Faculty Campus Service Decisions at a Catholic Liberal Arts University

Abstract

This study examines how gender stereotypes, social roles, and institutional context influenced faculty members’ decisions around campus service work at a Catholic liberal arts institution. Overall, results from interviews, document analysis, and key artifacts showed that participants embraced and were committed to campus service work inside of an institution where the mission of the university largely centered around service and wherein campus service was broadly defined. The findings from this study demonstrate that there are different ways of making decisions about campus service work and expands on the understanding of decision-making regarding campus service. By focusing on campus service decisions among twenty-one study participants within a single Catholic liberal arts institution, this study makes contributions to knowledge about how gendered institutions, gender stereotypes, social roles, and Catholic higher education values all contribute to campus service decisions.