115
Edmonds suggested that he hoped that the primary motivator for faculty
involvement in collaborative initiatives would be intrinsic, partly because this type of
motivation would lead to more long-term and lasting change. Colwell (2006) suggests
that one such intrinsic motivator for faculty members might be the possibility of helping
them best accomplish what, at McFeely College, faculty members universally see as their
primary role: teaching. He notes, “at small colleges, faculty are particularly interested in
interactions with students outside the classroom, as they realize a fuller understanding of
their students’ lives can inform their classroom teaching” (p. 62). Further supporting this
idea is the research of Haynes and Janosik (2012) on the benefit of faculty and staff
involvement in living-learning programs. They found that “receiving intrinsic benefits
was reported more frequently than receiving extrinsic benefits” (p. 36). What appears to
be missing, then, is some assurance for faculty members that time spent on collaborative
initiatives will not negatively affect the path toward tenure.
More clearly articulated and expressed expectations, perhaps rewarded in the
tenure process or, perhaps, just not disincentivized by that process, have the power to
create the context for McFeely College to accomplish its goals with regard to integrated
or experiential learning in a collaborative fashion.
Implications
There has been little research done that explores faculty perceptions of student
affairs personnel, particularly in the setting of a small college. The research that has been
conducted has been quantitative in methodology (e.g., Hardwick, 2001). Thus, this study
presented an opportunity for a qualitative exploration of how faculty members perceived