Great Expectations: Change and Continuity in Academic Roles and Tasks

Abstract

This study explores the changing expectations towards the work of senior academics in Norway. By utilizing role theory concepts, as well as literature on university branding and academic recruitment, it examines how academic roles and tasks have changed, as well as the “ideal academic” depicted by universities themselves at the hiring stage. Data for this paper was collected from ten public universities in Norway over a period of 20 years and includes job advertisements (N = 1,744) for professor and associate professor positions. The study found that higher education institutions (HEIs) have become more specific when describing their expectations of academics, increasingly using job advertisements as marketing and branding artifacts. The analysis also demonstrated that universities in Norway behave strategically and have organizational goals in mind during the hiring process of new academics. The results related to role change are less conclusive but indicate that there is a general trend towards focusing on research quality and metrics, as well as acquiring research funding from external sources as part of a researcher role. Teaching expectations also increased, but more in the light of meeting organizational teaching needs, than being an integral part of academic life. Finally, there are increasing expectations towards third mission activities, while the administrative role is strategically unadvertised, as it is a less attractive part of academic job.