The Canadian Journal of Higher Education La revue canadienne d'enseignement supérieur Volume XXX, No. 1, 2000 pages 189-214 Book Reviews / Comptes Rendus B e n n e t t , J o h n B . ( 1 9 9 8 ) . Collégial Individualism, and the Common Professionalism: The Academy, Good. Phoenix, A Z : T h e O r y x Press, A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l o n E d u c a t i o n , Series o n H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n 7 1 9 3 . Pages: x, 171. Price: $38.20 U S (hardcover). R e v i e w e d b y Kerry S. Webb, Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas Collégial Professionalism is a b o o k that takes a candid look at the present condition of the academy, the faculty, and the c o m m u n i t y that comprise the A m e r i c a n system of higher education. It is not o f t e n that one encounters a book that calls for such healthy self-examination. John B . B e n n e t t , t h e P r o v o s t a n d V i c e - P r e s i d e n t of A c a d e m i c A f f a i r s at Quinnepiac College in H a m d e n , Connecticut, has p r o d u c e d a solid effort that i d e n t i f i e s m a n y of the struggles in a c a d e m e . B e n n e t t p r o v i d e s a clear call for c h a n g e in the attitudes, behaviors, and relationships within the a c a d e m i c community. Collégial Professionalism begins with a nine-page prologue w h i c h is written in r e s p o n s e to a j o i n t c o n f e r e n c e of the A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l on Education and the A m e r i c a n Association of University Professors to discuss post-tenure review. This introductory essay s u m m a r i z e s the failure of the a c a d e m y to conduct self-evaluation and its neglect of structures f o r p r o m o t i n g professional responsibility and the c o m m o n good. Bennett reviews the benefits of the academic life, yet cites studies w h i c h point to growing faculty malaise, isolation, and fragmentation. 190 Book Reviews/Comptes Rendus C h a p t e r one, " A s s e s s i n g the A c a d e m y , " r e v i e w s c u r r e n t c r i t i c i s m s o f h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n f r o m b o t h w i t h i n a n d w i t h o u t the a c a d e m y . It serves as a b r i e f b u t s u f f i c i e n t p l a t f o r m u p o n w h i c h t h e r e m a i n i n g c h a p t e r s w i l l p r e s e n t a m p l e e v i d e n c e , as w e l l as scenarios for a d d r e s s i n g t h e s e critic i s m s . It is an e x c e l l e n t s u m m a r y o f the p r e s e n t ills w i t h i n o u r a c a d e m i c culture, y e t it o f f e r s h o p e f o r the f u t u r e . I e n j o y e d this c h a p t e r greatly a n d it w h e t t e d m y appetite to r e a d the r e m a i n d e r of the b o o k . C h a p t e r t w o , " S e l f and C o m m u n i t y in the C o l l e g i u m , " d e v e l o p s t w o contrasting m o d e l s within the academy. T h e first m o d e l supports "insistent i n d i v i d u a l i s m , p r i v a t i s m , isolation, a n d f r a g m e n t a t i o n o f e f f o r t , " w h i c h s e e m to a c c o u n t for m u c h of the malaise a m o n g the a c a d e m i c c o m m u n i t y . T h e s e c o n d m o d e l e m p h a s i z e s the c o n c e p t of relationality a n d "stresses i n t e l l e c t u a l c o m m u n i t y a n d c o o p e r a t i o n as e s s e n t i a l to t h e m i s s i o n of h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n a n d to individual satisfaction." Hospitality and t h o u g h t f u l n e s s are p r e s e n t e d as p r i m a r y virtues that reflect the inherent relationship b e t w e e n the intellectual and the moral d i m e n s i o n s of humanity. A t the s a m e time, B e n n e t t ' s presentation of a relational m o d e l e m b o d i e s the kind of c o m m u n i t y that m o s t a c a d e m i c colleagues truly desire. In c h a p t e r three, " P r o f e s s i o n a l i s m : A c a d e m i c or C o l l é g i a l , " the a u t h o r r e t u r n s to a n inquiry o f the c u r r e n t d i s q u i e t u d e r e p o r t e d b y f a c ulty. U p o n e x a m i n a t i o n , a c a d e m i c p r o f e s s i o n a l i s m a p p e a r s to b r e e d a s e n s e o f alienation a n d a lack o f p e r s o n a l integration, w h i c h are f o s t e r e d b y insistent i n d i v i d u a l i s m . B e n n e t t r e v i e w s relations b e t w e e n p r o f e s s o r s , c o l l e a g u e s , s t u d e n t s , a n d institutions a n d e x p o s e s the s e l f - s e r v i n g attit u d e s that c h a r a c t e r i z e so m a n y of t h e s e relationships. T h i s c h a p t e r m a y s e r v e as a " w a k e u p call" to faculty. E d u c a t o r s w o u l d b e n e f i t b y r e a d i n g this s e c t i o n w i t h o n e e y e fixed f i r m l y o n the m i r r o r o f self-evaluation. Chapter four, "Institutions: Fragmented or Connected," takes a d e e p e r l o o k at insistent i n d i v i d u a l i s m in a c a d e m e . M u c h o f c h a p t e r f o u r s e e m s m e r e l y an e x t e n s i o n of the p r i o r chapter. Its o n e r e d e e m i n g sect i o n is B e n n e t t ' s a r g u m e n t c o n c e r n i n g t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a n a t i o n a l s t a n d a r d f o r accreditation a n d a c o m m o n c o d e o f ethics to e n s u r e h i g h s t a n d a r d s of a c a d e m i c c o n s i s t e n c y a n d p r o f e s s o r i a l behavior. C h a p t e r s f i v e a n d six return to f o c u s o n the virtues of t h e r e l a t i o n a l m o d e l f o r t h e a c a d e m y . C h a p t e r five, " R e l a t i o n a l i t y in T e a c h i n g a n d The Canadian Journal ofHigher Education Volume XXX, No. 1, 2000 Book Review s/Comptes Rendus 191 Scholarship," considers the value of the relational m o d e l for teaching a n d s c h o l a r s h i p . T h e a u t h o r p r o f f e r s the idea that t e a c h i n g p r e s u p p o s e s s c h o l a r s h i p , a n d f u r t h e r m o r e , that s c h o l a r s h i p r e q u i r e s t h e p u b l i c e x p r e s sion o f t e a c h i n g . B e n n e t t p r o d u c e s a l e n g t h y d i s c u s s i o n of t e a c h i n g a n d l e a r n i n g a n d o f f e r s the m e t a p h o r of c o n s t r u c t i n g d w e l l i n g s a l o n g w i t h t h e m e t a p h o r o f a d a n c e to p r o v i d e v i s u a l i m a g e s o f t h e p r o c e s s e s of t e a c h i n g a n d learning. T h e s e m e t a p h o r s are m i l d l y interesting, b u t s e r v e o n l y as t h e b e g i n n i n g to a c h a p t e r filled w i t h idealistic t h i n k i n g a b o u t s u c h m a t t e r s as: " h o l d i n g o p e n d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h o l d e r f a c u l t y to assist t h e m in a c k n o w l e d g i n g t h e i r d e c l i n i n g c o n t r i b u t i o n s a n d t h e n e e d to m a k e r o o m f o r m o r e energetic j u n i o r faculty." I d o n o t f o r e s e e t h e s e c o n versations becoming c o m m o n place on college and university campuses in t h e n e a r f u t u r e . T h e a u t h o r p r e s e n t s t h e v i r t u e s o f h o s p i t a l i t y a n d t h o u g h t f u l n e s s w i t h s u c h repetition in this c h a p t e r that the r e a d e r m a y g r o w w e a r y o f r e a d i n g a b o u t t h e s e ideals w e l l b e f o r e the c h a p t e r ends. C h a p t e r six, " C r e a t i n g a n d N o u r i s h i n g C o m m u n i t i e s o f H o p e , " examines various resources within higher education for establishing the kind of intellectual community proposed by the relational model. B e n n e t t i d e n t i f i e s t h e k e y roles that d e a n s a n d d e p a r t m e n t chairs p l a y in e n h a n c i n g t h e integrity a n d c u l t i v a t i n g t h e v a l u e o f a c o l l e g i u m . T h i s c h a p t e r o f f e r s an i n s i g h t f u l look into the c h a l l e n g e s of f a c u l t y l e a d e r s h i p w i t h i n a c a d e m e . B e n n e t t also o f f e r s s o m e v e r y practical t h o u g h t s o n the r e c r u i t m e n t , orientation, a n d m e n t o r i n g of n e w faculty. H e p r o p o s e s a c o o p e r a t i v e m o d e l of leadership that deals f o r t h r i g h t l y w i t h f a c u l t y w h o are c h r o n i c c o m p l a i n e r s , isolated individuals w h i c h B e n n e t t t e r m s d e a d w o o d , a n d the truly d i s a f f e c t e d k n o w n o t h e r w i s e as rotten w o o d . I f o u n d this to b e a p o s i t i v e , action-oriented a p p r o a c h to c h a n g i n g a n d i m p r o v i n g the c u r r e n t situation of the a c a d e m y . T h e " E p i l o g u e " to Collégial Professionalism is a n e x c e l l e n t e s s a y o n the c u r r e n t situation of a c a d e m i c malaise, the c h a l l e n g e p r o m o t e d b y the telecommunications revolution, and several possible scenarios for the f u t u r e of h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n . W h i l e t h e a u t h o r ' s p e r s p e c t i v e s a p p e a r a bit dramatic, they are certainly thought-provoking and interesting. He a c k n o w l e d g e s t h e a c a d e m y ' s r e s i s t a n c e to r e v i e w a n d r e t i c e n c e t o w a r d change. However, Bennett gently reminds a c a d e m i c leaders that the The Canadian journal of Higher Education Volume XXX, No. 1, 2000 192 Book Reviews/Comptes Rendus p r e s s u r e s b r o u g h t o n b y rising financial costs a n d the increasing i m p a c t o f t e c h n o l o g y in h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n will force institutions to t a k e a closer l o o k at t h e m s e l v e s a n d the a c a d e m i c c o m m u n i t y s o o n e r or later. T h e lesson to t h e a c a d e m y s e e m s to be: t a k e p r o a c t i v e steps n o w t o w a r d b u i l d i n g a relational, intellectual c o m m u n i t y or f a c e the possibility of a significant d e c l i n e in t h e t r a d i t i o n a l c o l l é g i a l c o m m u n i t y in t h e f u t u r e . B e n n e t t p r e s s e s f o r institutions of h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n to p r o v i d e a relational m o d e l that a d d r e s s e s the n e e d in individuals to f e e l c o n n e c t e d to o n e a n o t h e r w i t h a h i g h e r p u r p o s e . O t h e r w i s e , students m a y c h o o s e the c o n v e n i e n c e o f internet a n d distance e d u c a t i o n courses as their p r i m a r y s o u r c e of content delivery, rather t h a n the university c a m p u s a n d c l a s s r o o m . Collégial Professionalism is r e c o m m e n d e d r e a d i n g f o r f a c u l t y a n d a d m i n i s t r a t o r s in h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y d e a n s a n d d e p a r t m e n t chairpersons. All university leaders would benefit by considering the t h o u g h t s a n d w a r n i n g s p r e s e n t e d b y Bennett. B e n n e t t succeeds, I believe, in p a i n t i n g a p e r c e p t i v e portrait o f the relational crisis in h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n a n d in p o i n t i n g the w a y t o w a r d a m o r e positive, p r o d u c t i v e m o d e l . ^ 4? D o n a l d B l i g h . ( 1 9 9 8 ) . What's * the Use of Lectures?, 5th ed. Exeter, E n g l a n d : Intellect. P a g e s : 289. Price: $ 2 4 . 9 5 U S ( p a p e r b a c k ) . R e v i e w e d b y B e v e r l y J. C a m e r o n , D e p a r t m e n t o f E c o n o m i c s , T h e University of Manitoba. What s the Use of Lectures? is a v a l u a b l e u p d a t i n g o f a p o p u l a r b o o k first p u b l i s h e d in the 1970s. T h e b o o k c o n t a i n s an interesting c o m b i n a t i o n o f a c a d e m i c r e s e a r c h a n d practical " h o w t o " tips. S o m e of t h e m o r e a c a d e m i c s e c t i o n s (e.g., F a c t o r s I n f l u e n c i n g M e m o r y ) are likely to b e of m o r e interest to e d u c a t i o n a n d p s y c h o l o g y f a c u l t y t h a n to t h o s e w h o are l o o k i n g f o r less analysis. H o w e v e r , What's the Use of Lectures? also h a s m a n y v a l u a b l e s u g g e s t i o n s a n d t i p s , b a c k e d in m a n y i n s t a n c e s b y r e s e a r c h results, f o r a n y o n e w h o lectures as p a r t of their t e a c h i n g . A s a result, What's the Use of Lectures? m a y not b e a b o o k e v e r y o n e r e a d s c o v e r t o c o v e r , b u t it s h o u l d a p p e a l t o a w i d e s p e c t r u m o f r e a d e r s . The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXX, No. 1, 2000