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…

Most position descriptions for college and university faculty include benchmarks that indicate assumptions about collegiality. Criticism about this practice has been voiced for years. But case law in the United States has upheld the use of collegiality as a factor in decisions regarding faculty employment, tenure, and promotion. Indeed, several…

In spousal hires, university administrators too often fail to make the important distinction between partners who most likely would not have been hired under normal circumstances and, thus, could be a burden on an institution, and those who would be an attractive hire under any circumstances. One is a "trailing" spouse in need of "an…

Personnel decisionmaking at colleges and universities is discussed, with consideration of ways to avoid legal problems. Two approaches are recommended for universities: develop procedures to minimize the risk of law suits by faculty members and school staff, and provide protection from lawsuits for faculty and staff. Institutional procedures that…

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…

The types of merit pay increments and arguments for and against merit increments are reviewed, along with important variables a college should address when considering merit increments. The least common system at colleges and universities today is that of determining the entire faculty salary on the basis of merit. Most common at the university…

A guide to understanding and improving faculty evaluation procedures at all types of colleges and universities is presented. The causes of today's crisis in higher education and survival strategies are reviewed, and the search for solvency is related to major changes in assessing faculty performance. The proliferation of court challenges to…

The sources that provided the bulk of community college teachers are discussed. Two populations were surveyed in this study: 250 deans of instruction in the nineteen state North Central Region and 579 new full-time faculty members hired by these administrators to teach in their colleges for the school year 1973-74. (Author/RK)

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…

Reviews ERIC database literature since the late 1980s regarding the pros and cons of employing part-time faculty in community colleges. Though much of the literature focuses on the negative aspects of employing part-time faculty, the author argues that they are valuable participants in higher learning, both for economic and pedagogical reasons.…

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP), long dismissive of the idea of post-tenure faculty evaluation, has adopted a new policy offering guidance on how such a system should be set up, while insisting it should not be used to revoke tenure. The group still clearly opposes requiring tenured professors to undergo formal, regular,…

Describes a study of employment practices concerning part-time faculty at 283 midwestern community colleges. Presents findings related to support services, evaluation of part-time faculty effectiveness, recognition of part-time faculty, and plans to increase support in the future. Reports a number of practices being used to assist part-time…

Basic questions concerning the purposes and functions of faculty evaluation in higher education are considered, along with background of the practice. It is contended that the purpose of faculty evaluation ought to be the improvement of instruction, and that the administrative uses of faculty evaluation for decisions of promotion, tenure, and…

Faced with scarce resources and environmental uncertainty in the past decade, colleges and universities have experimented with different modes of academic staffing, most of which are attempts to preserve or create more flexible policies and practices. In spite of tenure systems in operation at 94% of all four year colleges, institutions have at…