This chapter explores whether academic freedom extends to the work of academic public intellectuals through a historical analysis of landmark cases and episodes. It leads to the sobering conclusion that "professors proceed at their own risk if and when they take on the role of a public intellectual," noting that the presence of academic…

As the function of advising has shifted across the higher education landscape, the role of the academic advisor has also evolved. This chapter explores historic and emerging trends in the roles, functions, and professionalization of academic advising, while stressing the need for institutions to situate academic advising within their learning and…

Academic faculty members often maintain strong identities based on the primary discipline of their graduate training and teaching. While teaching cultures differ across fields, disciplinary associations like the American Historical Association have been active in supporting student-centered curricular work.

Through professional associations and graduate preparation programs, members of the student affairs profession identify, communicate, and reinforce professional standards to promote the scholarship of practice.

This chapter provides an overview of the Core Commitments Initiative conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Core Commitments was intended to reinvigorate the conversation about personal and social responsibility within higher education, and served as the impetus for this "New Directions" volume.

Professional societies collect a wealth of data on underrepresented scholars in specific disciplines that can be used to understand minority experiences throughout different stages of academia.

Fundamentally, ethical codes take on the most troublesome of behaviors related to academe and present ways for individuals to behave in the face of pressures and uncertainties. They represent the ideals of various stakeholder subgroups and even mediate key institutional relationships. Codes can also exist at different organizational levels in…

In announcing establishment of a football program within its National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I athletic program in 2012 or 2013, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) offered a rationale different from what many would expect (Perimutt, 2008). The UNCC chancellor noted that neither generating revenue nor…

There is a growing body of literature about assessment in higher education. Much of it is devoted to advocating the benefits of assessment, describing how assessment initiatives and programs might be organized within an institution, identifying key attributes of successful assessment projects (leadership, resources, faculty engagement), and…

Although the use of formal consulting networks based in higher education's professional associations has declined somewhat, other, less formal strategies for identifying colleague consultants show promise. Flexible networks are being built on the principle of cooperative self-help, without centralized facilitation, to enable colleges to find…

Briefly describes the diverse functional areas in higher education which rely on information technology (IT), such as administrative computing, distance learning, and telecommunications, and then discusses the work of technical support staff, including their professional organizations and literature and tips for getting into an IT career. (EV)

The role of extra-university organizations or agencies in setting the ethical standards for higher education is discussed. The American Association of University Professors, the American Association of University Administrators, and other professional associations, regional accrediting agencies, and state and federal governments are included. (MLW)

The American Association of University Professors, the leading agency in higher education in developing the principles and standards governing the relationships of academic life, has also assumed responsibility for implementing these principles and standards in specific situations. The Association turns to formal investigation and censure only if…

The American Association of University Administrators (AAUA), an organization for administrators that offers a mediation service for resolving disputes concerning professional standards, is described. Causes of disputes, mediation procedures, users of AAUA's mediation service, selection of mediators, costs, reactions to the process, and mediation…

A 1975 American Association of University Administrators policy statement which spells out the purpose of academic administration and sets forth both specific responsibilities and rights of college and university administrators is provided. (Author/MLW)