About
I am Professor of Geology at Texas A&M University.
The conversation between American higher education and society generally focuses on two master narratives: (1) universities educate students to have meaningful lives and/or be productive citizens, and (2) universities both serve and challenge society, primarily through academic research that addresses problems of societal significance. These narratives describe the societal role of higher education and are often used to justify the resources requested by higher education.
Unfortunately, funding issues conspire to drive most public institutions away from directly addressing these goals and towards activities that maximize resources such as focusing on the number of students taught or the pursuit of research funding from federal sources. As a result, our values, actions, and reward structures are not always aligned with these narratives .
It is my belief that the reputations of universities will be built in the coming decade by higher education organizations that can effectively address these narratives while maintaining the high standards of research and teaching recognized by disciplinary communities.
A central aim of my professional work is to seek synergy between my teaching and research in such a way that it opens up new areas of scholarship, increases the competitiveness of my PhD students pursing academic careers, provides new funding streams, and addresses issues of social significance. I will use this blog to explore the development and impact of teaching and research synergy in the academy.
Contact Information:
- Web site: http://geoweb.tamu.edu/RFaculty/gng/herbert/index.html
- Email: herbert at geo.tamu.edu
Relevant Projects:
