Integrating passions in research, teaching and service.

Eventually someone had to figure out how faculty could multitask their research, service and teaching.

Those "someones" are at Pennsylvania's Alvernia College. Dr. Mary Schreiner is assistant professor of special education in the department of education and Dr. Anne Skleder is vice provost and faculty member in the department of psychology, where she will soon return.

By planning out social justice partnerships, it's possible to eliminate the proverbial two birds with one stone, they explained at the National Association for Women in Catholic Higher Education (NAWCHE) conference held in Washington DC in June.

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The key is to identify your passions and then find ways of integrating them into your teaching, research and service. One way of doing this is by looking for opportunities to frame a specific question, look for answers to it and then present the data on it.

Put core values to work

Alvernia College, a former women's college rooted in the Franciscan tradition, enrolls 2,700 students including 750 in graduate programs and 600 evening students. It's committed to educating underrepresented populations and preparing graduates for professional success, ethical leadership, service to others and lives of integrity and spiritual fullness. The school's core values include service, peacemaking, contemplation, collegiality and humility. Half of its students are not Catholic.