An increasing number of states are mandating teacher performance be considered in educator employment decisions, including awarding tenure and layoffs, according to a 50-state policy review of teacher tenure laws. Tenure laws have historically granted job protections based on years of employment. The Education Commission of the States (ECS)…

In academia, there are two different worlds, one inhabited by tenure-track and the other by non-tenure-track faculty. In the first, people encourage faculty to become involved in a series of important reforms that increase student success, completion, and learning. In this first world, people envision faculty simultaneously increasing their…

There are two worlds that exist in the academe: a world where the tenure system remains strong and a world dominated by the absence of tenure. In this article, the author cites the differences between these two worlds. In a world where tenure remains strong, academic departments benefit from a stable, dedicated workforce composed of tenured and…

The tenure system is a tenure of one's own making. It can be flexible, supple, and responsive to the diverse needs and life situations of faculty members, or it can be rigid and uncompromising. The tenure years need not be a time of high anxiety, but for that to happen, institutions will need to make structural changes in the tenure system. In…

This monograph provides a portrait of non-tenure-track faculty, describes studies of their experiences, and proposes plans of action. Much of the research, particularly early on, tried to provide a picture and description of this faculty that have been largely invisible for years. Therefore, "Portrait of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty" focuses on the…

This book examines how and why colleges abolish or institute tenure by profiling four colleges: two that moved from tenure to term contracts and two that moved from contracts to tenure. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Tenure and Contract Systems: An Overview"; (3) "Scott College"; (4) "Rowlette College"; (5) "Lakeview College"; (6)…

Argues that when declining enrollment necessitates a reduction in teaching staff, nontenured teachers should not always be the ones fired. Presents evaluation criteria for administrators to use in deciding which teachers to fire. (JG)

Analyzes case law on the denial of tenure after a review. Addresses the following issues: due process, access to reviewed materials and deliberations, authority of the ultimate decision-makers, claimed violations of civil rights, liability claims, and quests for damages. Presents recommendations for making higher education policies and practices…

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…

This report, one in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, presents a narrative summary of information received from 280 higher education institutions that responded to an American Association for Higher Education survey on tenure policies, practices, and trends. Provosts were asked to indicate whether their campuses had considered or…

Increasing use of non-tenure-track, full-time college professors, which some thought a temporary solution to institutional budgeting, has become common policy, according to a study of existing data for 88 four-year institutions. While administrators find flexibility and savings in the practice, faculty accuse institutions of exploiting Ph.D.s and…

Looks at how contracts impact on college faculty incentives to produce at high levels of quality and quantity. Focus is on the organizational and structural conditions that accompany tenure systems in academic organizations, on the associated motivational climate that is produced by either tenure or contract systems, and on the effect of…

Offers advice to prospective faculty concerning the questions they should ask about tenure and promotion procedures when they interview for a position. Strategies to enhance the likelihood of earning tenure and promotion include saving data to compile a vita, gathering student evaluations, publishing articles, scheduling time for research, and…

A recent case from Maine shows why public officials must resist the urge to retaliate against employees who voice criticism. Employers must be able to prove they would have made the same adverse personnel decision, documented with detailed and credible explanations for the action, no matter what the employee said. (MLF)

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…