ABSTRACT
One could be forgiven for thinking that universities were created for just two purposes: research and teaching. Debate for many years has centered around the proper balance between these two functions and their relationship to each other. Can a university call itself a university unless faculty are carrying out research? Is it necessary to be an active researcher in order to be a good teacher? How can teaching be ‘research-led’? While there is an ever expanding literature on these and other questions, the ‘service’ role of universities and the corresponding obligations of academic staff as citizens of overlapping communities is more rarely discussed or, indeed, written about. This book represents an attempt to redress this imbalance. Contemporary universities are very much involved in serving and being
an integral part of communities. They do this via a whole range of activities such as through university hospitals, educating students to enter the professions and public service occupations, working with schools and business organizations, community renewal projects and in providing continuing education opportunities for adults. However, this book is not principally focused on service as an element of the policy and mission of higher education institutions. What it is interested in is what the notion of ‘service’ means for academic staff working in a wide range of subject areas and higher education contexts. The book asks how the service role interrelates with the teaching and research functions, whether it is adequately recognized and rewarded by institutions, how it relates to scholarship and what motivates faculty to fulfill such roles.
