Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 April 2011
Most colleges and universities stipulate that public service is a requirement for tenure and promotion. Yet many political science faculty and their respective administrators pay only lip service to this “third leg” of a scholarly career, relying on teaching and research to shape most career decisions. This reality is particularly surprising in the context of the political science discipline, given that the nature of our scholarship provides many public service opportunities. However, the norms and pressures of academia in general are at play. Why, then, should political scientists engage in public service, much less become serious “pracademics”?