Keep the compact that binds us to each other

The academic citizen puts people and communities ahead of demands for measured outputs, says Bruce Macfarlane

As academics, we disparage meetings and paperwork as the bane of our lives. Everything apart from teaching or research is labelled and denigrated as "administration". But this term does no justice to the range and importance of activities that support academic life. This involves deploying our expertise and goodwill for the benefit of students, colleagues, universities, academic and professional peers, and the wider public. That means a lot more than "administration". It demands a commitment to "service" as well as to teaching and research.

But, today, service is more closely associated with the market than civic-mindedness. It brings to mind the phrase "customer service" rather than "public service". The Government encourages the idea that service is about being an academic entrepreneur generating income for universities. But service is not about fulfilling a narrow economic function, rather, it is about being committed to a set of values. Academic citizenship is a better way of describing this disposition.

As academic citizens, we show our commitment in many ways. Regardless of our field, we seek to communicate specialist knowledge for the wider public benefit. The nature of this engagement is demanding, and we need to balance the dangers of oversimplifying knowledge with splendid isolation in the ivory tower. We also seek to promote the ideas and guard the values of our specific fields. By refereeing articles or organising conferences, we help to develop the next generation of scholars. These tasks may require us to do things that count for little in the research assessment exercise and to resist the temptation to exploit our positions by discriminating against scholars with perspectives different from our own.

We say much about academic freedom but little about academic duty. Here there is a need to commit to process, not just principle. As members of institutions, academics contribute to collective wellbeing through representation, leadership and project work. There is more to this than simply sticking up for the interests of one's department or opposing change at any price. Process also needs to follow principle in how we work with colleagues. Here, collegiality implies being generous and supportive through sharing, advising and mentoring. Position and status do not absolve academics of this responsibility. Nor, at the other extreme, should it lead to cliquish behaviour that excludes and exploits junior and inexperienced academics by giving them all the mundane tasks.

But, most importantly, in working with students we try to be responsive to their needs beyond the timetabled strictures of contact hours. This involves making the effort to encourage and nurture by giving feedback, explaining tricky concepts and taking an interest in students as people. This does not imply that we should be servile to every demand or allow them to become overdependent on us. Nor does it mean that we should shut the door on students with academic or personal difficulties.

Academic citizenship is about entering into gift relationships in which we do not necessarily expect something in return. But such an idea is out of step with a culture in which there is an increasing emphasis on measuring performance. The "success" of teaching is judged by observers, students and, ultimately, employers. Our research is assessed by publication records and the funding we generate.

Things that do not get measured count for little. There are more visible aspects of service, such as being a committee chair or journal editor. When it comes to getting promoted, these things tend to be rewarded, while less visible work, such as mentoring and tutoring, is overlooked. Promotion criteria might imply that service is recognised. The reality is that some bullet points, especially the ones about research, are more equal than others.

Academic citizenship has always been a poor relation of teaching and research, but now it is under greater threat because of the unbundling of academic work. Student support officers have become proxy personal tutors; doctoral students mark undergraduate work; educational developers mentor and observe teaching staff; and academic leaders are now specialist "managers". Being an academic citizen is increasingly seen as a specialised job done by someone else when it should be seen as everybody's business.

Although the concept may seem idealistic, academic citizenship is what keeps universities working and maintains our compact with wider society. Perhaps it is time we re-examined, and rewarded, its virtues.

Bruce Macfarlane is professor of education and head of educational development at Thames Valley University. His book The Academic Citizen is published by Routledge on September 4.