This brochure deals with issues concerning tenure in the form of contrasting "myths" and "realities." Some of these include the "myth" that tenure is a lifetime job guarantee whereas "in reality" tenure is a right to due process; the "myth" that tenured faculty do not work very hard though "in reality" surveys clearly show that tenured faculty…

The psychological effects of involuntary job loss on untenured professors are documented. Theoretical models, clinical observation, personal letters, and interviews point up the existence of a widespread mourning phenomenon among abruptly terminated academics, a pervasive response that has only been significantly measurable over the last decade.…

A strategy for assisting candidates for promotion is outlined. Teaching, research, and service remain the key criteria for faculty evaluation. Untenured faculty must devote time to research and teaching: developing manuscripts for publication, writing proposals for extramural funding, conceptualizing a program of research, formulating new courses,…

A study used available data to develop a profile of non-tenure-track college faculty (n=132) and compare it with a similarly derived profile of untenured but tenure-track faculty (n=587). The research explored the relationship between employment status and selected demographic, career orientation, career circumstance, and work environment…

Although it does not offer tenure or tenure-track appointments, the newly established Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has not had difficulty attracting qualified faculty. The creation of the institution, recruitment of faculty, characteristics of new faculty hires, characteristics of the interview pool for new positions, faculty reasons for…

A study used the "met-expectations" framework to examine effects of postgraduate work experience on tenure acquisition. Pretenure faculty with academic postdoctoral experience had better time management skills, were clearer about work priorities, experienced less work stress than inexperienced faculty. Early work stress was associated with lower…

Faculty at nonprofit colleges and universities are concerned about the quality of faculty at the for-profit University of Phoenix, and about the personnel policies that support them. This institution's faculty lacks tenure, and most teach part time. Ninety percent are fully employed elsewhere. The fast-paced courses and regimented curriculum are…

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…

Most women and minority faculty who sue on grounds of discrimination when denied tenure become alienated from their colleagues, fall behind professionally, and forfeit their jobs. Only one in five is successful in courts. Describes the outcomes of several recent cases and summarizes a 1987 book on the subject. (DM)

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,…

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.)

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…

One of the highest priorities of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Higher Education over the past several years has been the shift away from a corps of full-time, tenure-track faculty to a contingent instructional workforce in American colleges and universities. This document focuses on one aspect of that shift: full-time faculty who are not…

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…