Changing Campus Culture/Redefining Scholarship and Faculty Rewards
Changing Traditional Attitudes
Sharing values
Redefining approaches
Creating trust
Using outreach as an organizing structure

Summary

As we approach the new century, one of the key FSPE focus areas is changing the campus culture and redefining scholarship and faculty rewards.  A renewed emphasis is placed on outreach and collaborative activities in this area, such as criterion for faculty promotion and tenure and faculty reward structures.  For example, some FSPE institutions now involve external stakeholders in reviewing faculty reward structures and revamping criteria in innovative ways not considered in the past.

Substantial evidence supports this "culture" evolution in participating institutions.  The universities are more supportive of change, more tolerant of risk-taking and more conducive to flexibility, creative thinking, organizational learning, and team building.  While these cultural changes are further along in some FSPE institutions than others, each project has areas where these new concepts apply and are extended to their participating partner institutions or other sectors involved with FSPE.

Project Progress/Outcomes

Iowa Vision 2020 is changing the paradigm from teaching to learning.  The program encourages faculty to use student-centered learning techniques, including collaborative learning, problem-based learning, understanding by designing outcomes, and faculty-supported discussions about learning.  In addition, personal visits to community colleges made by Iowa State University (ISU) faculty and department officers have led to ISU faculty serving on community college curriculum committees and community college faculty helping ISU officials create a four-year off-site degree program.

Nebraska Network 21 has produced a report, The Contexts of Scholarship, Evaluation and Rewards, which includes seven recommendations for higher education. The goal of the report is to encourage further dialogue; the answers to the problems discussed in the body of the report will be specific to the missions of different institutions.

At Ohio State University, promotion and tenure system recommendations are moving through the faculty governance process in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Science.  Emphasis is placed on clear definition of college values that shape reward decisions and expanded definition of scholarly activity that will be rewarded.  Clear and concise definition of the performance review process, distinctions between decision drivers for assessing performance quality and salary increases, and decision drivers for assessing tenure, and especially promotion in rank are also stressed. 

Clemson University has implemented an electronic faculty reporting system as part of a continuing effort to address faculty rewards and accountability issues. The system recognizes the need to redefine scholarship and links faculty evaluation to established goals. Public service and outreach activities are now funded in every college on campus and are a part of the evaluation criteria.

Pennsylvania Keystone 21 has formed a university-wide learning community of faculty and administrators that define and enhance the role and status of outreach scholarship.  The learning community members range from assistant professor to top-level university administrators.  They have developed a new model of outreach scholarship that has been shared with the university senate, deans and central administration.

Recognizing that collaboration is essential within the university as well as beyond, Oregon's InterACTION!, a university-wide project, established a partnering relationship with the Oregon State University Human Resources Department. The partnership is based on mutual benefit, shared values, and effective communication. With the support of InterACTIONS!'s capacity-building activities, Human Resource professionals have restructured their organization and provided innovative development opportunities to the campus community.

Engagement and Public Involvement 

Partnerships and Collaboration

Changing Campus Culture/Redefining Scholarship and Faculty Rewards

Institutional Change

FSPE is part of the Foundation's Food Systems and Rural Development (FSRD) initiative. Find out how it all fits together

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