtues program develop stronger intellectual character, achieve more academically and perhaps even improve their mental health. Worldwide demand for similar curricula is growing. UC Irvine’s model has been adopted at higher education institutions in Australia, Argentina and the U.K. and at several high schools across California. Pritchard aims to expand to more UC and community college campuses in the future.
When Chancellor Howard Gillman named 2024-25 the Year of Scholarly Values, he appointed Pritchard chair of the committee tasked with hosting campuswide conversations and events to further define and support these attributes. Pritchard spoke with UC Irvine Magazine contributing writer Christine Byrd about their importance in an era of increasing skepticism toward academia.
Our role is to develop students’ intellectual character and help them think for themselves.
What are scholarly values, and who determines them?
To understand scholarly values, we should begin with intellectual virtues. For example, someone who embodies the intellectual virtues of curiosity, integrity, humility and tenacity in their academic pursuits exemplifies scholarly values. Moreover, it’s part of our role as scholars to enable our students to develop their virtuous intellectual character so that they’re able to think for themselves and thereby flourish in the modern world. Other scholarly values might concern issues like academic freedom and, relatedly, our autonomy as experts in the field to determine which lines of inquiry are legitimate, rather than this being imposed from without.
Of course, there will be other perspectives on the nature of scholarly values. One of the objectives of the Year of Scholarly Values is to provide forums where we can debate questions about our scholarly values. In doing so, we can model how – even with the most contentious issues – to have scholarly debates that are respectful of different opinions and sincerely aimed at mutual understanding. In short, we can model what virtuous intellectual inquiry looks like.
What are scholarly values, and who determines them?
To understand scholarly values, we should begin with intellectual virtues. For example, someone who embodies the intellectual virtues of curiosity, integrity, humility and tenacity in their academic pursuits exemplifies scholarly values. Moreover, it’s part of our role as scholars to enable our students to develop their virtuous intellectual character so that they’re able to think for themselves and thereby flourish in the modern world. Other scholarly values might concern issues like academic freedom and, relatedly, our autonomy as experts in the field to determine which lines of inquiry are legitimate, rather than this being imposed from without.
Of course, there will be other perspectives on the nature of scholarly values. One of the objectives of the Year of Scholarly Values is to provide forums where we can debate questions about our scholarly values. In doing so, we can model how – even with the most contentious issues – to have scholarly debates that are respectful of different opinions and sincerely aimed at mutual understanding. In short, we can model what virtuous intellectual inquiry looks like.
To explore its importance at UC Irvine, the Anteater Insider podcast will present a series of discussions on the multifaceted concept of scholarly values within the academic community. Hosting is Duncan Pritchard, chair of the Year of Scholarly Values committee. His first guest is L. Song Richardson, the Chancellor’s Professor of law.
Why is now the ideal time to have these conversations?
The last few years have brought a sea change to academia. During COVID-19, classes went online, but people still earned degrees. And that raised an interesting question: Why do people need to come to campus? Surely college is more than just a finishing school where people get to hang out and have parties.
Then came the advances in artificial intelligence. While many are concerned about AI’s impact on academic integrity, I think the bigger threat is to people’s understanding of the role of education. If you believe education merely trains students for specific jobs, then that won’t work in a modern world where everyone will change careers several times and many roles will be replaced by AI.
These and other challenges – such as the “replication crisis” in some scientific fields and the perceived politicization of the academy – have contributed to greater skepticism among the wider public about the value of universities. Scholars are no longer classed as experts to be trusted but rather as elites disconnected from the real world. That, in turn, is leading to greater political interference at universities – including newly passed state laws prohibiting certain kinds of teaching and ordering reviews of faculty syllabi.
As a university, sometimes we forget to make the case for why we exist. If we only talk about giving students skills that get them jobs, we’re missing the heart of what a good education is about. Our role is to develop students’ intellectual character and help them think for themselves so that they can go out in the world and bring value to their lives and society.
How is UC Irvine uniquely poised to contribute to this conversation on a national level?
UCI is distinctive because of its culture. It’s not very hierarchical, which means people will feel free to speak their minds as we have this conversation. There’s also a lively culture of pedagogical innovation, as the Anteater Virtues and UCI Measuring Undergraduate Success Trajectories projects illustrate. This indicates that we have faculty who are open to conversations about fundamental questions associated with the role of the university. Another thing that’s distinctive about our campus is that we’re not just inwardly focused on scholarship, as we have many outward-facing programs. For example, Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees enables people in prison to earn a bachelor’s degree from UCI. These students are benefiting from the Anteater Virtues project just as our students on campus do. As part of the Year of Scholarly Values, we’re planning an event specifically devoted to UCI’s wide range of community-facing scholarly activities. This will explore what responsibilities a public university like UC Irvine has to contribute to the wider world.
UCI is leading the way just by having this conversation, as many universities instinctively shy away from asking these hard questions. I like to think of UCI as a beacon shining a light across the sector that shows what is possible in higher education. In highlighting fundamental questions about what scholarly values are and what the purpose of the university is, we can demonstrate that higher education is about much more than careers and skills. It’s building a set of lasting virtues that are truly liberatory.
UC Irvine Magazine is produced by the Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs.
To contact the editor, email ucimagazine@uci.edu.