Customer Service or Professional Service?

In recent years, the so-called “business model” has gained a great deal of traction in American higher education, especially at the two-year college level. One consequence of this new approach that has proved particularly alarming to many faculty members is the increased emphasis on customer service. For those involved in the daily grind of teaching classes, assigning grades, and dealing with students, the term conjures frightening visions of spineless administrators responding to students’ unreasonable demands by chanting the mantra, “the customer is always right.”

Of course, that isn’t exactly what administrators mean when they talk about customer service. What they mean is that faculty and staff have an obligation to provide students with high-quality academic and student services and to treat them with respect. At the same time, faculty members have a point: when it comes to questions of scholarship and rigor, the “customer” isn’t always right. How do we resolve these apparently opposing viewpoints?

The key is to understand that administrators and faculty members aren’t really talking about two different things; they’re just using different terminology. That’s why this presentation suggests that colleges use the term “professional service” to describe the shared commitment faculty, staff, and administrators all have to providing the best possible education for students. This is especially helpful for faculty members, as it underscores their professional obligations without calling into question their authority or judgment.

Designed primarily to be a presentation for community college faculty members, it can also be modified for delivery to academic administrators. The presenter is a 20-year veteran of community colleges who has served as both an academic and a student services administrator. He is also a regularly featured columnist for the popular Two-Year Track segment in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Thus he brings to the topic not only a wealth of experience, but also a great deal of wit, insight, and good humor.

To find out more, email Ed Leach or call (480) 705-8200, x233.