One is a better teacher, a better scholar or artist, and a better contributor to the community by coordinating these activities into a seamless whole. The use of one's professional knowledge for the betterment of society is part of the academic enterprise, and when faculty engage in this activity, they should be recognized and rewarded. In general, there are three distinguishing characteristics of activities considered as public service. These are deliberately broad categories, so as to allow refinement within each school and discipline according to its unique situation. Appended to this document is a non-exhaustive list of illustrations of public service activities.
Public service involves the application of one's professional expertise in the community.
Ideally, public service will have an element of originality and perhaps discovery, so that the scholar learns from the experience and can share it in some form with colleagues and students. Public service, as defined in this document, does not include those types of service both within and outside the University that are related to good or normal citizenship. Thus, leading a Girl Scout troop, volunteering in a homeless shelter, raising money for a charity are the types of activity that we do because it is our obligation, not as members of the University, but as members of the community, and for which we should expect no reward from the University. However, if a psychologist provides counseling services to a Girl Scout troop, if a health care professional sets up a clinic in a homeless shelter, or if an economist advises a charity on fund-raising, that would be considered public service. Similarly, service on committees and task forces within the University are activities we undertake as part of our responsibility as citizens of the University, and for which no reward should be given.