Articles On This Page:

• Insights and Quotes from the Woodrow Wilson Summer Institute
• Institutional Representatives Affirm ANAC's Academic Focus
• Hewlett Project Plans ANAC Dissemination Conference for January 2000

Ideas and Insights Expressed at the Woodrow Wilson Summer Institute


In addition to persons mentioned in the opening story of this Bulletin, the Institute program featured a wide range of speakers and panelists both from across the landscape of higher education and reflective of the diversity within ANAC. Who these people are and some of their comments follow:

• Conrad J. Weiser, Dean Emeritus, Oregon State University College of Agriculture
• Christine Licata, Senior Associate, American Association of Higher Education
• John Hammang, Director of Special Projects, American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• Marilla Svinicki, Director of Center for Teaching Effectiveness, University of Texas at Austin
• Cathy Trower, Project on Faculty Appointments, Harvard University
• James Slevin, Department of English, Georgetown University
• Ric Weibl, Manager of Preparing Future Faculty Project, Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Council of Graduate Schools
• Edward Biglin, English and Faculty Chair, Saint Mary's College of California
• Linda McMillin, History and Faculty Work Project Manager, Susquehanna University
• Marion Terenzio, Psychology and Vice President for Student Life, The Sage Colleges
• Lawry Finsen, Philosophy and Associate Dean, University of Redlands
• Thom Sepic, School of Business, Pacific Lutheran University
• George Sims, Acting Provost, Belmont University
• John Sullivan, Philosophy, Elon College

Longin: "As educators we must give governance the same rigorous attention that we attend to our courses, scholarship, and planning for the physical plant….Shared governance has failed because we practice fragmentation, separation of powers, and a governance and administrative system of silos….The new compact ANAC proposes could break the grip of gridlock and move us to a new era of collaboration and effective and satisfying governance."

Biglin: We must reclaim the original definition of profession as a calling to serve the community and move away from the recent notion of profession as merely a notion of career advancement as a private good. Faculty often express this calling in the more invisible parts of their work, e.g., time consuming mentoring of students and colleagues, class preparation, and institutional service roles. (paraphrase of remarks) "We must make our faculty community more inclusive. To the students in our classes, the part-time or adjunct faculty member who stands in front of them is our institution."

Wergin: Surveys consistently show that the four elements that most motivate faculty are:

1. Autonomy—ability to shape most elements of their professional lives
2. Recognition—having their work be seen as valuable
3. Community—being part of a professional "community of scholars"
4. Efficacy—having a feeling they are having an impact, "making a difference"

In Parker Palmer's words, faculty feel the "pain of disconnection" when the community of scholars is lacking. "Faculty frustration and alienation are driven by the feeling that they are unable to have an impact on the institutional community." As Jane Tompkins stated in a 1992 article in Change, "Faculty want a sense of contribution, belonging, and community and an integrated life."

Hammang: In advocating collaboration, one of our greatest challenges is to move away from the language of corporate hierarchy to a language that embodies the true nature of partnership. (paraphrase) "Faculty have a huge streak of altruism. That is why it is so important to reward faculty in ways that build intrinsic satisfaction….Developing a ‘language of success' contributes to intrinsic satisfaction."

Burgan: "Beware of the "Road to Damascus" syndrome. Those at research universities recall fondly their undergraduate days at liberal arts colleges. Those at liberal arts colleges recall fondly their days as doctoral students at research universities." Research should be rewarded. It is difficult and brings out faculty qualities prized in other areas, e.g., risk-taking, creativity, single-minded commitment, rigor. (paraphrase) "Collaboration is a drug when it works. We want more of it. It is a thing to celebrate."

Licata: "We must recognize that collaboration is more time consuming. To collaborate effectively we must understand that we play both leading and following roles and that they are interchangeable." Post-tenure review is an effective vehicle for addressing issues related to the stages in the faculty career. (paraphrase)

Diamond: "Faculty have a much more sophisticated and clear picture of the learning outcomes they have in mind for their students than any assessment instrument will capture and measure."

Slevin: The purpose of education is the discovery of truth. I don't see the words "dissent" and "truth" in this report…Using the term "institution" when the real meaning is "administration" sets up a contradiction faculty often experience. Such usage pits the faculty against the institution, the latter represented by administrators. (paraphrase)

Weiser: The transformation at Oregon State University was facilitated by administrators perceiving themselves as "servants of faculty," a culture change that contributed to the "living job description" involving annual self-evaluation and rethinking of what will be one's most effective institutional contributions and professional development activities. (paraphrase)

Svinicki: "Considerable restructuring of time would occur if learning was placed at the center of university life….Learning is situated in the context where it occurs. That is why it is hard to apply classroom learning outside the classroom. This makes experiential and service learning very important."

Glassick: "The genius of the Carnegie Foundation has been to provide a vocabulary for a discussion in which all types of institutions might participate and develop solutions for their own problems that fit within their own cultures."

Sullivan: The Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) program is designed to move beyond the "Jug and Mug" form of teaching and learning. "The teacher is the jug who pours information into the student who is the mug. The student pours the information back into the teaching jug on the final test and leaves the course with an empty cup." For Elon College CASTL has been a way to "integrate the student into the scholarship of learning."

Ellen Wert (Pew): "Appreciate what you have done….Share the report….Name this report."

ANAC Institutional Representatives Affirm ANAC's Academic Focus

ANAC's institutional representatives held their summer meeting in association with the Woodrow Wilson Summer Institute. Among the actions taken:

• Reaffirmation that faculty work and the integration of liberal and professional studies should continue as ANAC's central academic focus.
• Members are committed to the development of an ANAC senior faculty project. A core group was established to advance this initiative.
• ANAC's Hewlett project initiative must be continued. A core group was established to design the next phase following the Hewlett grant period.
• Rather than focus on technology, ANAC should focus on learning issues—leaving technological development per se largely to member institutions.
• ANAC will develop a "hiring institution" statement as a contribution to the movement to re-envision doctoral education.
• ANAC should continue to explore collaborative opportunities with The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Institutional representatives will hold their winter meeting in New Orleans, tentatively January 17, 2001, in connection with the annual conference of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

ANAC Hewlett Project Plans Dissemination Conference in January 2001

ANAC Hewlett project campus coordinators participating in the Woodrow Wilson Summer Institute, meeting on June 15, initiated plans to hold a national mini-conference, tentatively January 17, 2001, to disseminate project results in connection with the AACU New Orleans meeting, January 18-20. The AACU annual meeting has proven to be a national arena that attracts a wide public and private institution following interested in the connection between liberal learning and the integration of liberal and professional studies. The group also discussed plans for the project assessment and evaluation process, agreeing that campus project coordinators should meet in January to finalize these plans and during the summer of 2001 to review assessment and evaluation findings in winding up the current Hewlett grant.

Academic Vice President Phil Glotzbach, University of Redlands, introduces a panel representing professional accrediting associations at the PLU conference. L to R: Charles B. Myers, NCATE; Susan E. Abbe, NLNAC; Richard McDowell, AACSB; and Kathryn B. Aberle, ABET.