Chapter 4: Teaching-Focused University

I was chatting with another new faculty member at a new faculty seminar. When we started talking about our backgrounds, it turned out that while I was hired straight from graduate school, Todd had held a tenure-track position in a big research university for several years.

“Why did you give it up and come here?” I wanted to know.

“Frankly, I wanted to do less research and more teaching. I was intrigued by a smaller campus and what it has to offer, and an opportunity for more interaction with students.”

As much as higher education settings vary in the United States, one most obvious division is between a large university with a dominant research mission and a smaller college with a primary teaching mission. If you are considering a position in one of the latter, it would be helpful to know about these institutions’ culture, practices, and expectations for faculty. This chapter describes teaching-focused colleges and universities.