The Faculty Experience in Liberal Arts Colleges

• In Event: Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: Division J Section 4 Poster Session 1

Abstract

Liberal arts colleges (LACs) serve a critical function in the higher education landscape yet research on the professoriate has given scant attention to this organizational context. The sparse scholarship about LACs rarely includes faculty work or perspectives. This paper draws on survey and interview data from faculty members at 13 liberal arts colleges to describe faculty work and the faculty experience in LACs. We use Blackburn and Lawrence’s (1995) framework to explore how personal characteristics, environmental conditions, faculty behaviors, and faculty products contribute to a rich understanding of the faculty career as it is enacted within LACs.

Authors

• Meghan Pifer, Widener University

• Vicki Baker, Albion College

• Laura G. Lunsford, The University of Arizona