ACADEMICALLY BASED COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP, CONSULTATION AS COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING, AND A COLLECTIVE-RESPONSIBILITY MODEL FOR THE HELPING FIELDS

Many helping fields are experiencing crises because of mission drift, limited knowledge bases, and endemic conflicts. Disconnections between university disciplines and school-community professions are commonpla ce. Public trust is jeopardized because promised benefits are not bein g realized. Academically based community scholarship, consultation as collaborative problem-solving, and a collective-responsibility model a re three interdependent responses that restore the unique character an d special missions of the helping fields. Other benefits include the p romotion of mutual-accountability structures, the development of impro ved practices and theories of change, and the facilitation of cross-fi eld collaborations required in complex change initiatives. University faculty and their respective disciplines may need tailored consultatio ns to help them realize these benefits and address barriers, constrain ts, and endemic conflicts, which are rooted in the histories of these fields.