Keith B. Murray’s recent essay, “A Better Metaphor: The Student as Client,” challenges the pervasive metaphor of the student as client in higher education. Murray’s argument that students are best seen as clients, a model that respects professional expertise and supports academic rigor, draws from the shallow operational context of the client metaphor. However, the client metaphor still falls short of capturing the transformative purpose of education.
I propose a return to seeing students as citizens, looking back to the historical work of higher education where colleges and universities were places to develop socially minded people, to prepare students to contribute to a democratic society and to serve the community. This view, rooted in thinkers such as John Dewey and Alexander Meiklejohn, has eroded in the face of market-driven priorities and bureaucratic ideals. Reclaiming the metaphor of the student as citizen not only restores this civic duty but also addresses the pressing need for active engagement in today’s complex world.
As we return to these fundamental principles, it is important to build on and not discard the progress that higher education has made in promoting inclusion and equity. Today’s classrooms are more diverse than ever, and this diversity enriches the concept of citizenship, broadening it to include the vitality and contributions of students from historically disadvantaged communities. Maintaining this progress ensures that the student-as-citizen model serves all students, reflecting the pluralism of our democratic society.
Limitations of the Client Metaphor
Although the client metaphor improves on the client model by emphasizing efficiency and long-term results over immediate gratification, it still positions education as a profession. In this view, professors are service providers bound by professional standards, delivering a product in the form of knowledge and skill development to a customer seeking expertise. Both the professor’s authority and the student’s acceptance are fundamental to this dynamic.
However, even this framing subtly positions the student as a passive recipient of the learning process, emphasizing what is done to them or done for them instead of what they contribute to the educational process. The client-professor relationship, although professional, still operates within the concept of service provision, focusing on individual benefit rather than collective purpose. It narrows the scope of education to personal gain instead of the public good.
This small dispersion is a departure from the way higher education has historically been understood. As John Dewey emphasized in Democracy and Educationeducation is intended to prepare people to participate fully in public life, not just to acquire professional credentials. The current focus on individual outcomes undermines this broader goal, reducing education to a series of discrete activities. Moving beyond these constraints, the metaphor of student as citizen provides a rich framework, emphasizing participation, responsibility and community over action and inaction.
The Citizen as New (and Old) Metaphor.
Remaking the student as a citizen is not a new concept. Rather, it is a return to the roots of higher education. Citizenship means membership in a shared society where rights and responsibilities are equal, where people are expected to contribute to the common good. In the context of higher education, this dynamic includes seeing students not just as consumers or customers of the institution but as active participants in the learning community.
The citizen does nothing; they share, question, deliberate and co-create. They are responsible not only for themselves but also for the community in which they live. For students, this means a commitment to strong intellectual and ethical engagement, and a willingness to contribute to a collective learning environment. For professors, this fencing means fostering a culture where students are empowered to take ownership of their education and are encouraged to see their learning as part of a broader societal purpose.
This idea of ​​citizenship must include the diversity that characterizes modern education. Historically, access to the benefits of education—and its social purpose—was limited by race, gender, and class. Today, inclusion is not only a moral obligation but also essential for developing a rich and equal academic community, which reflects the contributions and ideas of all students, ensuring that they feel ownership and agency within the institution. This approach is consistent with Alexander Meiklejohn’s vision of experimental colleges, which treated education as preparation for democratic life while embracing the diversity of thought and knowledge necessary for true competition.
Citizenship by working
What might this metaphor look like in practice? First, higher education institutions will need to develop a clear vision of citizenship in the curriculum and share it with students during admission and orientation. Students must understand that they are entering a learning community where their involvement is as important as their results. They should be encouraged to see themselves as stewards of their own education, to embrace intellectual curiosity and the responsibility to seek to understand the world and their role within it.
Faculty will also need to adapt. Those who still emphasize authority as the core of their role can position themselves as facilitators and mentors in the democratic learning environment. This shift does not mean abandoning standards or rigor but rather creating an environment where students are invited to participate meaningfully in the knowledge creation process.
For example, classroom activities can be designed to emphasize collaboration and discussion, reflecting the discussion processes of social life. Assignments may encourage students to tackle real-world problems, linking course content to societal challenges. Assessment can measure not only individual achievement but also contributions to the learning community, such as peer feedback, collaborative projects or community engagement efforts.
Institutional Implications
This restructuring will require shifts at the institutional level. Policies and procedures should reflect the values ​​of citizenship, emphasizing shared responsibility over transactional relationships. Course evaluations, for example, can ask students how they contributed to the learning community or how the course encouraged meaningful engagement. Faculty development programs can focus on strategies for cultivating student agency and community building in the classroom.
The citizen metaphor also encourages a rethinking of higher education’s relationship with society at large. Institutions will need to strengthen their commitment to community engagement, positioning themselves as places where students not only learn but also participate in addressing pressing social issues. Partnerships with local community organizations, service learning opportunities and projects that allow students to apply their knowledge to community situations can be integral to the educational experience.
To fully embrace the citizen metaphor, higher education institutions must also behave like communities themselves, treating faculty and staff as citizens with a voice in shaping a common goal. This form of governance restores the shared governance mechanisms that were once the norm in higher education. As Dewey said, education thrives when it reflects democratic processes, encouraging mutual respect, cooperation and shared accountability.
About the New Model
Murray is right to reject the customer metaphor and call for a professional framework for the student-professor relationship. But to truly honor the transformative power of education, we need to go beyond even the client model. The student as citizen captures the harmonious, participatory nature of education and aligns it with the broader democratic mission of colleges and universities.
Restoring this vision offers a clear path forward: Colleges can cultivate a culture where students see their education not as a job but as a collaborative effort, preparing them to lead not only in their careers but also in their communities. This restructuring is a challenge for all of us to think critically about our roles and responsibilities in the academic and social communities we share, ensuring that progress in inclusion continues as part of this rich vision of citizenship.
Source link
