This book is the culmination of a 20-year inquiry into the nature and meaning of academic life. When the inquiry began, however, there was no thought given to this particular end. Its two predecessors, Beyond Promotion and Tenure: On Being a Professor and For the Good of the Order: Administering Academic Programs in Higher Education, were rooted in a concern for better understanding a professor's life and just what it is about administration that draws some professors to it. The idea for this third book was motivated by a desire to "put things in order" as this generation of professors makes way for the next. Combining the first two books with what was to be the content of a third book was fortuitous — a matter of good timing and good luck.
Part I is for students considering a life in the university, new and seasoned faculty members, and any interested in the question of what it means to be a professor. Issues explored include the place of teaching, research, service, reading and writing in a professor's life, and the privileges and obligations that accompany that life. The rewards and frustrations of being a professor are also discussed, as are the demands placed on a professor's time. Although the authors are all professors of recreation, park, and leisure studies, the issues raised and questions pondered will be familiar to all residents of the university.
Why is administration an anathema to some and an attraction to others? What should one know about administration before taking it on? What does it feel like to different kinds of people? What are the rewards and frustrations of program leadership? Must administrators sacrifice their own scholarship to assist the scholarship of others? Is being an administrator in higher education worth it?
We invited a cross-section of administrators from recreation, park, and leisure studies throughout the U.S. and Canada to discuss these issues. Collectively, the authors present a variety of perspectives on administration as they pertain to philosophy of service, management style, and the place of scholarship in their lives. The essays portray an increasingly complex array of challenges and responsibilities for anyone who is willing to don the mantle of academic leadership.
Part III explores a variety of questions. While the contributors have all made a significant difference through the work they do, we asked them to talk about any misgivings, self-doubts, or insecurities they have had about their ability to do the job, and any external obstacles they have encountered along the way that inhibited their ability to make a difference. How did they get beyond those misgivings, self-doubts, insecurities, and external obstacles and manage to stay the course? What was the source of their inspiration? What strategies did they employ? How did they make academic life work for them?
The highly diverse collection of testimonials focus on teaching-related concerns — the joy of working with graduate students, the challenge of reaching undergraduates, the importance of making connections on and off campus, the costs and benefits of choices made, and the serendipitous nature of opportunities for professional growth and development.
These essays reveal the genuine satisfaction of working in higher education. The essays provide strong anecdotal evidence in support of the proposition that a life spent in higher education is anything but academic. We trust this concluding section will serve as a pep talk for professors who are wondering if they are making a difference as well as a source of inspiration for students who are considering a life in higher education.
One thing is clear from these essays: An enduring passion for academic life has sustained all the authors. While some have migrated into administration, others have remained teaching professors and scholars. They have each, in their own way, followed their bliss and led productive and meaningful lives. This book should be read by every graduate student who wants to follow in their footsteps.
Contributors include Larry Beck, Deb Bialeschki, Bert Brantley, Linda Caldwell, Mary Faeth Chenery, John Crompton, Patricia Delaney, Dan Dustin, Nick DiGrino, Phyllis Ford, Geof Godbey, Tom Goodale, Frank Guadagnolo, Karla Henderson, Dennis Howard, Marilyn Jensen, Deb Kerstetter, Gene Lamke, Leo McAvoy, Jim Murphy, Bob Rossman, Ruth Russell, Mark Searle, Doug Sessoms, Ed Smith, Steve Smith, Lou Twardzik, Peter Witt, Bob Wolff, and Anderson Young.
Table of Contents, Acknowledgments, Preface
Chapter 1 The Gift (Dan Dustin)
Chapter 2 Does This Path Have a Heart? (Mary Faeth Chenery)
Chapter 3 On Privilege and Obligation (Larry Beck)
Chapter 4 Sometimes It Feels Like Moonlighting (Ruth Russell)
Chapter 5 The Joys of Doing Research (Roger Mannell)
Chapter 6 On Reading and Professing: Recounting a World of Privilege (Geof Godbey)
Chapter 7 On Professing, Publishing, and Sometimes Writing (Tom Goodale)
Chapter 8 Caring for the Alma Mater (Andy Young)
Chapter 9 On Being an Administrator (Doug Sessoms)
Chapter 10 The Academic Animateur (Bert Brantley)
Chapter 11 Building a Program at MSU (Lou Twardzik)
Chapter 12 Thoughts from a Green Twig (Phyllis Ford)
Chapter 13 Advancing a Social Agenda (Jim Murphy)
Chapter 14 A Day at the Office (Nick DiGrino)
Chapter 15 First Among Peers (Mark Searle)
Chapter 16 Managing in Times of Retrenchment (Bob Rossman)
Chapter 17 The Changing Proportions of My Life (Peter Witt)
Chapter 18 A Once and Future Chair (Steve Smith)
Chapter 19 A Very Privileged Form of Service (Geof Godbey)
Chapter 20 "Faith-Based" Teaching (Dan Dustin)
Chapter 21 Things That We Believe In (Karla Henderson)
Chapter 22 A Gleam in the Eye (Leo McAvoy)
Chapter 23 My Parents Led the Way (Deb Kerstetter)
Chapter 24 Deb's Feel Good Folder (Deb Bialeschki)
Chapter 25 On Undergraduate "Benevolent Coercion" and Graduate Collegiality (John Crompton)
Chapter 26 Beyond the Social Science Citation Index (Dennis Howard)
Chapter 27 A Fair Share for All (Jim Murphy)
Chapter 28 The Accidental Administrator (Bob Wolff)
Chapter 29 When You Come to a Fork in the Road... (Frank Guadagnolo)
Chapter 30 Connecting with Others (Gene Lamke)
Chapter 31 Accentuate the Positive (Marilyn Jensen)
Chapter 32 Doing What Needs to Be Done (Patricia Delaney)
Chapter 33 Embracing Serendipity (Linda Caldwell & Ed Smith)
Chapter 34 Pardon My Reservations (Tom Goodale)
About the Authors, Notes
