Rise and fall of the teacher-scholar in education

CHED 1449

Michael P. Doyle, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Chemistry has a long history of teachers who are scholars and scholars who are teachers. Scholarship and teaching enhance each other. Increasingly, however, time and resource demands push practitioners to one of the two extremes, illustrated when the researcher complains about having to teach and the educator perceives lack of respect. Existing funding and administrative structures feed these extremes and deform the teacher-scholar balance. Are those individuals whose contributions exemplify both teaching and research accepted in both the education and research communities? What constitutes acceptance as a teacher? What contributions characterize those of a scholar? Who can be rightfully called a teacher-scholar? In this presentation, Professor Richard Zare and previous recipients will be identified as having those characteristics aligned with the ideal teacher-scholar, in the tradition of the great teacher-scholar whom this education award memorializes. Increasing pressures that limit the development of future teacher-scholars will also be presented and discussed.