Jennifer A. Lindholm

Perceived Organizational Fit: Nurturing the Minds, Hearts, and Personal Ambitions of University Faculty.

This qualitative study examines how faculty define the key elements within the university work environment that promote their personal sense of organizational fit. Findings show that intellectual stimulation and social-emotional support derived from connections with institutional colleagues are important in establishing a sense of fit. Even more important for some is the institutions capacity to provide structural support that enables them to fulfill their professional ambitions.

Understanding the “Interior” Life of Faculty: How Important is Spirituality?

Within American society, the spiritual dimension of our lives has traditionally been regarded as intensely personal, an innermost component of who we are that lies outside the realm of appropriate discussion or concern within business and academic contexts. However, in an era characterized by its spiritual “poverty,” we have seen a growing societal quest for “nonreligious, nondenominational” ways of fostering spirituality and an associated hunger for spiritual growth.1 In 1998, for example, 82 percent of Americans expressed a need to “experience spiritual growth,” up from 54 percent just four years earlier.2 Given the broad formative roles that colleges and universities play in our society, higher education represents a critical focal point for responding to the question of how we can balance the “exterior” and “interior” aspects of our lives more effectively. Existing research indicates that developing people’s abilities to access, nurture, and give expression to the spiritual dimension of their lives impacts how they engage with the world and fosters within them a heightened sense of connectedness that promotes empathy, ethical behavior, civic responsibility, passion, and action for social justice.3 Spirituality has also been positively linked with physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being.4 This article focuses on the role that spirituality plays in the lives of college and university faculty and examines the extent to which variations exist based on personal demographics, professional and institutional characteristics, and affective experiences.

Spirituality in the Academy: Reintegrating Our Lives and the Lives of Our Students.

American educational institutions were founded on the development of the spirit as well as the intellect, a concept that was ended by the Enlightenment. Now, research conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), reveals that most students want their college or university to help them develop spiritually. Are their institutions ready?

Faculty Time Stress: Correlates Within and Across Academic Disciplines

SUMMARY This study examined the determinants of time stress among a national sample of faculty in U.S. colleges and universities, with a particular focus on similarities and differences across various academic disciplines. The findings suggest five correlates of time stress that are consistently relevant across most disciplines: gender, age, hours per week spent on administrative activities, collegial climate, and job satisfaction.