Abstract
This article reports on the impact of organized research centers on professional effort, productivity, and perceptions of work satisfaction for life sciences faculty members at research intensive universities’ medical schools in the U.S. Results indicate that senior center-affiliated faculty members taught less but worked more total hours than peers not affiliated with centers. Senior affiliated faculty members were more productive than their non-affiliated peers and were more likely to be principal investigators on externally funded grants. Center-affiliated faculty members were more likely to be dissatisfied with their mix of activities and workload but more likely to be satisfied with job security and autonomy. Implications beyond this context are suggested.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alpert, D. (1969, December). The role and structure of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research centers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools in the U.S. Washington, DC. (ED 035 363).
Austin A. E., Rice, R. E., & Splete, A. P. (1991). A good place to work: Sourcebook for the academic workplace. Washington, DC: The Council of Independent Colleges.
Blumenthal, D. (1998). The research mission of academic health centers. In E. R. Rubin (Ed.), Mission management: A new synthesis, Vol. 2 (pp. 235–262). Washington, DC: Association of Academic Health Centers.
Clark, B. (2002). University transformation: Primary pathways to university autonomy and achievement. In S. Brint (Ed.), The future of the city of intellect: The changing American university (pp. 322–342). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Colwell, R. R. (2002, August). NSF’s investment in converging frontiers. Presented at the American Chemical Society Presidential Symposium, Boston, MA. Last accessed November 29, 2006, from: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/forum/colwell/rc020818acsboston.htm.
Committee on Dimensions, Causes, and Implications of Recent Trends in the Careers of Life Scientists & National Research Council (1998). Trends in the early careers of life scientists. Washington, DC: National Academy.
Corley, E., & Gaughan, M. (2005). Scientists’ participation in university research centers: What are gender differences? Journal of Technology Transfer, 30, 371–381.
Crist, T. B., LaRusso, N. F., Meyers, F. J., Clayton, C. P., & Ibrahim, T. (2003). Centers, institutes, and the future of clinical departments: Part II. American Journal of Medicine, 115, 745–747.
Day, D. N. (1976, July). The management of organized research units at the University of California, Berkeley: Size, politics, and interdisciplinarity. Berkeley, CA: Center for Research in Management Science, University of California. (Working Paper CP-399).
Emmert, M. A. (1985). Organized research units and general administration: The promise and the problems of marginality. DeKalb, IL: Center for Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University.
Friedman R. S., & Friedman, R. C. (1982, June). The role of university organized research units in academic science. University Park, PA: Center for the Study of Higher Education, Pennsylvania State University. (NTIS No. PB82-253394).
Friedman R. S., & Friedman, R. C. (1984). Managing the organized research unit. Educational Record, 65, 27–30.
Friedman R.S., & Friedman, R.C. (1986). Sponsorship, organization, and program change at 100 universities. University Park, PA: Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation, Pennsylvania State University.
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Geiger, R. L. (1990). Organized research units—their role in the development of university research. Journal of Higher Education, 61, 1–19.
Heathington, K. W., Cunningham, J., & Mundy R. (1978). Management of interdisciplinary research in universities: The state of the art. Educational Researcher, 7, 11–14.
Holmstrom, B., & Tirole, J. (1989). The theory of the firm. In R. Schmalansee & R. Willig (Eds.), Handbook of industrial organization (pp. 61–133). New York, NY: North-Holland.
Holton S. A. (Ed.) (1998). Mending the cracks in the ivory tower: Conflict management strategies for higher education. Bolton, MA: Anker.
Ikenberry, S. O., & Friedman, R. C. (1972). Beyond academic departments. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mallon, W. T. (2006). The benefits and challenges of research centers and institutes in academic medicine: Findings from six universities and their medical schools. Academic Medicine, 81, 502–512.
Mieszkowski, P., & Mills, E. S. (1993). The causes of metropolitan suburbanization. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 7, 135–147.
National Science Board (2004). Science and engineering indicators 2004. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. (NSB 04-1 and 04-1A).
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1978). The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Powell, W. W., & Owen-Smith, J. (2002). The new world of knowledge production in the life sciences. In S. Brint (Ed.), The future of the city of intellect: The changing American university (pp. 107–130). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Rogers, E. M., Hall, B. J., Hashimoto, M., & Steffensen, M. (1999). Technology transfer from university-based research centers: The University of New Mexico experience. Journal of Higher Education, 70, 687–705.
Rosenberg, C. E. (1976). Science, technology, and economic growth: The case of the agricultural experiment station scientist, 1875–1914. In C.E. Rosenberg (Ed.), No other gods: On science and American social thought (pp. 153–172). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Schein, E. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Schuster, J. H., & Finkelstein, M. J. (2006). The restructuring of academic work and careers: The American faculty. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Sproull, R. L., & Hall, H. H. (1987). Multidisciplinary research and education programs in universities: Making them work. Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences.
Stahler, G. J., & Tash, W. R. (1994). Centers and institutes in the research university: Issues, problems, and prospects. Journal of Higher Education, 65, 540–554.
U.S. Department of Education (2002). 1999 national study of postsecondary faculty (NSOPF: 99), methodology report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (NCES 2002–154)
Zerhouni, E. (2003 October 3). The NIH roadmap. Science, 302, 63–72.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Sarah A. Bunton
is a Senior Research Associate at the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington DC. She received her B.A. from the University of Chicago, her M.A. from the University of Minnesota, and her Ph.D. in higher educational policy also from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include postsecondary faculty work life and satisfaction, higher education organization, and student development.
William T. Mallon
is Assistant Vice President and Director of Organization and Management Studies at the Association of American Medical Colleges. Dr. Mallon received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Richmond and his M.Ed. and Ed.D. in higher education policy from Harvard University. His research interests focus on the ways in which academic medical centers recruit and retain faculty and administrative leaders and the interorganizational relationships among medical schools, teaching hospitals, and parent universities.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bunton, S.A., Mallon, W.T. The Impact of Centers and Institutes on Faculty Life: Findings from a Study of Life Sciences Faculty at Research-Intensive Universities’ Medical Schools. Innov High Educ 32, 93–103 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-007-9041-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-007-9041-0