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exercises, and other course activities and assignments. Participating in the program
creates a foundation for academic success in all disciplines as participants practice
articulating their thoughts effectively and expressing their opinions respectfully.
Stronger communication fosters a healthy exchange of ideas and promotes a
harmonious environment.
Faculty and PhD candidates create curricular guides for each year’s themed
selection to support faculty in their courses, to engage staff in co-curricular settings,
and to facilitate robust student engagement with the selected titles. By collectively
exploring the same set of titles, texts, or audio recordings, organizers create a shared
experience that transcends academic disciplines and backgrounds. This initiative
connects a highly diverse campus, promoting a sense of belonging and involvement
from the outset of a student’s first academic connections and engagement within
the university. A sense of belonging, in turn, supports the retention and ongoing
engagement of students and fosters a cohesive and supportive campus culture.
Beyond the campus, the program builds new or stronger partnerships among
institutional partners and the local community through libraries, nongovernmental
organizations, the alumni association, and potential donors or other benefactors.
Staff and faculty engagement enhances the sense of community and support
for students’ learning journey. Faculty from across disciplines teach with the
book in specific courses, and opportunities outside of classes are provided by
staff, student clubs, campus museums, libraries,
student housing, and other programs to enhance
Staff and faculty engagement with themes and topics of the
selections. Faculty can integrate the common text
engagement enhances into their courses, discussion groups, field trips,
and co-curricular activities and can create cross-
the sense of community disciplinary connections, promoting a holistic

and support for students’ and cross-disciplinary approach to learning and
problem-solving. Faculty have been involved
learning journey. in the program from a wide range of disciplines,
including art, physics, philosophy, languages,
global studies, psychology, biology, history,
neuroscience, theatre, and more. Both staff and
students have richly enjoyed the unanticipated
conversations about the books that have arisen when students see a copy of the book
in a staff member’s advising office or the multicultural center or international center
lounge. More formally, the program provides opportunities to meet the authors of
the books, hold lively discussions with peers and colleagues, and visit museum and
library exhibitions curated around themes of the books—key methods of significant
student engagement described by Fargo and White (2019).

How Titles are Selected
Individuals often ask for lists of the books selected for the program and how
selections are made. The UO Common Reading organizers seek to select digestible,
thought-provoking works on topical, timely, and complex subjects that support the
development of critical thinking skills while engaging in difficult topics respectfully.
The UO program follows recommendations by Nadelson and Nadelson (2012) to
follow a clear purpose, focus on student development, and consider selection type and

30 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators