An annual publication of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education, volume 23 of To Improve the Academy is a collection of articles that explore the emerging climate of change is providing a backdrop for the concerns and constituents of higher education.

An annual publication of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD), To Improve the Academy offers a resource for improvement in higher education to faculty and instructional development staff, department chairs, faculty, deans, student services staff, chief academic officers, and educational consultants.

Contents include:

• Transforming the environment for learning (Lion F. Gardiner, Rutgers University)
• The expanding role of academic support centers (Robert M. Diamond, National Academy for Academic Leadership)
• Creating a culture of assessment (Patricia M. Dwyer, Shepherd College)
• Faculty development through the eyes of SoTL scholars (Connie M. Schroeder, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
• The roles of teaching and learning centers (Alan C. Frantz, Idaho State University; Steven A. Beebe, Texas State University-San Marcos; Virginia S. Horvath, Kent State University; JoAnn Canales, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; David E. Swee, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School)
• The quality of life of faculty development professionals (Kathleen T. Brinko, Sally S. Atkins, & Marian E. Miller, Appalachian State University)
• Faculty strategies for creating equitable work environments (Christine M. Cress, Portland State University; Jennifer L. Hart, University of Missouri-Columbia)
• A program for faculty renewal (Libby Falk Jones, Berea College)
• An investigation of faculty vitality within the context of the community college (Cathie J. Peterson, Johnson County Community College)
• Course and departmental assessment results as a faculty development tool (Catherine M. Wehlburg, Texas Christian University)
• Creating an integrated data system for teaching centers (Kathryn M. Plank, Alan Kalish, Stephanie V. Rohdieck, & Kathleen A. Harper, The Ohio State University)
• Achieving a campus consensus on learning-centered teaching (Phyllis Blumberg & Justin Everett, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia)
• Improving teaching and learning by cultivating a community of practice (Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College)
• A faculty development program to promote engaged classroom dialogue (Kim M. Mooney, Traci Fordham, & Valerie D. Lehr, St. Lawrence University)
• The unwritten challenges of service-learning (Rona J. Karasik, St. Cloud State University)
• Junior faculty participation in curricular change (Judi Hetrick, Miami University in Oxford)
• Assessing the academic and professional development needs of graduate students (Laurie Bellows & Ellen Weissinger, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
• Faculty development in community colleges (Mary Rose Grant, Saint Louis University)
• Providing for the development needs of part-time faculty (Patricia Hanrahan Valley, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
• Promoting a sound process for teaching awards programs (Nancy Van Note Chism, Indiana University--Purdue University Indianapolis)