Everyone knows that faculty members teach our classes. Some, such as lecturers, our unsung faculty heroes, teach four or even five classes every semester; and some, such as those with “professor” in their title, teach fewer classes because they have other responsibilities. But all faculty members, with only a few exceptions, teach for most of their careers.
By “teach,” I refer to the work they do that leads to student learning. The methods of “teaching” vary widely, from traditional lectures to small seminars to one-on-one tutorials such as music lessons to MOOCs (Massively Open On-Line Courses) that may enroll thousands of students around the world.
But what else does faculty do, especially those who are not in the cadre of lecturers? At a university such as UNM, classified by the Carnegie Foundation as “Very High Research Activity,” faculty in the professorial ranks spend much of their nonteaching time carrying out scholarly work. The nature of this work depends on the discipline.
In my field of chemistry, for example, scholarly work is chemical research such as molecular synthesis, structure proof or reaction mechanisms. This research is disseminated as articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and is most often funded by a national source, such as the National Science Foundation, from competitive proposals.
In music, however, scholarly work is likely to be public performances. In art it might be a show of paintings at a gallery.
In history it is likely to be a scholarly monograph that analyzes historical data and events in new and interesting ways. In some areas in the Health Sciences Center, patient care is part of the mission of many faculty members.
There is an important intersection of teaching and scholarly work.
Training graduate students seeking terminal degrees such as the Ph.D. will involve one or more faculty members closely supervising (teaching) the graduate student how to do her or his own scholarly work. This master/apprentice system has the dual benefit of both creating new scholarly work and training the next generation of faculty or other professionals. So a faculty member advising a graduate student or an undergraduate student doing research is, in fact, teaching.
The third dimension of faculty work is service. This takes many forms, from work in the discipline, such as editing a professional journal; to serving on departmental committees; to donating expertise to the public sector, such as helping a neighborhood association formulate a traffic pattern plan. Faculty members also serve in leading and managing University administrative efforts.
At UNM, the president, the provost and all the deans are tenured faculty members who have accepted administrative duties for a period of time. Many will return to their teaching and scholarly work as faculty members when they complete a term of office. Other faculty, through elected committees such as the Committee on Governance, the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee or the Faculty Senate, share in governance through specific mandates of the Board of Regents, who remain the legal stewards of the University.
The Faculty Senate itself oversees more than a dozen committees that work in specialized areas such as curriculum or research policy, where faculty have governance responsibilities. Some of the committees have student members such as the KUNM Radio Board, and some also include staff members, such as the Campus Development Advisory Committee.
Faculty members are busy individuals, dedicated to the success of UNM’s students. Through teaching, scholarly work and service, each of them works to further student learning and advance knowledge.
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During your college years, I hope you will meet and work with a number of UNM’s dedicated faculty members. Your college education will be richer if you do.
Richard Holder
Faculty Senate president
fspres@unm.edu
