Many reforms that have been introduced in higher education systems worldwide
since the 1990s (e.g. accountability, privatisation, and marketisation), as well as
ongoing shifts in university governance and structure, have brought about further
diversification and new re-conceptualisations of the professor’s role (Stromquist, 2007).
The “service” function has moved from academic aspects (e.g. service on academic
committees, participation in organisational activities of the field) to more
administrative-organisational ones (e.g. fund-raising, social activities). The need for
income maximisation has driven universities to reappraise and multiply their
functions and relationships, leading, among other things, to more demands for applied
research (Henkel, 2005) and, in turn, to an increased sense of crisis in the professoriate
(Enders, 2006). By way of contrast, in some institutions faculty focus more on their own
individual work (research and teaching) and increasingly leave organisational
decision-making to administrators (nevertheless, most academics still have
administrative roles to perform, such as course directors, and this burden seems to
be increasing) (Baruch and Hall, 2004).