Considerations regarding the establishment of a code of ethics for academics are discussed. All professions, not just academicians, are being asked to specify what it is that they contribute to society and to demonstrate that they are contributing it and not just satisfying their own interests. A code explicitly delimits the responsibility and…

This study explored how junior faculty perceive the academic tenure system impacting on their personal and professional lives and how they cope with the process. Using theoretical principles rooted in the tradition of phenomenology, the study conducted three in-depth phenomenological interviews with 18 assistant professors who explored, recreated,…

North Central Bible College (Minnesota) has implemented a faculty development program over several years despite restricted financial resources. North Central Bible College (NCBC) is an independent, primarily residential college that is owned and operated by a group of 11 Assemblies of God districts. It offers bachelors degrees in 22 majors and…

Grade inflation is a serious problem in multisectioned speech communication courses, and one of its principal causes is a desire for positive student evaluations and high enrollments on the part of professors and economically insecure departments (who need the funding generated by high enrollments). Positive student evaluations have been found to…

Issues related to reevaluation of tenure at "Exeter College," a fictitious small, private college, are examined. Based on analysis of financial resources, students and faculty ratios, and systematic effects of tenure at Exeter, a mandate for tenure reevaluation was established. The following areas were reviewed: the relationship between tenure and…

Adam Smith's discussion of the payment modes of teachers and resulting consequences for the quality of teaching and process of curricular innovation are reviewed through the conceptual lens of modern agency theory. Smith's analysis of higher education in his day (eighteenth century) sheds light on faculty incentive and assessment problems that…

Ways in which undergraduate education is changing in terms of student diversity, financing, and time required for graduation are discussed, and ways these changes affect academic advising are considered. It is suggested that colleges provide faculty advisors with specific training and make advising an official and evaluated aspect of faculty…

This paper, one in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, examines work-family issues as they affect faculty recruitment, retention, and productivity. Following a brief discussion of changing work-force demographics, the first part of the paper examines the structure of an academic career, focusing particularly on junior faculty and…

Part-time faculty are essential to the accomplishment of the mission of postsecondary occupational education institutions. A commitment to excellence requires a comprehensive, systematic design for part-time faculty recruitment, development, assessment, and integration into the institution's delivery system. Careful attention to recruitment…

Curricular and instructional issues are discussed in 12 articles by faculty of the Connecticut community colleges. Jack McLean examines the potential role of community colleges in international education, and Kerin Sarason proposes teacher self-evaluations to reduce faculty/administrator tension. Jean Burr Smith introduces methods of reducing math…

This report, sponsored by a coalition of District of Columbia-based higher education associations and public higher education systems, examines a wide range of faculty employment policies. The project was undertaken to encourage a proactive approach to preparing the higher education workforce for the 21st century and to address concerns of…

The effects of collective bargaining in higher education on quality faculty, leadership, and programs are assessed. It is suggested that labor contracts tend to function without much direct relation to quality, but that educational management has attempted to address quality as part of the labor contract. Much of the content of an agreement is…

Describes the case of a Harvard University (Massachusetts) faculty member denied tenure, focusing on the process by which tenure and promotion are decided behind closed doors, the nature and criteria for faculty evaluation for tenure, non-disclosure of tenure-committee membership, and principles of due process in this case. (MSE)

Five articles on research and development in higher education and three review articles are presented. Titles and authors are as follows: "Students' Assessments of Instruction as a Basis for Teaching Improvement and Promotions Decisions: A Case-Study" (John Jones); "The Making of Academic Promotion Decisions: Criteria and…

The theme of this journal issue is "Institutional Renewal." Projects designed to address the issues of the 1980s at 18 colleges are described, and 15 definitions of institutional renewal are presented. Participating colleges were provided expert advice through the Association of American College's (AAC) Project Lodestar (renamed…