This study relates information regarding the role part-time faculty members fill in colleges and universities. Data are from the U.S. Department of Education's National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty, 1999. In that year, 2 of every 5 faculty members taught on a part-time basis, and they taught nearly 40% of all classes and students that were…

In summer 2003, two of the contributors to this article--Andrew Hershberger, a third-year assistant professor, and Dan Madigan, a faculty development director--met to talk about "balance" in the lives of junior faculty. How, for example, can faculty in the early stages of their careers better negotiate their roles as teachers and scholars at…

This Digest discusses issues related to full-time, nontenure track, contract college faculty, sometimes called contingent faculty. Recent data from several sources show that the opportunities for tenure are declining, while the numbers of nontenure positions are increasing. Part of the increase in full-time nontenure faculty is due to the decrease…

A survey of 222 accounting faculty measured the expectations of new and more experienced faculty members concerning workload. Results show that new faculty members have an unrealistic idea of the amount of time they will have to spend on work. Implications for both employers and faculty are presented. (CH)

Flexible tenure contracts are proposed as an alternative to the current college faculty tenure system. Such a contract would make more explicit, and potentially more varied, the contributions expected of the candidate, but avoid the tenure-track/non-tenure-track distinction. It could also help resolve conflicts over the relative weights to be…

A paradigm shift in the use of faculty appointment types is occurring in academia. Using National Study of Postsecondary Faculty data, this study examines the influence of appointment type on faculty productivity--research and education--and commitment at Research and Doctoral institutions. All full-time faculty and a subset based on experience…

The American Association of University Professors statement concerns policies and practices that open senior academic appointments to persons with reduced workloads and salaries without loss of status. (MSE)

Provides an annotated bibliography of current ERIC literature on community college adjunct faculty. Suggests that adjunct faculty will continue to play an important role in community colleges, with 53.4% of public 2-year college faculty currently teaching part-time. Indicates that colleges have increased their support services for adjunct faculty.…

This case presents an educational leader attempting to institute cultural change in a university department that has long been marked by turbulence, turmoil, and trauma. The case examines the well-intentioned efforts of the newly appointed department chair, John Nitsky, in his quest to "reculture" the department. (Contains 2 notes.)

A new director of composition at Arkansas State University explains how she has had to mentor herself, write and revise herself, read herself into her new bewildering environment, and in short, make her job as easy as possible. Reading the new environment and understanding how faculty members fit into it may be one of the hardest aspects of a new…

Learning communities are becoming important components of faculty teaching responsibilities. This study addresses faculty's perceptions of its role as learning community participants. A survey administered in December 1998 to faculty (n=67) at the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Central Florida focused on how they viewed…

A non-traditional career path passes through industry or government before proceeding to an academic position. Discussed are effective uses and advantages of various non-traditional faculty members. Some industrial programs that help universities fill faculty positions are described. (YP)

Observes that mentoring programs for new faculty have grown in recent years. Argues that such programs, although having laudable goals, may have unintended, undesirable consequences. Discusses several possible problems associated with formal mentoring programs and suggests that emphasis would be better placed on improving the graduate training of…

This monograph examines gender differences and related issues in higher education faculty and proposes steps to change the current climate to resolve gender inequalities, solve the impending shortage of faculty, and improve diversity among faculty. A look at the status of women in academia finds that women are an under-represented group in tenured…

Argues that successful recruitment of strong faculty depends on viewing information science as an academic program serving a variety of professional fields and valuing research as the equivalent of teaching. The implementation of these views within the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, at Rutgers University is described.…