ENGAGED GRADUATE EDUCATION: SEEING WITH NEW EYES
by James L. Applegate

REENVISIONING THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
Let me suggest a benefit of this reenvisioning process for the academic community itself. In the July/August 1994 edition of Change, William F. Massey and his colleagues wrote about the “hollowed collegiality” that characterizes the American academic setting. For those of us who live in that setting, the analysis still rings all too true. Faculty members feel isolated. Their work is fragmented and disconnected. There are divisions between junior and senior faculty. Our roles and rewards structure is inappropriate to encourage and support the engaged vision of scholarship articulated here. Our teaching mission is undervalued and our research remains trapped within narrow disciplinary boundaries. Massey's survey of faculty suggests that, while we are capable of maintaining a veneer of civility and politeness, we are often unable or unwilling to engage the difficult substantive issues that allow us to better meet the needs of our students and society.

Someone once said that the reason academic battles are often so vicious is because the stakes are so small. And, when the outcome is all about us, our departments, and small changes in the allocation of limited resources within the academic community, these stakes are small. But I can tell you that in programs where I have seen faculty and graduate students truly embracing an engaged model of teaching and research, where they begin to see how their work matters in important ways to the lives of students and the society around them, “hollowed collegiality” no longer remains an option. They address the difficult issues surrounding the creation of interdisciplinary research teams. They work together to become scholars of teaching and learning because they understand how important the stakes are for students. As they begin to see the impact of their work, their energy, their excitement, and their commitment to the work skyrocket. Yes, there is still conflict, but that conflict is always discussed within the larger context of the outcomes of the work and not in the narrow context of departmental, university, and disciplinary politics. By embracing and helping our doctoral students embrace a vision of engaged teaching and research, we will provide benefits to the people who need us and improve the internal dynamics of the academic community.