An annual publication of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD), "To Improve the Academy" offers a resource for improvement in higher education to faculty and instructional development staff, department chairs, faculty, deans, student services staff, chief academic officers, and educational consultants.

Contents include: An Adventure on POD's High Cs: Culture, Creativity, and Communication in the Academy: A Humanist Perspective ("James Downey") Monster at the Foot of the Bed: Surviving the Challenge of Marketplace Forces on Higher Education ("Raoul A. Arreola") The Advantages of a Reciprocal Relationship Between Faculty Development and Organizational Development in Higher Education ("Leora Baron") A Different Way to Approach the Future: Using Chaos Theory to Improve Planning ("Marc Cutright") The New Demand for Heterogeneity in College Teaching ("George Keller") Not Making or Shaping: Finding Authenticity in Faculty Development ("Patricia Cranton") A Theory-Based Integrative Model for Learning and Motivation in Higher Education ("Chantal S. Levesque, G. Roger Sell, James A. Zimmerman") Perceptions of Faculty Developers About the Present and Future of Faculty Development at Historically Black Colleges and Universities ("Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Andrea L. Beach, Stephen L. Rozman") Preparing Faculty for Pedagogical Change: Helping Faculty Deal With Fear ("Linda C. Hodges") Tailoring Faculty Development Programs to Faculty Career Stages ("Peter Seldin") Creating Engaged Departments: A Program for Organizational and Faculty Development ("Kevin J. Kecskes, Sherril B. Gelmon, Amy Spring") Promoting Intellectual Community and Professional Growthfor a Diverse Faculty ("Dorothe J. Bach, Marva A. Barnett, Jose D. Fuentes, Sherwood C. Frey") Building It for Them: Faculty-Centered Program Development and eManagement ("Bonnie B. Mullinix") An Electronic Advice Column to Foster Teaching Culture Change ("Donna M. Qualters, Thomas C. Sheahan, Jacqueline A. Isaacs") Helping Faculty Learn to Teach Better and 'Smarter" Through Sequenced Activities ("Barbara J. Millis") Practicing What We Preach: Transforming the TA Orientation
"Patricia Armstrong, Peter Felten, Jeffrey Johnston, Allison Pingree" Exploring the Application of Best Practices to TA Awards: One University's Approach ("Laurel Willingham-McLain, Deborah L. Pollack") Expeditionary Learning: A Low-Risk, Low-Cost, High-Impact Professional Development Model ("Chris Carlson-Dakes, Alice Pawley") Learning Communities for First-Year Faculty: Transition, Acculturation, and Transformation ("Harriet Fayne, Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens") Faculty Competency by Design: A Model for Institutional Transformation ("Helen M. Clarke, Philip E. Bishop")

An annual publication of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education, volume 24 of "To Improve the Academy" is a selection of articles on faculty development that collectively serve as a resource for academic administrators, faculty developers, full- and part-time faculty, instructional technologists, educational consultants, and institutional researchers. The authors describe their work toward institutional change in order to explore successful practices in faculty development that readers might adapt for use in their own institutions.

"To Improve the Academy, Volume 24," provides examples and advice designed to help readers become engaged members of their institutions and communities, as well as effective teachers who regard student learning as central to their work. The book includes essays on topics such asCulture, creativity, and communication in the academySurviving marketplace forces on higher educationalThe demand for heterogeneity in college teachingA theory-based integrative model for learning and motivationTailoring faculty development programs to faculty career stagesPromoting community and professional growth for diverse facultyCreating engaged departmentsFaculty-centered program development and eManagementHelping faculty teach better through sequenced activitiesLearning communities for first-year faculty

This book provides guidance for professionals who have an interest in promoting excellence in teaching and learning through faculty and organizational development.