Faculty Motivations for Engaging in Public Scholarship

This study by Colbeck and Weaver (2008) used the lens of motivation systems theory to explore why research university faculty engage in public scholarship. They interviewed 12 faculty who engage in public scholarship at the same public research university. The authors use their results to provide specific recommendations for universities seeking to motivate their faculty to engage in public scholarship. We at Relevate also found that these results, specifically the re-conceptualization of job duties (teaching, research, and service) as integrated and overlapping for the purpose of improving society aligns with our personal journeys towards public scholarship and our efforts to help our graduate students develop professional identities that center around broader impacts and social good versus job tasks. Click “Find out More” to view the article abstract and download the article.