Scholarship and the Community College Professional: Mandate for the Future.

The failure to include scholarship in the community college philosophy is a flaw that diminishes the colleges' status within higher education. A commitment to scholarship by community college professionals requires a broader definition of the term to include not only research that results in published articles, but any systematic pursuit of a topic, objective, or rational inquiry that involves critical analysis. Given this definition, the majority of community college professionals should be engaging in scholarship. Community colleges have given too little attention to scholarship for reasons that include the following: (1) in their zeal to call attention to the community college as a teaching institution, its supporters have failed to acknowledge the vital link between teaching and scholarship; (2) community colleges have rarely recognized and rewarded scholarly activities; (3) presidents and deans of instruction have generally failed to emphasize scholarship in their own roles; (4) many community college professionals do not realize that their obligation to the profession goes beyond their obligation to the job; and (5) faculty and administrators have rarely engaged in systematic approaches to the evaluation and improvement of teaching that extend beyond individual classrooms. Community colleges must overcome these barriers and demonstrate their ability to critically review and analyze the issues facing them if they are to receive community support, funding, and ultimately, students. Including scholarship as an important part of a college's rewards, tenure, promotion, and release time is an obvious first step in enhancing scholarship. Faculty and administrators should take the scholarship of teaching seriously. In so doing, they will enhance the standing and respectability of community colleges. (ALB)