It is argued that the growing population of non-tenure-track and part-time faculty should be better represented in college governance. Recommendations include establishing a formal organization for part timers; appointing a part-time member to the central administrative team; and providing awards, leaves, and regular professional development…

Reviews how plaintiffs who legally challenge tenure denial, citing the legal theories most commonly used, have fared in several such lawsuits. Addresses the Supreme Court's recent pronouncement on the confidentiality issue. (105 references) (MLF)

Describes frictions inherent in the decision-making process at a California community college, where shared governance is both clearly defined and mandated. Discusses responsibility versus consultation and offers two successful examples (regarding the writing center and the basic writing program) in which faculty were involved in the decision and…

The purpose of this paper was to determine faculty perceptions about the role a department chair does and should play in a faculty member's movement toward tenure. A group of 485 full-time, tenured, and tenure-track faculty from 13 U.S. doctorate-granting universities participated in the study. Answers to the following questions were solicited:…

Faculty status for librarians at academic institutions has been an unresolved issue for many decades. In 1991, the Office of Management Services of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) conducted a survey of the 107 members on the topic of faculty status. Ninety-nine responses were received. Responses clearly reveal that the term…

This report examines the changes, and the potential consequences of those changes, in the employment patterns of American academics, focusing specifically on the use of short-term and temporary instructors by postsecondary institutions. Following a brief introduction, the report describes shifts in hiring patterns of postsecondary institutions,…

A study examined untenured faculty at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) to determine their job satisfaction and work stress, changes in these areas over time, and ways the university could enrich their job experience. Two cohorts were studied via questionnaires. The first cohort comprised first-year faculty (N=23) and the second comprised…

The purpose of a study conducted by the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges (CCCs) was to examine current policies and practices regarding the use of part-time faculty in the CCCs, faculty characteristics, implications for instructional quality, and policy options. The study involved a review of existing literature; data…

Data on the work force in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes in Victoria, Australia, for 1993-1998 reveal a number of structural changes. First, the number of women staff increased from 46% to 53%, although men still constitute 54% of the teaching staff. As full-time staff employment dropped an average of 1.1% annually, part-time…

This collection of charts, graphs, and text; part of a series describing the public colleges and universities in Virginia, are intended to examine what the faculty in Virginia's public colleges and universities do, who they are, and how they are supported, evaluated, and rewarded. In most charts, institutions are grouped by mission doctoral…

This paper, one in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, seeks to clarify the relationship between academic freedom and tenure by examining the standards and procedures used by the university to protect academic freedom without a tenure system. The paper considers first the minimum elements necessary to protect academic freedom…

This monograph examines the importance of understanding faculty socialization as a cultural process in the context of the current changes urged on higher education. An opening section explores the links between culture and commitment and the importance of understanding such links in light of faculty diversity and other challenges. A second section…

While numerous surveys have shown that women academics are being hired in increasing numbers, white women from working class backgrounds are disadvantaged in obtaining tenure track university positions, because they have degrees from less prestigious universities, and their backgrounds have not prepared them for the publish or perish atmosphere of…

In problems pertaining to faculty dismissal, public higher education institutions are subject to both constitutional and contractual constraints, whereas private schools are subject almost solely to self-imposed contractual limitations. In public institutions, teachers alleging termination for protected free speech bear the burden of establishing…

The Osceola Campus (OC) of Valencia Community College, in Florida, has created a three-part faculty development program that is designed to meet the needs of campus faculty, the majority of whom are not tenured or tenure-track, while operating within OC's strict budget constraints. The first branch of the program focuses on creating an…