Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of providing tenure in local school districts. Cites the case of the Patchogue-Medford School Board on Long Island, New York, which started denying tenure to qualified teachers because of one tenured teacher who is making a mockery of his position. (JOW)

Two discussions explore the issue of part-time and temporary teaching appointments in colleges. The first discusses the negative impact these assignments have on the discipline of English. The second recognizes that these appointments are here to stay and offers suggestions for making a bad situation productive. (HTH)

The plan undermines tenure and collective bargaining. Tenure law already provides for the identification of incompetents while higher certification standards would ensure master teachers. Administraters of merit pay systems discriminate against minorities and women. The proposed evaluation process is not clear. Teachers were excluded from…

Four contributors (1) discuss a rationale that would enable English departments to maintain a balance between publishing and perishing, (2) argue for the small colleges relinquishing their publish-or-perish policies, (3) examine the benefits of writing for alternative audiences, and (4) explore limitations on scholarly publishing. (AEA)

Discussed in this article are the respective shortcomings and advantages of tenure laws. A merit point system is suggested as an alternative whereby educators would be held accountable for what they do and at the same time would be afforded equitable job security. (Author/EB)

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reservation, first refusal, trading, and salary arbitration be applied to higher education to replace current, outdated procedures.…

The Commission on College Retirement was formed to review the role and functioning of college and university retirement programs and make recommendations for program improvements. This volume brings together five separate reports issued by the commission. "Retirement Ages for College and University Personnel" addresses the issues of…

The ramifications of a decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court that legislation shall provide for the maintenance and support of a "thorough and efficient" system of free public education for all children in the state from ages 5 to 18 are discussed. Salient points made by the court in the decision are examined, and ensuing reactions…

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)

While tenure-track faculty begin their careers with some sense of what they will teach, what they will earn, and how they will be promoted, lecturers are not allowed such assurances. In the early days, lecturers in the English Department at the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) taught basic composition courses, four per semester unless they were…

The American Association of University Professors' Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure reports on possible results on faculty salary structure, the tenure system, and retirement options of legislation uncapping the mandatory retirement age of college faculty. Considerations for institutions to make in adjusting personnel policies are…

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)

This report attempts to summarize recent attitudes toward and developments in tenure-related issues in American higher education. Modern academic tenure rests on the principles of academic freedom and economic security. Currently, public perceptions of the notion of tenure are often quite negative, with some critics charging that educators have…

Issues concerning an aging faculty are discussed, including faculty vitality and quality in an era of institutional constraints and limited career opportunities, restricted mobility of faculty between institutions, and limited recruitment of young faculty. Perspectives of the faculty and their institutions about these issues are outlined, and…

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…