A summary is presented of the Project on Reallocation, which investigated faculty staffing and academic program practices at a random sample of 369 four-year colleges and universities, as well as reallocation, reduction, and/or retrenchment patterns. Telephone interviews were conducted with 318 officials (usually the chief academic officer), and…

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)

Suggests that although the assault on tenure championed by the American Association for Higher Education's New Pathways Project has failed, there are more serious threats to tenure in the development of systems of "post-tenure review," and in the increased the use of "contingent," or part-time and non-tenure-track full-time,…

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…

Although the continuity of faculty is an important factor in sustaining an institution's general education program, if the measure is attainment of learning outcomes, qualitative considerations, and not a faculty member's employment status, are more important in determining who should teach such courses. This author argues that relatively junior,…

The authors compare the ideal versus actual academic reward structures at a representative sample of nondoctoral four-year institutions and make recommendations. (Contains 2 tables.)

A survey was sent to 150 individuals (110 responded) employed as assistant or probationary librarians, or as assistant (tenure-tracked) professors with the departments of behavior or social sciences at the three Arizona universities: University of Arizona, Tucson; Arizona State University, Tempe; and Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. The…

Factors that influence the length of time between receipt of the doctorate and award of tenure for college faculty were investigated. Data were collected from 293 responses to questionnaires returned by doctoral recipients from Stanford University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Respondents had received doctorates…

The proportions of tenure-track faculty appointments in doctoral-level, comprehensive, general baccalaureate, specialized, and two-year public, private, and church-related colleges are tabulated for each academic rank. (MSE)

This book addresses the counterproductive conditions in which part-time and non-tenure-track composition faculty must teach, using case studies, local narratives, and models for ethical employment practices. It presents and evaluates a range of proactive strategies for change, both for local conditions and broader considerations. Section 1,…

New assistant or associate professors command more money than current professors with seniority or higher rank. This faculty-pay dilemma is known as "salary compression." Salary compression occurs when colleges are pressured by the job market to pay competitive salaries to attract scholars at lower ranks. (MLW)

The faculty career is changing in response to external and internal pressures. Discusses pressures for institutional change, current faculty demographics, and possible institutional responses including modifications to traditional tenure systems (changes to the probationary period and time base of tenure, productivity concerns) and faculty career…

A Canadian study examined the employment patterns of seven cohorts of faculty entering Canadian universities seven years after initial appointment. Results showed that a consistent and meaningful proportion of each cohort entered the tenure stream, accounting for half the faculty who remained in academe. Disadvantages to women and young academics…

Contingent faculty members spend a greater proportion of their overall time teaching, but the preliminary evidence suggests that these appointees are less accessible to students, bring less scholarly authority to their jobs, and are less integrated into the campus culture. The purpose of this chapter is to offer some reflections on the ascendancy…