Despite focused efforts by many colleges and universities, the racial and ethnic composition of college faculty has not increased significantly in more than twenty years. To provide an educational environment that promotes the success of students of color, it is imperative to develop structures that promote the retention and success of faculty of…

For several years, the authors have been analyzing data from the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI), a national survey that measures undergraduate students' ability to take a global perspective by examining cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal dimensions of this key attribute of global learning. The survey also probes the frequency of…

The widespread sense that faculties at US colleges and universities need to be more diverse is tied to the sense that the students at US colleges and universities have become more diverse, which indeed they have. The increase in diversity in higher education over the last forty years has been matched by an increase in wealth. Thus the question…

Much has been written about higher education's increasing reliance on contingent academic labor over the last few decades. The narrative, which includes differing accounts of what, or who, is most to blame, has been well rehearsed: the increase came in slow and steady waves tied to significant political and economic events, including postwar…

Faculty members who work directly to advance the institutional mission of teaching, learning, and at some institutions, research, represent the core human resource of higher education. They are the stewards of campus leadership and decision making. While the faculty role has changed over time, leadership has remained critical to innovation in…

Just as the African tribal maxim proclaims that "it takes a village to raise a child," this author argues that it takes the whole campus community--students, faculty, and administrators--to effectively educate a student. The goal of educators should not be simply to reduce cheating, but to find innovative and creative ways to use academic…

Substantially different types of universities are finding similar sources of dissatisfaction among their women faculty in the sciences and engineering. A study done in 2001 found that women faculty in Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) colleges held fewer high-ranking posts than men, were less likely to be full professors, and were more…

The author had a conversation one late afternoon with an untenured colleague from another department regarding chili pepper ratings. Her colleague explained that the popular RateMyProfessor.com Web site allows students to rate faculty members not only according to standards of "clarity," "helpfulness," and something called "easiness," but also in…

Suggestions are given for enriching the jobs of college faculty and enhancing the intrinsic value of teaching, including providing opportunities for research and publication, improving collegiality, enhancing interdisciplinary communication, and giving teachers latitude in what they teach. (MSE)

Results of a 1980 survey of Minnesota women college faculty are compared with two earlier studies, revealing that women are not making the professional strides in academe they once expected, not becoming an increasingly important part of higher education, and not achieving equity with men faculty. (MSE)