A revamping of the operation of the current academic labor market by drawing upon the system found in professional sports is suggested. To stimulate thought, it is proposed that rules governing free agency, professor reservation, first refusal, trading, and salary arbitration be applied to higher education to replace current, outdated procedures.…

A study of Massachusetts teacher contracts and interviews with educators in four districts indicated several factors that can affect the impact of applying seniority agreements when laying off teachers. These factors include the size of the layoff unit, bumping rights, prerequisites for teaching in a second field, and reassignment prerogatives.…

The current controversy over age-based mandatory retirement in academia is causing a review of tenure and salary policies. In this article, two alternative explanations for the institution of tenure are discussed. Five alternative policy responses available to university administrators are described and analyzed. (Author/SA)

Although it is widely believed that unionization in higher education is incompatible with traditional academic practices involving collegial self-governance, the University of Connecticut Chapter of the American Association of University Professors found that unionization can augment the faculty's role in peer self-governance. (JMD)

Perspectives on the use of adjunct faculty are provided by the Chancellor of Indiana University at Kokomo. Colleges can call upon adjunct faculty to offer courses that would not ordinarily be offered. Adjunct faculty are important in bringing an amount of productivity and experience to degree programs, since they bring expertise in a given…

A 1976 court opinion that federal court is not an appropriate forum for reviewing public agency employment is undermined in a 1983 ruling that a teacher employment contract creates a property right sufficient to raise a claim. This conflicts with established doctrine and creats new uncertainty in public employment contract disputes. (Author/MSE)

This article examines the role of athletic coaches and notes their unique backgrounds and needs that set them apart from other college faculty. Alternative definitions of the coach's role include offering tenure to coaches, treating the coach like an ordinary contractual employee, and fashioning special nonsalary benefits. (Author/DB)

The use of seniority in current school layoff and transfer practices and the impact of seniority provisions on school operations are examined in this paper. The data for the study came from two sources: interviews with teachers, principals, union leaders, and district administrators in four school districts (drawn from a national sample) facing…

The question of the viability of tenure for college faculty is considered in three papers. In "The History of Tenure," Walter P. Metzger considers the history of academic tenure and the history of opposition to this practice. It is concluded that tenure continues to be a vital institution and has provided a better quality faculty. Its…

Topics from the Williams Committee Report and implications for Monash University and Australian higher education are considered. After considering strengths and weaknesses of the report, attention is directed to the potential for growth in higher education, contracting and recurrent education, access/selection and attrition, efficiency and…

New challenges facing the institutional research profession are covered in these 1986 conference proceedings of the North East Association for Institutional Research. Paper titles and authors include: "Institutional Research at Mercer County Community College: The Changing Role in the Eighties" (F. L. Edwards); "Course Placement and Academic…

Five papers presented at the conference on "Higher Education: The Law and the 1980s in Perspective," held under the sponsorship of the Institute of Higher Education and the Center for Continuing Education of the University of Georgia, are reproduced in this document. Richard Thigpen discusses differences between legal factors affecting…