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Faculty members are expected to teach, research, and serve, often as if each responsibility were a separate job. What if one meaningful body of work could support all three?
In this episode of Get Down to College Business, Sarah Holtan, PhD sits down with Stephanie Brown, M.S., Assistant Professor of Practice at Purdue University, to explore a more integrated approach to faculty work. Drawing on her corporate aviation experience, Stephanie challenges the idea that productivity requires constantly shifting between disconnected demands.
Using a tree trunk and branches analogy, Stephanie explains how one area of expertise can generate classroom lessons, research questions, publications, conference presentations, partnerships, and service opportunities. She also shares how faculty can advocate for committee assignments that support their professional goals instead of adding unrelated obligations.
Stephanie offers her work in emergency response as an example of the approach in action and explains why identifying a clear professional focus can help faculty avoid spreading themselves too thin. The discussion also considers how academic leaders can recognize distinct accomplishments that grow from the same body of work.
The bigger question for higher ed: What becomes possible when teaching, research, and service reinforce one another instead of competing for time?
Episode Highlights:
05:24 - So, you're using one core concept and then you're amplifying it to all of those checkboxes or boxes that we see.
10:23 - And when I get asked to serve on committees that don't necessarily benefit my work, it's never a straight no, right?
14:52 - I think step one is finding your professional identity
22:41 - We have to realize what our true professional identity is and then always come back to that core.
Sarah Holtan, PhD
Stephanie Brown, M.S.
