A study of paid faculty consulting and the policies of higher educational institutions in Virginia

• Main Author: Stem, Albert F.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: W&M ScholarWorks 1982
• Subjects: Higher Education
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539618326; https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1536&context=etd

The purpose of this historical study was to ascertain several academic and administrative issues associated with regular faculty who engage in off-campus, paid consulting activities. Using data collected from five, public, higher educational institutions in Virginia, the author examined the academic profiles, motives, and consequences of consulting on the faculty, as well as the institutional policies governing paid consulting.;Thirty-one faculty members and five administrators from the Virginia institutions participated in an instrumented semistructured interview designed to gather information relative to faculty involvement as paid consultants in a centralized training and development program during the decade of the 1970's. The data were analyzed according to the motivation and degree of involvement of faculty, the type of faculty who were involved, the professional consequences and importance of faculty participation, and the attitudes toward institutional policies which governed faculty consulting engagements.;It was found that (1) more established faculty of professional school affiliation were involved as paid consultants, (2) recognition, personal development, and community service were key motivators for consulting and remuneration and/or reward system recognition were important, (3) consulting faculty maintained and enhanced their academic responsibilities in research, on-campus service, and teaching, and (4) institutional consulting policies were preferred at the departmental level, where prior approval agreements and time limitations could be monitored by the faculty.;It was concluded that paid faculty consulting is a legitimate professional activity for academics, that benefits faculty members, students, and the institution. Also, rewards for consulting need to exist either in the form of personal remuneration or institutional reward system recognition, or both. Finally, the most effective administration of regulations governing paid consulting is that which can be linked with the professional responsibilities of the faculty to monitor their own behaviors and ethical obligations.;Further study is needed to evaluate the specific and measurable effects of consulting on research and teaching. In addition, administrative studies to develop models that will involve a broader range of faculty disciplines in consulting are needed.