Will social critique force the faculty role to evolve?

Abstract

The American college professor has traditionally filled three primary roles in institutions of higher education: that of teacher, of scholar, and of servant leader. But a call of alarm has been sounded of late and some suggest that the economic turbulence of recent years has given rise to a Pandora’s box of public scrutiny resulting in fissures that threaten to fracture the venerable triumvirate. The purpose of this essay is to examine the evolution of the faculty’s role in higher education, to invite thoughtful comparison between these past and present functions, and to provoke discussion regarding the future of the professoriate in an increasingly critical social milieu.