Over the past 70 years, the American university has become the global gold standard of excellence in research and graduate education. The unprecedented surge of federal research support of the post-World War II American university paralleled the steady strengthening of the American academic profession itself, which managed to attract the best and…

In the past few decades, especially since the 2008-09 economic downturn, the faculty of American colleges and universities has undergone a far-reaching transformation. Multiple factors, mainly extraneous to the campus itself, are reshaping higher education, and as a result a reprioritizing of the internal allocation of resources is occurring. The…

Factors affecting the college faculty labor market now and in the future are examined, including the difficulties of forecasting teacher demand through enrollments and faculty turnover, economic and political conditions, the end of mandatory retirement, immigration issues, need for staffing flexibility, and emerging technology. Early attention to…

The collection of articles, intended as a guide to the improvement of faculty life for campus and department administrators, faculty leaders, and individuals administering faculty development programs, advocates a comprehensive conception of faculty members and academic careers. The first part outlines the conceptual and historical context for…