6 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER
News Features FEBRUARY 1989
6 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER News Features* FEBRUARY 1989
FOCUS
Many professors live by the
words "publish or perish," their
careers sometimes hinging on hav-
ing their work published. Most
faculty agree that research can
only enhance education. Yet they
find it difficult to equally divide
time between teaching and re-
search while maintaining the qual-
ity of both.
Drawing the line between TEACHING 0.
AND
RESEARCH
'Professors ignore undergraduates' ...
A new book by Milwaukee author Charles Sykes, entitled
ProtScam: Professors and the Demise ofHigher EducationJ"
is making waves at U. nf Wisconsin, (UW) Madisnn. The <
bok criticizesprofessors at large research-nriented uni-
versities, stating that "professors are overpaid, underwork-
ed architects of academia's vast empire of waste," Sykes _
said. "Professors at large research-oriented schools such;
as UW-Madis n are neglecting teaching responsibilities in
nrder In psrsue mnre financially and professionally profit-p
able avocations." Douglas Maynard of the UW-Madison 4
sociology department disagrees: Sykes "is making an
artificial distinction between research and teaching. By
using our own research to enforce our teaching, we are .
providing an enhanced education unavailable elsewhere."
Stephen White, The Badger Herald, U. of
Wisconsin, Madisont
Research involves students ... Professors
must try to include undergraduates in their research activi-
ties, panel members said at a forum "Student Learning in a
Research University," at U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Members on the panel included professors, heads of re-
search and a student government leader. Some argue that
research opportunities at alarge university provide advan-
tages over attending a small college, said Joel Schwartz,
political science professor. "There's a faculty with a cutting"
edge, and undergraduates are part of shaping that cutting
edge," he said. Participants in research at universities like
UNC is less than 1 percent. But at smaller, private colleges,
like oberlin in Ohio and Swarthmore in Per.,sylvania,o
closer to 30 percent of undergraduates participate in re-
search.. Nancy Wykle, The Daily Tar Heel, U.
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
--- R ESE ARCH OVERALL
Students question research ... Although
many students statewide support the Jobs, Education and 1. Johns Hopkins U., (MD) 1 Yale U., (Conn.)
Competitiveness Bond Act, a number of Rutgers U. under- 2 Massachusetts Institute.Of.2. Princeton U., (NJ)
graduates remain skeptical about its benefit to the universi-
ty community. "Money from the state for education is a Technology 3. California Institute of Technology
good thing," said Rob Hill, president of Rutgers College
Governing Association. "But none of the money is really 3. . of Wisconsin, Madison 4. Harvard U., (MA)
going to undergraduate student needs." The funding from 4 CornelU.,(NY).Massachusetts Institute of,
the bond issue "is not going to have much of a positive
effect on undergraduates, unless you believe in Ed Blous- 5. Stanford U. (CA) Technology ,°
tein's trickle-down theory of education," said Trevor Lewis,
student representative to the University Board of Gov 6. U. of Michigan 6. Stanford U, (CA)
ernors He was reerri g to Universty President Edward 7. U. of Minnesota, Twin Cities 7. Dartmouth College, (NH)
Blouste n's argument that better research faciitiesw il lead
to better faculty which in turn will lead to better under- 8. Iexas A & M U. 8. Columbia U, (NY)
graduate education. "What I'm saying is maybe a university
is more than just buildings and an image," Lewis said. 9. U. of California, Las Angeles 9. Rice U, (TX)
Rebecca Phillips, The Daily Targum, Rut-
gers U., NJ
Publish or perish syndrome plagues campuses
Research ranked
highest priority,*
teaching second
By Dave Rossell
The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern U., IL
Northwestern U. (NU)faculty feel the
university rewards research more than
teaching, according to the final report of
the Task Force on the Undergraduate@
Experience.
Thirty-seven percent of the faculty
members surveyed ranked teaching as
their top priority, while 64 percent
ranked research first.
"The reward structure in the uni-
versity is such that the departments are
heavily weighted toward research,"
said history Professor William Heyck,
chairman of the Task Force.
"It is time for the central administra-
tiontoreward teaching as well," he said.
NU Provost Robert Duncan said that
NU emphasizes teaching more than
many other research universities.
"Research is a major component of
what faculty do here and it has a major
"We're talking about a
climate in which everyone
knows that the big awards
go to research instead of
teaching."
- ARLENE DANIELS
impact on how they are evaluated,"
Duncan said. "But for a major universi-
tylike this, I've been impressed with the
care and attention faculty put to
teaching."
Still, some faculty memhers disagree.
In a survey last spring, about 10 percent
of faculty said they thought under-
graduate teaching is rewarded "quite a
it" or "a good deal," and 39 percent
indicated it was rewarded "basically not -
at all."
"We're talking about a climate in
which everyone knows that the big re-
wards go to research instead o4
teaching," said Arlene Daniels, profes-
sor of sociology.
"In a way, you can't help but feel
teaching pulls you away from research,"
Daniels said. "On the other hand, you're
hired for teaching. I like (teaching)
when I do it, hut I can't help ut feel it's
sapping our energies."
Other faculty members said they felt
the same way.
"Northwestern does place an emph
asis on research and publication," said
John Hunwick, chairman of the history
and literature of religions department.
"I believe research and publication
should be an important part, but they
should not always be overriding."
NU does provide some incentives for
teachers, the Task Force said, but those
incentives reach only a small portion o
the faculty. The College of Arts and Sci-
ences has established the "Great
Teachers Program" which has supplied
some endowed chairs for outstanding
teachers.
By Suna Purser
a The Battalion
Texas A&M U.
In the dog-eat-dog world of higher
education, POPS (publish or perish
syndrome) is beginning its infesta-
tion here at Texas A&M, and is ram-
pantly spreading through the faculty
ranks. Becoming a first-rate research
institution and attracting the world's
top-notch scholars are the germs that
give POPS its impetus. And the sad
thing is, few faculty members are im-
mune to the deadly disease. How can
you, the unsuspecting student, tell if
you're being exposed? For your handy
reference, here is Dr. Suna's POPS
checklist:
1. The professor's door is shut at all
times, even during designated office
hours. What this means is that they
are undeniably uninterested in stu-
dents' concerns.
You KNOW they're in there be-
cause you hear them frantically typ-
ing. If your entire career depended on
how much you published, how con-
cerned would you be with a measly
undergraduate student?
2. A class discussion focused on the
latest chapter the professor has au-
thored. This allows professors to
pump their egos.
3. Professors "appropriate" student
research. Having exhausted every
idea, these desperate, dehydrated
professors find a bright student, and
their publishing worries are over.
4. The final symptom is found in
teaching automatons who come into
the classroom with no facial express-
ions.
And so it seems that POPS - in
many instances - has supplanted
the good ol'"mom and pop" professors
who genuinely had student education
and growth at heart, and not their
own professional and personal gain.