The apparent disconnect
between teaching and research has implications for both curricular content and
pedagogic practice and has particular salience in the field of mid-career
education. To overcome this disconnect, faculty endeavour to integrate teaching
and research. Pressure to do so stems from many sources. Benchmarks of
professional excellence as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning
champion such synergy. Institutions advocate teaching that is informed by
research and research that is relevant to students. This article explores the
conceptual and instrumental arguments for linking research and teaching. It
discusses the benefits of such linkages and the challenges in effecting them.
The exploration provides a conceptual base for other contributions in the
volume which demonstrate specific research-teaching synergies in the Public
Administration/Public Management classroom.