These days, most newly hired faculty are appointed on a part-or full-time nontenure- track basis. The AAUP has reported that between 1975 and 2003, full-time tenure-track positions increased by only about 16 percent, while full-time non-tenure-track positions grew by 178 percent, and part-time appointment rose by 189 percent. Yet tenure…

Analyzes data from a survey of full-time non-tenure-track faculty at 88 colleges, as well as federal surveys of college faculty. Finds an increase in new staffing patterns that use full-time faculty on term contracts at both two- and four-year institutions. Identifies forces stimulating these changes, but notes worrisome evidence of a two-class…

This study identified the likelihood of new, tenure-track assistant professor obtaining tenure at a large multicampus university (the University of Missouri system). Logistic regression was used to determine whether certain faculty characteristics help to explain who received tenure. The tenure rate was based on the percentage of new assistant…

Flexible tenure contracts are proposed as an alternative to the current college faculty tenure system. Such a contract would make more explicit, and potentially more varied, the contributions expected of the candidate, but avoid the tenure-track/non-tenure-track distinction. It could also help resolve conflicts over the relative weights to be…

This empirical research examines the predictors of intended departure for tenured vs. nontenured full-time faculty at research and doctoral institutions across an array of disciplines. What are the characteristics of those who intend to leave their institutions? Do tenured and nontenured faculty show different patterns of intended departure? And…

Employment of part-time, temporary, and non-tenure track faculty can be hazardous to programs, institutions, individuals, and even the character of the academic profession, but in some situations, when carefully applied, it may lead to substantial benefits. (Author/MSE)

The implications for the careers of junior faculty members of the trend toward creating tenure-track appointments that are tenure-track in name only, without any real security, are examined. (MSE)

Pretenured faculty members experience unique challenges as they respond to the demands and opportunities of an academic appointment (A. E. Austin & R. E. Rice, 1998; M. D. Sorcinelli, 1994). Given the emphasis on wellness within the counseling framework, it is imperative to identify and address the experiences of pretenured counselor educators.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the use of contingent faculty on undergraduate education. This study presents three research questions: (1) To what degree do contingent faculty members engage students in good practices less frequently than their tenured and tenure-track counterparts?; (2) What effect does the proportion of…

In this study, the authors used expectancy theory to examine key factors that motivate business faculty to conduct research. The survey results, from 320 faculty members at 10 business schools, showed that faculty members who assign higher importance ratings to both the extrinsic and the intrinsic rewards of research exhibit higher research…

By last spring, most faculty members at public institutions of higher education were justifiably pessimistic about their likely salary increases for the 2003-04 academic year. Many states were running large budget deficits for the second or third year in a row and no longer had reserves to draw upon to balance their budgets. These shortfalls…

The authors compare the ideal versus actual academic reward structures at a representative sample of nondoctoral four-year institutions and make recommendations. (Contains 2 tables.)

In 1993, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's governing board mandated peer evaluation for nontenured faculty. Participants in the American Association for Higher Education's peer review project feared the mandate would taint efforts to introduce faculty to collegial approaches to peer review. However, negative fallout from the mandate…

The trend toward extending nontenured faculty members' probationary periods beyond the traditional 6 years, is discussed, along with problems faced by faculty at the time of nonrenewal, implications for academic careers, and the issue of multiple standards for faculty evaluation within an institution. (MSE)

A case study of a large research university illustrates the increasing use of nontenured faculty. Origins of the expansion are examined, arrangements used to resolve staffing problems are described, and their effectiveness and general consequences for departments are assessed. It is concluded that while short-term negative outcomes can be…