The evolution from new faculty to department chair, through tenure and promotion, has been widely studied, yielding ideas for success. The move from department chair back to faculty status is less studied, with fewer insights in the literature. This article offers a brief review of literature related to becoming and stepping down from the role of…

Once an institution has chosen to recognize and reward community-engaged scholarship in its university-wide promotion and tenure policy, what are some strategies for aligning unit and department policies as well? This chapter describes the path followed at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro to align policies across all units and…

Career development is an important issue, and there are aspects of finding the right position that are particular to science faculty. This article offers a checklist of questions to ask in an academic job interview. Some queries are more appropriate for the chairperson and other administrators; others are better asked of faculty or students. With…

The neuroscience revolution has brought a set of difficult, at times uncomfortable, changes in university-based research psychology. The technologies that allow scholars to probe the structures and functions of the human brain are also causing profound alterations in the structures and functions of psychology departments: curricula, hiring…

"Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty" presents new and surprising findings about career differences between female and male full-time, tenure-track, and tenured faculty in science, engineering, and mathematics at the nation's top research universities. Much of this…

Focuses on the case of an untenured assistant professor being proposed for promotion to tenured associate professor. Offers three essential steps for the department to take in evaluating the candidate for reappointment or tenure and in recommending the candidate to other committees and the dean. (PRA)

Casey Brown has moved from a job as a school administrator to one in which she will help teach the school administrators of tomorrow. As she looks back over her university experiences thus far, she shares a few of the tips she has learned in leaping from the world of PK-12 education into the world of higher education. Each suggestion is followed…

A shift in the composition of departments of medicine, which are now required to provide a more balanced faculty effort in the areas of patient care, teaching, and research, is discussed. The development of a division of general medicine at the University of Pittsburgh is described. (Author/MLW)

Asserts that an irony of academe is that professional judgments about teachers are made without direct knowledge of their teaching. Describes a four-part peer evaluation process used in a university sociology department. Discusses evaluation purposes, procedures, benefits, and dangers of the process. (CFR)

Reveals a shortage of African American faculty in political science departments in the southern states. This is of concern because over half of the country's African Americans live in that region. Suggested responses include expanding the number of African American graduates, increase recruiting efforts, and using flexible job descriptions. (MJP)

This paper presents the findings of a committee at the University of Maryland (College Park) charged with studying the effectiveness of programs on campus aimed at achieving higher rates of participation and success for black faculty. Fourteen sections present results of the committee's survey and interviews, examination of specific issues, and…