Proposes, in general terms, three interrelated actions to begin to address the problems facing higher education English departments: (1) an enhanced public relations campaign for higher education; (2) greater collaboration with secondary schools and community colleges; and (3) an elevation of self-image and healing of the internecine stresses…

Suggests two principles for successful evaluation of college faculty members: chairs should know their departments; and "always, always pay attention." Describes how the chair of the English department at Michigan State University developed and implemented these suggestions. (RS)

Offers statistics on employment placement as reported by PhD-granting English departments in United States universities. Discusses the departments surveyed and number of doctoral recipients reported, their placement in and outside higher education, numbers of PhDs awarded to men and women and their placement, numbers and placements of minorities,…

Studies career paths of doctorates, examining the actual employment patterns of English PhDs 10 years after finishing their degrees. Discusses the many career paths of this cohort of English PhDs; characteristics of respondents; career paths within and outside of academe; satisfaction with current employment and value of the PhD; advice from PhDs;…

Discusses the role of an English department chair within the modern university. Presents 10 useful lessons for a chairperson who is trying to make a department's case to the administration. Concludes that talking successfully to administrators requires avoiding a "them-versus-us" mentality and being willing to think collectively and creatively…

Attempts to make effects of fiscal constraints better understood in the hope of finding optimal solutions to critical difficulties faced by academic institutions. Suggests a new emphasis in graduate training on teaching. Points toward ideal changes in the structure of higher education but attempts to keep recommendations practical. Discusses the…

Shares thoughts about a recent teaching experience that may speak to two current and related issues of importance to English studies, those of part-time and adjunct staffing and of the full-time faculty's responsibility for and involvement in the design, supervision, and instruction of lower-division courses. Considers the reintegration of tenured…

Presents the annual coding of positions listed in the October 2001 Modern Language Association (MLA) "Job Information List." Notes increases in the number of English as well as foreign language positions. Presents numerous additional findings. Includes 10 tables and 5 figures of data. (RS)

Presents the experience and concerns of a black graduate student in an English department. Considers that diversity and mentoring help create an optimum psychological environment in which the black graduate student can be productive. Concludes that a diverse student body fosters diverse scholarship and allows for paradigm shifts that stimulate new…

Argues against the attitude that "there's nothing you can do" with a major in English; outlines the advantages of an education in English that involves intensive and extensive study of language and literature and that prepares students for living and working as educated humanists. (GW)

Shows why English department chairpersons feel that they are under a state of siege; suggests that chairpersons form bonds with other humanities chairpersons, help faculty members understand current difficulties, take the idea of accountability seriously, focus on student writing skills, and try to determine which courses are educationally…

Shows that pedantic methods of teaching English have alienated many people from the humanities; explores ways that English departments can find balances between such contrasting elements as reading and writing, elitist works and popular culture, and a liberal education and vocationalism. (GW)

Describes problems regarding faculty recruitment and promotion and tenure decisions faced by an English department with a major commitment to the teaching of composition. (GW)

Presents eight "sophistical" principles for English department heads, using the historical characters of Protagoras and Gorgias as a framework for discussion. (MM)

In a response to the Minnesota Conference on the Future of Doctoral Study in English, argues that English departments should not become service departments for other academic departments. Urges the replacement of adjunct faculty members with tenure-earning assistant professor lines and claims that recognition through publication serves the…