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 of federal and state aid to higher education institutions during the early 1990s. Other external factors include loss of public confidence in higher education, federal policies that influence faculty personnel policies, the cost of technology, the flexibility required for distance education, increased competition for students, downsizing trends, and criticisms of tenure. Many internal factors have been cited as contributing to this trend, including the dynamics of the academic labor market. Many concerns have been voiced about the increased reliance on contingent faculty, but some positive results have been noted, especially with regard to economic factors and flexibility. The continued rise in the employment of contract faculty is a significant trend that is likely to have a lasting impact. A positive outcome of these changes most likely depends on the ability of administrators and faculty to meet each other halfway to ensure the quality of student learning and some degree of job security in challenging financial times. (SLD)