Consulting by
faculty members is the use of
scholarly
The scholarly method or scholarship is the body of principles and practices used by scholars and academics to make their claims about the subject as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public. It is the me ...
expertise for the benefit of organizations outside the scholarly community through
friendship
Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague.
In some cultures, the concept o ...
,
volunteering
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serv ...
or in return for some sort of compensation.
Universities
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
have widely varying
policies on faculty consulting, generally limiting the proportion of a faculty member's time, which may be spent on consulting, and instituting rules to avoid
conflicts of interest
A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, finance, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, t ...
.
Consulting is distinguished from activities, which are scholarly or
creative, from
public service
A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...
, and from outside activities which are unrelated to the area of scholarly expertise. For instance, a professor of
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
who designs
sailboats
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
on the side is not considered to be consulting, although a professor of
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
might be.
Sources
* Aggarwal, Raj, "Faculty Members as Consultants: A Policy Perspective", Journal of the College and University Personnel Association, v. 32 n. 2 p. 17-20, Summer 1981.
* Patton, Carl V. "Consulting by Faculty Members", Bulletin of the AAUP, v. 66 n. 4 p. 181-85, May 1980.
Reis, Richard M. "When Faculty Consulting Helps -- and When It Hurts -- Your Career", The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 22, 1999 retrieved on September 24, 2011.
UC Berkeley guide to consulting for faculty and academic employees, Policy & Guidelines, Sept. 19, 2006 retrieved on September 9, 2007.
Academic terminology
Business occupations
Entrepreneurship
Management occupations