Local Cultures in Institutional Contexts: The Functions of Academic Departments in Liberal Arts Colleges

Abstract

The academic department remains understudied as a context of faculty work, particularly in institutional settings beyond the research university. In this article, we report findings from a study of faculty experiences within academic departments in liberal arts colleges, through analysis of interviews with 55 faculty members representing a 13-member consortium of liberal arts institutions in the mid-western U.S. Through inductive analysis and deductive coding from existing models, we identified five functions of departments in liberal arts colleges, including: (a) faculty hiring, retention, and promotion; (b) new faculty socialization; (c) informal interactions, mentoring, and network-building; (d) establishing and communicating institutional and departmental policies, practices, and procedures; and (e) the structuring of academic work. Findings suggest that departmental functions in liberal arts colleges are generally the same as those in other institution types, but play out differently and thus have different consequences for academic careers. Across functions, liberal arts colleges seem to be undergoing an evolution, or perhaps revolution, that has implications for academic work in such contexts.

Overriding Tradition? An Initial Exploration of the Intersection of Institutional and Disciplinary Cultures from the Student Perspective

“…Studies by other scholars continue to bear these findings out. For example, Pifer et al [13] found substantial differences in the functions of academic departments in liberal arts institutions in contrast to other types of colleges.…”