Excerpts from a recent research report outline patterns of demographic and social change affecting higher education enrollment, staffing, and planning patterns in the near future. Among the findings are that: fewer students will have college preparation; industry, government, and other agencies are now and will be educating more adults than will…

The professional activities of retired professors from liberal arts colleges, a comprehensive university, and a major research university are compared. Results show that a large majority of faculty continue to perform professional roles. (Author/MLW)

Highlights current trends revealed in a survey of major community and junior college retirement, life insurance, health insurance, sick pay and sick leave, and long-term disability insurance plans. Compares benefit coverage of private and public community colleges. (CAM)

The development of academic tenure in American higher education is reviewed, based on a study by the College and University Personnel Association. The role of academic tenure as a general concept in the development of the professoriate and in the shaping of major portions of educational policy and practice is explored. (MLW)

The current controversy over age-based mandatory retirement in academia is causing a review of tenure and salary policies. In this article, two alternative explanations for the institution of tenure are discussed. Five alternative policy responses available to university administrators are described and analyzed. (Author/SA)

Evidence supporting the trend of aging college faculty is explored, especially as it affects nursing education, and the implications of and strategies for dealing with potential detrimental outcomes of the trend are discussed. (MSE)

In light of elimination of mandatory retirement and prevalence of preretirement career changes, this study evaluated a model of faculty satisfaction based in which length of time until reported voluntary retirement from academe might predict a faculty member's job satisfaction. Three faculty groups were studied: novices, midcareerers, and…

The ageing of the Australian population and its implications are now well-established on the Australian public policy agenda. Part of this interest is in its impacts on the Australian workforce. It is less well known that different segments of that workforce have quite different age structures. The academic sector has one of the oldest workforces…

The project reported here studied increased-benefit early retirement programs and mid-career change programs in academic institutions, business, industry, and government. The search and analysis had two objectives: (1) to assemble information useful to colleges and universities; and (2) to assemble information helpful to individual academics. The…

Since 1972 the national percentage of tenured faculty has risen from 43 to 60 percent, and from 23 to 52 percent at York College of Pennsylvania. The tenure policy has been debated there and nationally, and the college has changed its policy almost annually. This study first established an analytic faculty profile to determine the parameters for a…

Policy variables that can help maintain tenure ratios at reasonable levels are listed: increase faculty selectivity; award instant tenure sparingly; minimize credit for service elsewhere; lengthen probationary period; keep some on contract basis; appoint some outside tenure track; evaluate the tenured; separate decisions on promotion and tenure;…

The potential impact of the new nondiscrimination requirements of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 in faculty pension plans is devastating for faculty. The faculty's pension program's ability to survive in a form that serves the mutual interests of both faculty and institution is now in question. (MLW)

Consideration of a wide variety of options in maximizing income and controlling expenditures is recommended for Australian universities. Although marketing, fund raising, investment, and other income-producers are possibilities, tight control of expenditures is seen as the most effective retrenchment strategy. (MSE)

During the spring of 2004, the Statistical Research Center (SRC) of the American Institute of Physics sent a questionnaire to all 797 degree-granting physics and astronomy departments in the US. The purpose of this questionnaire, "The Academic Workforce Survey," was to determine the number of faculty positions in physics and astronomy, the number…

This is a report on the 2001 survey results of community college presidents, administered by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The AACC utilized the George B. Vaughan Career and Lifestyle Survey (CLS) to gather information on these community college leaders. The study surveyed 936 presidents of public American community…