--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important change, and it's been…" description: "\"The most important change, and it's been going on for at least three decades, is the increasing \"professionalization,\" if that's a word, of the faculty..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/walter-kiechel-38780_academic_the-most-important-change-and-it-s-been_3214528.jpg" --- # The most important change, and it's been going on for at… ![“The most important change, and it's been going on for at least three decades, is the increasing "professionalization," if that's a word, of the faculty. By professionalization I mean the tendency of faculty members to have Ph.D.'s in their academic specialties, and for these specialties to be ever…” quote by Walter Kiechel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/walter-kiechel-38780_academic_the-most-important-change-and-it-s-been_3214528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/walter-kiechel-38780_academic_the-most-important-change-and-it-s-been_3214528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/walter-kiechel-38780_academic_the-most-important-change-and-it-s-been_3214528.jpg) > “The most important change, and it's been going on for at least three decades, is the increasing "professionalization," if that's a word, of the faculty. By professionalization I mean the tendency of faculty members to have Ph.D.'s in their academic specialties, and for these specialties to be ever more narrowly defined. The higher-rated schools may have chief executives in residence or retired execs on three-year teaching fellowships, but the days when most faculty members had considerable prior experience as businessmen or women - those days are mostly over.” [Walter Kiechel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kiechel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Professionalization narrows faculty expertise, reducing real‑world experience and practical perspectives in academia. **In simple terms:** Academia is becoming more specialized and less practical. Key Takeaway Balance theory with practical experience. Themes education specialization career development Mood reflective critical Type analytical policy When to use this quote - university hiring - curriculum design - policy debates Key Concepts academic rigor industry relevance faculty hiring Questions to Reflect On - Should universities prioritize industry experience in hiring? - How can faculty maintain relevance? A Different Perspective Over‑specialization can limit interdisciplinary insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Businessman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/businessman/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Faculty Professionalization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculty-professionalization-6019373/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Increasing Professionalization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasing-professionalization-6019374/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Professionalization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professionalization-3387618/) [Professionalization Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professionalization-mean-6019375/) [Professionalization Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professionalization-word-6019376/) [Retired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retired/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) ## Related quotes > [The twentieth century saw a professionalization of fiction writing, particularly in its second half and particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world - not so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-twentieth-century-saw-a-professionalization-of-fiction-writing-2/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The twentieth century saw a professionalization of fiction writing, particularly in its second half and particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world - not so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-twentieth-century-saw-a-professionalization-of-fiction-writing/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The attempted professionalization of serious and systematic thinking has had a disastrous effect upon our culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-macintyre/the-attempted-professionalization-of-serious-and-systematic-thinking/) [Alasdair MacIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-macintyre/) > [The professionalization of poetry, or the balkanization, has come out of the fact that when you apply to most creative writing programs, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/the-professionalization-of-poetry-or-the-balkanization-has-come-out/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [You are a long time retired. 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