Faculty Work and the Public Good

Book excerpt: At a time when faculty roles are under great scrutiny and faculty work itself has an uncertain future, this book offers a new approach to examining academic professionalism. This collection of essays applies a philanthropic lens to contemporary debates and considers academic work completed out of a moral responsibility to the public good. It provides a counterpoint to narrow conceptions of appropriate faculty work as limited to the production of credit hours and research dollars and offers evidence that faculty can have a wider role both within and beyond the “ivory tower.” By examining faculty members’ many contributions, not only to students but to society-at-large, Faculty Work and the Public Good provides an alternate perspective on America’s colleges and universities that will help preserve and expand professorial contributions to the public good. Although not all faculty are philanthropically inclined, highlighting those who are will help preserve valuable aspects of faculty work and encourage more such contributions to society. This volume is an essential read for higher education policymakers, trustees, and administrators; students and scholars of higher education and philanthropy; and individual faculty concerned about their profession. Contributors: Ann E. Austin, J. Herman Blake, Dwight F. Burlingame, Denise Mott DeZolt, Sean Gehrke, Audrey J. Jaeger, Adrianna Kezar, Jia G. Liang, Elizabeth Lynn, Michael Moody, Emily L. Moore, Thomas F. Nelson-Laird, Jason F. Perkins, William M. Plater, Gary Rhoades, R. Eugene Rice, John Saltmarsh, Lorilee R. Sandmann, Paul Shaker, Marty Sulek, William G. Tierney, Richard C. Turner “The contributors to this volume provide unique insights into this under-appreciated but significant dimension of academic work and culture.” —Jack H. Schuster, professor emeritus, education and public policy, senior research fellow, Claremont Graduate University “Provides a powerful rationale for broadening the definition of what are the valued contributions faculty members can make to their institutions, disciplines, and the public at large” —Judith M. Gappa, professor emerita, Purdue University