Examines one university's tenure system, where unionization efforts produced a mildly revised tenure code. Despite this new tenure support, in the Spanish department, tenure and tenure-track appointments have significantly eroded, and the two-tiered system is destroying the discipline. Modern language professionals are urged to act on the…

Discusses the concept of "faculty development," focusing on such areas where it could play a role as curriculum and staff hiring decisions and tenure. It is concluded that staff development depends on consensus building, both within and without the department. (VWL)

Examines the responsibilities of the foreign language department chair. Discusses complications that arise in tenure and other personnel decisions and raises questions about how to apply criteria for advancement that vary from one dean to the next, among other issues. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on a single type of faculty member, the language program director, giving an account of the responsibilities involved, credentials, and status in the tenure system. As cultural and textual content become more important in introductory courses, and as attention to language learning is emphasized throughout the upper levels of the…

Concerned about the inexact terminology used in job descriptions and in documents connected with promotion and tenure, this article defines second-language acquisition as a subfield of applied linguistics and compares it to other fields with which it is often confused. Misunderstandings about SLA do not allow it the credit it deserves as a…

Discusses the variety of language centers on college and university campuses, ranging from the rationale for the center to questions and objections about its existence on campus. Discusses relation of the center to the foreign language department, the parameters of the position of center director, the role of the less commonly taught languages,…