Collectively we edit or co-edit eight journals, serve on the editorial boards of another 26, referee for more than 100 journals and provide numerous reviews of research proposals for organizations such as the National Science Foundation. We serve on various boards, participate in external reviews of policy schools and serve on the executive committees of several national research associations. These assignments don't just happen. They were earned. They are a form of recognition by the scholarly and policy communities of the expertise that resides in the school.
Academics love recognition.
But that isn't the only reason we take on these assignments. They make us better. Editorial assignments and service as referees hones our academic skills. That makes us better in the classroom. It also makes us better researchers and, we like to think, better colleagues to young faculty.