Faculty Work and the Public Good

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.

Genevieve G. Shaker is associate dean for development and external affairs in the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and assistant professor of philanthropic studies in the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Faculty and the Public Good provides a thorough and comprehensive treatment of faculty work through the context and lens of philanthropy. - Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly

“Provides unique insights into this underappreciated but significant dimension of academic work and culture.”
—Jack H. Schuster, professor emeritus, Claremont Graduate University

"Faculty Work and the Public Good 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. Inclusion of public service as a recognized and rewarded aspect of faculty work will contribute significantly to colleges' and universities' ability to recruit and retain excellent and diverse faculty members."
—Judith M. Gappa, professor emerita, Purdue University

“Shaker brings together a stellar group of senior and emerging scholars to expand and challenge our traditional definitions of philanthropy and the work of the professoriate. At a time when academia is challenged as an ‘ivory tower,’ Shaker and colleagues remind us of the different contributions faculty make to enhance society.”
—Noah D. Drezner, associate professor, Teachers College, Columbia University

2017 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award