Professional Societies and the Faculty Scholar mono6x.htm

Why are academics willing to endure the arduous and sometimes torturous road to obtain college or university positions and then spend years securing them? The reasons are probably as varied as the people who engage in the process. One motivation is the academic freedom that allows faculty to present or espouse controversial or unpopular ideas and to pursue new and sometimes unconventional theories and avenues of scholarly activity without fear of personal retribution or loss of employment. Arguably academic freedom is the basis for the success and heterogeneity of our modern system of higher education in the United States.

Despite the sanctity of academic freedom, postsecondary institutions often impose rigid (if not always fully articulated) expectations regarding the quality and quantity of research, teaching, and service of their newest faculty members. These expectations are reinforced by disciplinary, educational and professional societies. After successfully demonstrating their abilities as teachers and scholars, many faculty report that they finally feel "liberated" to pursue and expand their scholarly interests. Indeed, the years in higher rank are often a period when a faculty member's professional responsibilities expand, productivity increases, and the pace of work may become even more frenetic than when he or she first entered the academy.

Dr. Jay B. Labov is the Principal Program Officer of the Division of Postsecondary Policy and Practice in the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education at the National Research Council in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the CELS Steering Committee and is on the educational council of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Dr. Labov was formerly a professor of Biology at Colby College (Waterville, Maine).

The scholarly and other professional interests of most faculty members change as they advance through an academic career. Faculty who are interested in teaching excellence but who may have been discouraged from taking risks in their classrooms early in their careers may decide to devote more time to improving their teaching skills. They will delve into scholarly issues about the most effective ways to enhance teaching and learning or to reach a broader, more diverse audience of students. Others may wish to become more involved with service to their institution, professional society, or local community. Expansion or refocusing of interests is likely to occur often during an academic career and should be viewed and celebrated by colleagues in the academic community as a very positive sign of continuing intellectual vitality and professional engagement by the faculty members who do so.

Ten years ago, I was awarded a three-year fellowship that required me to embark on a program of independent learning outside my field of expertise, while continuing my professional responsibilities. As a college professor, I knew that many students had enrolled in science courses only to fulfill graduation requirements. While working with my son's second-grade classmates, however, I saw children who simply could not get enough science. What happened between the second grade and college to turn so many of these students away from science?

Seeking the answer to that fundamental question and learning more about a system of K-12 education that sends too many students to college less than motivated to study science became the focus of my learning plan. It began as a scholarly pursuit. But as a result of what I learned, I organized and oversaw a new partnership between my college and four local school districts that provided science resources and expertise to teachers and children in our community.

I also discovered that my efforts in these aspects of science education, education policy, and community outreach enhanced and complemented my love for teaching biology. I began to understand and appreciate much more that students come to our courses with vastly different backgrounds, levels of understanding, and interest in biology. I thought harder than ever before about how I could make biology more engaging for all of my students in both my introductory and advanced courses and allow them to succeed in understanding and appreciating the intricacies, thought processes, and beauty of the biological sciences.

My fellowship experience also showed me that the pursuit of disseminating scientific knowledge has many possible paths. I became more engaged with issues of science education policy. I pursued sabbatical experiences and other professional opportunities in this realm of science education. Most recently, the path I have chosen has led me to the next phase of my professional life as a program officer in the National Research Council's Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education. Here I am studying ways to improve and enhance science education for all undergraduate students and especially those who will become the next generation of K-12 teachers or pursue careers outside of the natural sciences.

My story and experiences are not unique. In my new position, I have met hundreds of people whose commitment to quality teaching is palpable. The 600 faculty members from across the United States who are now part of Project Kaleidoscope's "Faculty for the 21^st Century" program, for example, attest to the commitment of young faculty to effect change on their campuses and beyond. Education committees in professional societies and increasing numbers of higher education organizations are focusing on how to improve education in the sciences for all students, not just those who will go on to become professional scientists. Private foundations are supporting programs to improve science education at the K-12 and undergraduate levels at record levels.

These are all healthy signs for the future of science and science education. However, these kinds of activities must be affirmed, supported, and nurtured by faculty, their institutions, and their professional societies if they are to continue to flourish. We must find better ways to evaluate different, less-traditional kinds of scholarly activity, including new ways of teaching undergraduates that enhance student learning.

Academic institutions and scientific societies need to send clear signals that it is not only acceptable, but welcomed, when people choose to explore new avenues of scholarly and intellectual pursuits.

Academe has always touted the diversity of the American system of higher education as one of its greatest virtues and strengths. Likewise, the diversity of the people who make up higher education is responsible for the vitality and robustness of the system. Higher education must find even more creative, engaging ways to encourage and help people in all parts of the higher education community to pursue their interests and dreams, discover their talents, and follow paths that might never diverge for some and branch many times for others over the course of a career. Our students, colleagues, institutions, professional societies and the communities in which we live and serve can only be energized and enriched as a result.

Bridging science and science education: One scholar's journey