As part of the promotion and tenure process, colleges and universities have primarily evaluated faculty members on three key functional areas: research, teaching, and service. In this article, we examine how the use of collegiality as a possible fourth criterion for faculty evaluation affects faculty power dynamics, how U.S. courts have addressed…

Faculty Title VII litigation, challenges to the faculty evaluation process, and possible jucidial responses to faculty claims are reviewed. A proposed model would temper judicial interference in faculty employment disputes by informed deferences while preserving the unique character of academic institutions. (Journal availbility: Boston Univ. Law…

Examines two aspects of faculty tenure decisions with ethical implications: criteria used in deciding to retain or dismiss a tenure candidate, and what is possible to judge with reasonable accuracy when evaluating such a candidate. Recommends that narrow, arbitrary evaluation criteria be avoided, including those promoted as "high academic…

Possible administrative policies to defer the tenure decision and slow the addition of tenured faculty are examined, including extended probationary periods, suspension or abolition of the "up-or-out" rule, term contracts, and change in tenure quotas. Examples of current use, strengths and weaknesses of alternatives, and opinions within the…

A brief history is provided of the efforts undertaken in California to devise alternatives to the current rules concerning credentials, tenures, and evaluation for faculty and administrators, along with a comparison of the recommendations emanating from two legislatively mandated studies of these issues. First, historical background is presented…

Factors that have led to post-tenure evaluation of faculty are considered, along with concerns that should be examined before designing a post-tenure review process. Post-tenure evaluation is not in opposition to the principle of tenure and to policy statements about tenure issued by the American Association of University Professors, provided that…

Factors that have led to post-tenure evaluation of faculty are considered, along with limitations of tenure in general and current post-tenure evaluation practices. Positions of advocacy and opposition to post-tenure evaluation are identified, along with practical considerations that institutions might consider before modifying or implementing a…

The issue of qualifications for tenure is examined with attention to judicial tests for qualification in lawsuits in which faculty alleged that negative tenure decisions were infected with illegal discrimination. The focus is the degree to which a faculty plaintiff must demonstrate at the first stage of the lawsuit that he or she was qualified for…

A junior faculty member reflects on the dilemma of that professional position, noting that its anxieties fall into two categories: "Is this all there is?" and "What if we lose it?" She examines problems with, and prohibitions against, speaking one's mind in that position, sees solutions as being institutional or individual, and examines how…

Current university tenure and promotion criteria are examined critically, and it is suggested that they are both an effect and a source of gender bias. Current working assumptions regarding what constitutes good research, teaching, and service and the relative importance of each reflect and perpetuate masculine values and practices, preventing…

Issues concerning tenure of college faculty and the application of tenure policies on campuses are considered. Tenure decisions typically reflect evaluations of performance and judgments about potential. Minimum eligibility requirements commonly used and typical reasons for revoking an individual's tenure status are outlined. As defined by the…

Barriers to tenure for women faculty are examined, including different role perceptions for men and women, lack of mentors or professional support, lack of access to prestigious journals for publishing, and male expectations that all faculty will have similar formative experiences and training. (MSE)

A discussion of faculty tenure focuses on the system used at Colby College (Maine). Policies and practices are described, with attention given to the four evaluations made before tenure is awarded, efforts to ensure instructional quality and research productivity after the tenure decision, and the balance of teaching and scholarship in the faculty…

A guide to faculty evaluation is presented for use as the content for an institutional workshop or for use by individual faculty or administrators for their professional development in the area of evaluation. Purposes of evaluation include: providing a basis to recognize superior performance and to offer faculty development activities, providing…

The use of arbitration to resolve faculty appointment, retention, promotion, and tenure disputes is addressed, based on a review of specific university arbitration decisions. The arbitration literature reveals that faculty employment status decisions are made almost exclusively with reference to academic judgment. Attributes that are frequently…