This paper evaluates and critiques a recent restructuring initiative for a college at a Midwestern university in the United States in which three academic departments were reduced down to two departments. The case study presents the experiences and perspectives of three faculty members-- one from each of those departments--who participated in the…

More than 40 years ago, Hicks and Ridley (1979) asserted the need for Black Studies in psychology across American colleges and universities. Their study is one of few, if not the only, that has examined the frequency and types of course offerings in Black Psychology. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the current state of Black…

The Faculty in Higher Education Survey collects data from approximately 853 higher education institutions on over 270,000 full-time faculty (tenure track and non-tenure track), as well as academic department heads and adjunct (pay-per-course) faculty. Data collected for full-time faculty include: salary, supplemental salary, and course relief (for…

The purpose of this essay is to offer a survey of religious studies capstones from twenty-nine U.S. colleges and universities, to identify the most common frustrations about the capstone, and to observe how departments resolve such frustrations. I conclude that the most successful capstones--in terms of students' performance and faculty…

In this article, we consider the role of departmental contexts and relationships in faculty work within liberal arts colleges. Knowledge about how departmental networks relate to success and satisfaction may inform the work of those who support faculty work in liberal arts colleges, as well as other institution types. Analysis of quantitative and…

Higher education institutions need to be able to adapt to changes, which requires flexibility and learning. Researchers have questioned whether higher education institutions are learning organizations, a concept of which university faculty have been traditionally skeptical. This article describes a study of faculty perceptions about their…

This article explores the concept of academic receivership in U.S. colleges and universities. Academic receivership occurs when control of an academic department or program is removed from the faculty and an outside chair is put in place by the college or university administration. A literature review is supplemented by a small survey to assess…

The author reports on the reigning economic calculus that helps to drive constant expansion and poor utilization of space on many campuses. The author states that colleges could charge for utilities, which might encourage departments to save energy. Most American colleges do not charge for space--in part because doing so would raise the hackles of…

There is an adage common among deans and provosts: The board is concerned with the care and feeding of the president; the faculty is concerned with the care and feeding of the faculty. The implication--and why it brings a knowing smile to any chief academic officer's face--is that no one seems concerned with the care and feeding of the CAO. Small…

When a recent accreditation review report and an assessment consultant report both identified issues with assessment and shared governance, the three faculty governing bodies of National University met with the Provost and President to brainstorm and discuss a shared governance action plan to address these issues. As a result of this meeting, the…

While women have made progress in many areas of higher education, institutions still need to focus attention on the advancement and retention of women at the highest academic ranks. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education's 2005 Fall Staff Survey, women represent only 40.6 percent of full-time faculty and 25.1 percent of full…

This guide has been developed primarily for institutions in the British Columbia (BC) Transfer System interested in seeking designation as receiving institutions. Institutions are encouraged to consult this guide and use those sections most relevant to their needs. Areas discussed include: (1) Policy, Procedure and Record-Keeping; (2) Transfer and…

The Biglan model, a theoretical framework for empirically examining the differences among subject areas, classifies according to three dimensions: adherence to common set of paradigms (hard or soft), application orientation (pure or applied), and emphasis on living systems (life or nonlife). Tests of the model are reviewed, and a further test is…

Unionization efforts on community college campuses have increased fivefold over the past decade, this research addressed issues relating to increased levels of faculty unionization on community college campuses in Ohio. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine and describe what, if any, relationships exist among faculty union…

This book presents 11 contributed papers which examine communication aspects of the department chair position in academia. It is noted that most academic department chairs are not trained in management skills, including communication strategies. After an introductory chapter by Christopher H. Spicer and Ann Q. Staton, the following papers are…