The university and the community: How faculty feel about their connection

Near the end of the 1984-1985 academic year, 668 of the full-time faculty of a university were surveyed via a questionnaire sent through campus mail. The study attempted to assess their feelings and satisfaction with connections to the private community -- especially their satisfaction with research opportunities in industry or private organizations. There were 146 responses before the semester's end. In evaluating faculty feelings about existing links with industry, 60% of the faculty would like to have more linkage with industry, with almost 30% indicating a need for better funding mechanisms. Nearly 80% of the faculty agrees that basic research is important, while 75% feel that applied research is important, and almost 50% consider consulting opportunities as important. For encouraging links with industry, the overall preference pattern showed that faculty presentations to firms, university newsletters sent to companies, and on-campus seminars promoted to companies hold the most promise. The results suggest that meeting the university need for linkage requires addressing and actively pursuing the faculty needs and interests.