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 study of criteria for promotion, tenure, and merit in college departments of health education revealed that fewer than half the colleges responding had a written policy on faculty advancement and that more than half the department chairpersons reported dissatisfaction with their institutions' policies. Suggested criteria are listed. (PP)

The report, prepared by the American Association of University Professors' Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, outlines new proposed policy on posttenure review of faculty. It presents arguments for and against the practice, discusses its use for dismissal purposes, offers guidelines for establishment of a system for periodic evaluation of…

Drawing from a national survey of community colleges, this book documents trends in the employment and integration of part-time faculty in American community colleges. Chapter 1, "Focusing on the Problems: Part-Time Faculty in American Community Colleges," describes the economic, technological, and demographic imperatives generating the increased…

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…

This document summarizes a national study of how U.S. community colleges evaluate tenured professors. The report begins with an introduction to the current status of post-tenure evaluation and outlines the common arguments that frame the debate on the purpose and necessity of evaluating tenured faculty. The authors describe current assessment…

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…

Significant improvements in the quality of teaching and research can be achieved by college deans and presidents who have the courage to hire only the best available and terminate the unproductive and to devise the least disruptive means of doing so. Available from Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., 345 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10154. (Author/MSE)

A discussion of faculty portfolios as evidence of how college faculty spend their time, for purposes of evaluation and reward, looks at the range of legitimate faculty work, its role in distribution of rewards, criteria for judging quality and quantity, and collection, analysis and reporting of this information. (MSE)

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,…

In 1984-85, a nationwide survey was conducted of merit pay practices in community colleges to discover the impact of public pressure for merit pay on the community college system. Questionnaires were sent to more than 1,300 community, technical, and junior colleges, requesting information on the nature of faculty evaluation at each college. Study…

Questions raised frequently by college and university faculty about use of portfolios to document effective teaching are answered. The questions address such issues as how the portfolio is organized, what it should reflect, how and by whom it is used, preparation time, the mentor's role, reliability, subjectivity, maintaining the portfolio's…

A survey of 63 college provosts and academic vice presidents concerning evaluation of tenured faculty found that, although frequency and form of evaluation vary widely, the large majority of institutions do perform regular reviews of tenured faculty. Most respondents also felt that the tenure system works relatively well. (MSE)

A project to develop criteria for evaluating the quality of faculty outreach activities in continuing education and public service is described. The project, which was conducted at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, was also designed to achieve the utilization of these criteria by faculty members engaged in outreach and by staff who…

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…