The effects of reliance on part-time faculty in higher education have been much discussed of late. Most observers now agree that the increasing reliance on contingent academic labor has worrisome consequences for both students and faculty. The authors recently attempted to provide needed analysis of what drives the current reliance on part-time…

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009. With a duration of eighteen months, this recession was almost double the length of the average post-World War II economic downturn. Although the worst recession since the Great Depression is now technically over, this analysis…

Recent federal court rulings concerning the burden-of-proof standards for complex employment discrimination cases involving the use of statistics have brightened the prospects for faculty plaintiffs in sex discrimination cases. The cases deal with salary differentials and race, promotions, and seniority. (MSE)

Issues arising from the increasing use of part-time college faculty as an institutional cost-management strategy are discussed, including implications for faculty joining unions, tenure, governance and administrative hierarchy, faculty workload, quality of education, and public confidence in higher education. The trend is seen as ultimately…

The report and proposed policy statement of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) concerning tenure among medical school faculty describes some changes occurring in academic medical centers and their implications for faculty status and academic freedom. It then details AAUP policy principles, focusing on academic appointments,…

Examines cognitive processes that distort judgments about men and women thus perpetuating discriminatory practices in the professions and in academe. Cites studies of salary, rank, and tenure discrepancies and notes various unarticulated beliefs about gender that present obstacles to women's advancement. Affirmative action and institutional…