Problems of new faculty acculturation at liberal arts colleges were studied by the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) with the help of a 40-month grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). Discussions with faculty members had revealed that many new faculty members were not comfortable at their institutions,…

This study examines the association between three outcomes of the freshman and sophomore years (retention, academic achievement and student rating of instruction) and the amount of exposure to three types of instructors (regular full-time faculty, adjunct faculty and graduate teaching assistants). The growing reliance in higher education on…

This written testimony, presented to the California State Assembly on February 28, 2001, by Thomas J. Nussbaum, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges (CCC), presents statistics for the financial state of the California Community College System, in comparison to both other states and to the California K-12, California State University…

Argues that successful recruitment of strong faculty depends on viewing information science as an academic program serving a variety of professional fields and valuing research as the equivalent of teaching. The implementation of these views within the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, at Rutgers University is described.…

A study of 4,000 college faculty, using data from a national survey, investigated on- and off-campus sources of stress. Results indicated that while different faculty groups (male/female, tenured/nontenured, white/nonwhite) perceived varying stress levels, they also perceived different types of stress. (Author/MSE)

New Mexico State University addressed the trend toward employing non-tenure-track faculty (NTTs) by capping the proportion of NTTs; acceptance of a two-tiered faculty with differentiated responsibilities; extension of professional rights to NTTs; full and regular NTT evaluation, participation in merit pay, and promotion opportunities; and…

Data from studies of nonstandard work arrangements for managers, professionals, and college faculty suggest that the experiences of academics in such jobs are similar to those of other professionals as to job quality and worker preferences. Workers in nonstandard work are generally paid less, are less likely to receive health insurance or pension…

For those bright, young scholars who seek an idyllic life of secure full-time employment while engaging in the teaching and research of their choice, the cozy confines of higher education have always been seen as the Mecca. But according to experts, that scenario may be a fleeting reality. The growth of part-time and non-tenure track faculty since…

Non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty represent a significant and growing element of the American academic profession. In the fall of 1992 there were 110,227 full-time faculty working in non-tenure eligible positions. Data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF-93) illustrate where and in what program areas NTT faculty work, and…

While college faculty are experts in their disciplines, teaching expertise is less understood. This paper explores one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of faculty new to teaching, specifically, knowledge of student difficulties. The project, conducted at three different institutions, used a case method, employing interviews and…

Just as student centered, collaborative classrooms give students the power to direct their own learning, so too a collaborative, partnership model for the writing staff leads to empowerment and professionalism. At Western Illinois University, involving temporary instructors in the process of curriculum development not only served to boost their…

Teachers with tenure possess certain privileges. For instance, they are permitted a hearing before the school board when they are threatened with dismissal. The failure of tenured teachers to maintain standards must be proved by the administration. In the case of probationary teachers, the school board has almost unlimited power to renew or not to…

The use of college staffing strategies to reduce staffing expenditures, to reallocate staffing resources, or to limit the time commitment of resources to a position is discussed, based on the literature and data from the Project on Reallocation in Higher Education. Control of the decision to create a position or hire replacements for departing…

Tables and text summarize differences and trends in gender differences among full-time non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty. Five tables present data on: (1) change in faculty distribution by gender and tenure status, fall 1975-fall 1993; (2) gender distribution of full-time NTT faculty across types of institutions, fall 1992; (3) percent distribution…

Published data and previous research on law faculty were analyzed to examine whether women advance more slowly than men in the law academic labor market. Women moved more slowly than men across the boundary between secondary and primary jobs, influenced by a mixture of factors, including family and geographic constraints, social capital,…