Abstract
This essay investigates the relationship between academic professionalism and the rise of unionism, focusing on their implications for faculty life in small departments. The analysis situates the issue within the historical ideal of the university as a civic community governed by collegial virtue and shared scholarly purpose. The author argues that the decline of departmental self governance and the spread of corporate administrative models have eroded this republican vision, leaving faculty increasingly defined by economic rather than intellectual identity. In this context, unionism emerges as both a response to and a potential redefinition of professional engagement. The essay identifies two principal concerns: the narrowing of faculty discourse to material conditions and the growing preoccupation with administrative dynamics at the expense of intellectual life. While acknowledging that union structures may offer new forms of collective voice, the author warns that they also risk diminishing the contemplative and civic dimensions of academic professionalism. The essay concludes that the long term impact of unionism will depend on whether it revitalizes or replaces the traditional ideals of the scholarly community.
Recommended Citation
Rosenfield, Lawrence W.
(1986)
"Professionalism and Unionism in the Small Department,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 58, Article 14.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol58/iss1/14
