Although the 1980s period of belt-tightening in higher education meant layoff of many tenured professors, financially troubled colleges are trimming part-time and nontenured faculty jobs and offering encouraging early retirement in the current period of retrenchment. However, the proportion of tenured faculty has shrunk as the overall size of the…

A study looked at student (n=10,270) evaluations of tenure- and nontenure-track teachers (n=30), nonskill versus skill courses, and tenure- and nontenure-track for nonskill and skill courses. Results indicate that students rate tenure-track teachers and skill course teachers significantly higher. They give similar ratings to tenure- and…

Examines how women's representation on the faculty of mathematical science departments has changed across ranks and institutional settings in the 1990s. Finds that the proportion of women faculty has increased but the proportion of tenure-track and tenured women has not grown. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/WRM)

The percentage of new assistant professor appointments who are women has lagged behind that of new women Ph.D.s. Additionally, the percentage of women promoted to associate and full professor has lagged behind that of those appointed assistant professor. The explanation offered for this slow progress of women in academe has been that faculty women…

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…

A study examined factors motivating and hindering college faculty (n=248) in pursuit of grants, focusing on differences between tenured and non-tenured faculty. Results suggest non-tenured faculty perceive motivational factors and barriers differently than tenured faculty. Concluding that adequate training in grant writing is essential, it is…

This study focused on what tenured faculty at a school of education presently do and what they could do to enhance the instructional effectiveness of nontenured faculty. Nontenured instructors and assistant professors (N=142) were asked to respond to open-ended statements on the subject. Responses from 47 nontenured faculty members (33%) indicated…

Faculty appointment and tenure practices at 12 liberal arts colleges of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) were studied, as part of a federally funded project dealing with junior faculty. On the average, about 40 percent of the colleges' faculty were untenured, a proportion close to the national average. This percentage had not changed…

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…

Views concerning the participation of nontenure-track faculty in campus governance were surveyed at Towson State University (Maryland). In spring 1985, a questionnaire was sent to all 425 full-time faculty members at the university, and 298 responses were obtained. Only 3% of nontenure-track faculty responded to the questionnaire, compared to 70%…

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…

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…

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)