Balancing Institutional, Disciplinary and Faculty Priorities with Public and Social Needs

Abstract

By virtue of their education, training, and experience, college and university faculty are a rich national resource. Opportunities abound for faculty scholars to apply their knowledge and expertise to pressing community and public issues and problems. Yet, narrow definitions of scholarship embedded in higher education practice act as disincentives to such faculty work. After a brief discussion of the problem, this article reviews efforts made in the US to expand the definition of scholarship and proposes a conception of scholarship that works across disciplinary contexts and addresses 21st-century challenges.