ABSTRACT
Administrators of communication programs had the same reaction. One told me she did not understand how anyone could afford to remain in the academic world without consulting-schools do not pay enough. A second brusquely said that people in his department who spend time consulting do not deserve merit raises-they have given up their academic integrity, and more importantly, they were making enough “on the outside” not to worry about the paltry amounts the department distributed for merit. Another one said that the only people in her college who were capable of successful consulting were those who were highly competent in their academic jobs. Good teachers and good researchers, she said, are also good consultants. Why? Because in the end, people hire consultants for both their acknowledged topic expertise and their palpable ability to teach that material in interesting, informative ways.
