This book draws on the perspectives of nearly 20 000 faculties from around the world to determine significant trends in how professors view teaching and research.

James Forest is Assistant Dean for Academic Assessment and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

1. Introduction 2. Research on the Academic Profession: An Overview 3. Comments on the Data and Analysis 4. Professors Who Prefer Teaching 5. Issues of Instruction 6. Institutional Working Conditions 7. The Academic Profession 8. Higher Education's Role in Society 9. International Dimensions of Higher Education 10. Summing Up