Allison G. Armentrout, an adjunct instructor at Stark State College, does not get paid by the hour. She earns $4,600 to teach two English composition courses. But now she carefully tracks how many hours she works on an electronic time sheet. During a recent week, she spent three hours preparing for her lectures, close to six hours in the…

Colleges and universities looking to recruit leaders from within the faculty ranks will face more and more difficulty. From their respective positions--as a provost (Janel) and a search consultant (Dennis)--they often hear senior executives in higher education say that building a new generation of faculty leaders will be a major challenge in the…

This article reports that a five-year stretch of steady growth in the job market for academic historians is over. The number of job advertisements colleges have posted with the American Historical Association so far this academic year is down 15 percent from last year--the first decline since a slump that occurred in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. The…

Students with complaints about faculty members--baseless or otherwise--take up a great deal of a typical department head's day. This author, a department chairman for seven years, supervised close to 200 full-time and part-time faculty members, and received complaints about every single one. At least 70 percent of those complaints were of the "my…

Technology has revolutionized the way professors work. With just a few keystrokes, they can gain access to vast library collections online. They can collaborate with peers halfway around the globe. They can read e-mail at home in their pajamas or at a research site thousands of miles away. The convenience of being able to work virtually anywhere…

Public colleges and universities are girding themselves to win the war for tenured talent. Some are succeeding. State budget woes and a rocky economy have shaken public colleges and universities. One of the most noticeable shudders has been a pervasive "brain drain," as many state institutions face competition for their best faculty members from…

Describes how many community colleges are putting administrators rather than professors at the head of academic departments. (EV)

In a recent Internet discussion among academic deans, the topic was whether departments and other academic units should create external advisory boards. The dean who raised the issue asked his colleagues whether they maintained boards, if they were genuinely beneficial, and what the ideal board would look like. Some administrators are only now…

Molefi Kete Asante, chairman of the Temple University (Pennsylvania) African American studies department, the first doctoral program in the discipline in the country, is stepping down amidst controversy over his leadership. An avowed Afrocentrist, his administration is viewed by some as creating rancor and instability among faculty, and has led…

Describes the difficult job of chairing an academic department, drawing on anecdotes from several department chairs around the country. Complaints include having to walk a thin line between administration and faculty, receiving no training, dealing with awkward personal problems, and performing a difficult job for little extra money. (EV)

Statistics on the relative importance of teaching and research were among the findings of a nationwide survey of 2,423 university department chairmen. Some of the findings of the survey on institutional policies covered: the overall faculty, academic rank, tenure systems, limits on tenured faculty, employee benefits, collective bargaining, etc.…

Based on data from tax forms, information is given on the 1996-97 institutional expenditures and income, presidential pay (1995-96 and 1996-97), 1996-97 fringe benefits, and pay and benefits of several other administrators at 475 private colleges and universities. (MSE)

The Supreme Court ordered a lower court to reexamine the free-speech case of a controversial City University of New York black studies professor, demoted from department chairman for making racially biased statements seen as disruptive. The rights of public universities to make such decisions was a central issue. (MSE)

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This July 2, 2004 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "The Provost as Gatekeeper: A Former Provost Offers Advice on Managing the…