Public Scholarship Is More Important Now Than Ever

A lot has happened—and a lot has changed—in the past few years. And in many ways, higher education found itself at the center of both the pandemic and the political discord driving major shifts in our society. By the fall of 2020 it became clear that the landscape for sharing expertise with media had also changed considerably. 

As political divides grew and online vitriol proliferated, we started to notice new hesitation from faculty about engaging with media. With increasing politicization, public scholarship can seem fraught with vulnerabilities. However, it’s precisely because of the times we’re in—and the issues we’re facing—that now is a critically important time for academics to share facts and deeply informed opinions with the public. Faculty are uniquely positioned to do so, and by choosing to contribute they can help empower important change.

Teresa and I recently wrote about what it means to engage in public scholarship now and how to do it safely, in a piece titled Trolls or no trolls, society needs academic expertise more than ever for Times Higher Education.

We’d love to hear your ideas about participating in public scholarship, too, including any tips for insulating yourself from the trolls. Reach out on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Also, be sure to check out some changes TVP Comms is making to our world of work and read Kylie’s suggestions for managing social media expectations on campus.