Faculty Entrepreneurship: Transforming Academic Expertise in the Evolving Higher Education Landscape

This article examines faculty entrepreneurship as a strategic response to the evolving higher education landscape, exploring how academics translate specialized knowledge into consulting, speaking, and content-creation ventures while maintaining scholarly integrity. Through a mixed-methods study combining a systematic review of 87 peer-reviewed studies, a survey of 246 faculty members across 38 institutions (response rate=20.5%), 32 semi-structured interviews, and comparative analysis of institutional policies from 24 universities, the researchers identified significant yet variable benefits at individual, institutional, and societal levels. Survey results revealed that entrepreneurially active faculty reported significantly higher job satisfaction (M=4.2, SD=0.7) than non-entrepreneurs (M=3.7, SD=0.8), t(244)=5.21, p<.001, d=0.67, 95% CI [0.41, 0.93], with institutional support moderating this relationship (β=.28, p<.01). Substantial demographic disparities were identified, with women faculty reporting significantly higher rates of entrepreneurial barriers related to credibility challenges (61% vs. 38%, χ²=11.76, p<.001, φ=0.22) and faculty of color experiencing greater constraints to entrepreneurial participation than white faculty (OR=0.58, 95% CI [0.37, 0.91], p=.018). Multiple regression analysis identified institutional policy approach as a significant predictor of faculty entrepreneurial engagement (β=.31, p<.001), with managed engagement policies associated with 42% higher participation rates than restrictive approaches. Despite potential advantages, substantial barriers persist, including restrictive institutional policies, academic cultural resistance, ethical concerns, and structural inequities in entrepreneurial access. The study presents evidence-based frameworks for supporting faculty entrepreneurship through policy reform, structured development programs, and practical resource provision, while acknowledging the tensions between market engagement and traditional academic values.