This essay revisits and expands on Gary A. Olson and Joseph M. Moxley's 1989 article "Directing Freshman Composition: The Limits of Authority" by looking at revised notions of writing program administrators' work and authority in 2012. Whereas the original essay surveyed only department chairs, our study includes data from both…

When professors in positions that offer no chance of earning tenure begin to stack the faculty, campus dynamics start to change. Growing numbers of adjuncts make themselves more visible. They push for roles in governance, better pay and working conditions, and recognition for work well done. And they do so at institutions where tenured faculty,…

This article examines how a faculty member's status--either tenured or tenure-track--might affect the grades assigned to students in a writing class. We begin with a brief review of the research surrounding faculty to student assessment practices and follow with specific controversies regarding faculty motivation pertaining to grading practices.…

In 2004 the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) created a task force to examine current standards and emerging trends in publication requirements for tenure and promotion in English and foreign language departments in the United States. To fulfill its charge, the task force reviewed numerous studies, reports, and…

Addresses the "community" within an English department. Considers what image of the department the author can have that allows the possibility of forgiving one another. Discusses what metaphors describe the department: a lifeboat; a hive; a monastery; an ecosystem; or a minefield. Considers how metaphors account for the best and the worst things…

In this article, the author argues that compartmentalization in the way that writing education tends to be discussed and therefore understood in the professional discourse of rhetoric and composition should be critically examined and transcended if the field is going to lead the development of undergraduate writing majors. Any new major should be…

Lists guidelines to help department administrators reduce their liability and strengthen their position when faced with grievances or lawsuits. (AEA)

Discusses Recommendation No. 20 of the report of the Commission on Academic Tenure headed by W. Rea Keast and John Macy. It recommends establishing ratios for tenured and nontenured faculty. (TO)

Discusses the process of external reviewing of faculty for tenure and promotion and lists the obligations of the institution requesting the review as follows: timeliness of notice, payment and working conditions, and protection following review. Mentions the reviewer's obligations. (AEA)

Suggests it is commonplace among rhetoric and composition faculty to expect those who assume discipline-related administrative positions to become vulnerable at tenure time. Looks closely at the problem of gaining tenure in English departments when one is not a literary specialist. Suggests several possible approaches to establishing a successful…

Suggest junior English department faculty may be setting themselves up for failure by identifying more with the values of the computers and writing community than those of their home institutions. Argues that junior faculty should not consider seeking value for work unless it impacts pedagogy, service, or publication. Cites various guidelines for…

In recent years, scholars and teachers in both the broad field of Composition Studies and the more specialized arena of Computers and Composition Studies have begun to recognize that the bandwidth of literacy practices and values on which their profession has focused during the last century may be overly narrow. In response, a number of educators…

Examines the problems confronting the English department of a middle-sized, nonurban baccalaureate institution caught in the economic recession. (RB)

Examines the role of the English department chairman as a spokeman for his faculty and a representative of the university. (RB)