Lately, I frequently have been asked why I teach. It is a natural question for a nephew embarking on his own career, as he sits in my office staring at the books on my bookshelf. It is an expression of incredulity from professional friends who make much more money in other occupations. But the question most often comes from colleagues at the university who do not understand why, despite my overloaded schedule as an administrator, I continue to teach every semester. I have worked for a number of deans, and several have told me that I do not have to teach. So, why do I?First, to me, teaching and learning are what the academy is all about. Whether one teaches at a liberal arts college or a research university, the primary mission is to educate students. Although students can and do learn through interactions with faculty in research settings or extracurricular activities, most learning for undergraduates occurs in the mastery of course material under the watchful eye of a professor. When we stray from that mission-whether to do service, research, or administrationwe betray the academy's core value, and we communicate to students that teaching and learning are not so important.Second, I really love teaching. At 5:45 p.m., as I make lastminute preparations for my night class, I do wonder if I will have the energy or enthusiasm for another three hours, but driving home on the interstate at 9:00 p.m., I feel invigorated. The class has engaged in a lively debate over an issue. One student shares with me at break how she applied the strategy we discussed last week with wonderful results. Another former student e-mails me to seek advice on a problem student in her own class. Yet another student recommends a new book to me.In the beginning, the attraction of teaching as a career was the opportunity it afforded to continue learning-to approach the same basic questions, but through an evolving lens of knowledge. The social interaction that constitutes teaching and learning is a shared experience that allows me to communicate to students the excitement of my own learning and to see the students' transformation from knowledge gatherers to engaged scholars. Their newfound ideas in turn pull me back into the conversation that is teaching and learning. Simply put, I love teaching because I love learning.Third, continuing to teach helps me maintain my personal integrity. I once sat in a meeting with other administrators as one railed on about low faculty teaching loads at that institution. As I looked around the room, I wondered to myself how many of those present were teaching. (The speaker had not taught in several years.) If I need to have a conversation with a faculty member about poor teaching, I do so as a colleague who also has given up Saturday nights to grade papers, struggled with inadequate technology in the classroom, and felt divided about finishing a research paper when advisees were clamoring to see me. Interestingly enough, when one has been in administration for some time, the concern (at least at research universi...