This study relates information regarding the role part-time faculty members fill in colleges and universities. Data are from the U.S. Department of Education's National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty, 1999. In that year, 2 of every 5 faculty members taught on a part-time basis, and they taught nearly 40% of all classes and students that were…

Colleges and universities of all kinds rely on part-time faculty to teach students from the freshman year through graduate studies, although they are more likely to teach lower division students. Overall, 43% of postsecondary instructional faculty work part-time, while full-time tenure track positions are held by about 18% of faculty members.…

Drawing on longitudinal data from federal surveys for 1974-75 and 1992 and other studies, tenure patterns and trends are examined in 3 groups of college faculty: full-time faculty with at least 50% teaching responsibility; women faculty; and all faculty. Conclusions are drawn about the meaning of tenure, and steps to be taken in clarifying its…

Part-time college and university faculty account for over 40% of faculty nationwide, double the proportion two decades ago. Increasingly, these groups are becoming organized, often separately from full-time faculty. Issues include pay and workload. Some administrators express concern that part-time faculty are rushing to organize rather than…

When recruiting high-powered scholars, colleges and universities must be able to offer not only good salaries but also such benefits as light teaching loads, new research facilities, jobs for spouses, and other aspects of an attractive lifestyle. Sometimes such job offers are used as leverage for increasing benefits at home institutions. (MSE)

The New Pathways Project was initiated by the American Association for Higher Education in 1995 to reframe the debate about tenure within a broader examination of academic careers. Project goals include expanding choice in academic employment, balancing individual rights and responsibilities, and strengthening community. Project activities,…

A national survey of college faculty employment and attitudes reveals patterns in minority group employment, rank, tenure status, doctoral degrees, workload, sources of stress, professional goals, and perceptions of discrimination. Minority groups include American Indian, Asian, Black, and Latino. Data are also reported for both men and women.…

Surveys of Australian college faculty, conducted in 1977 and 1993, provide data for tracing trends in workload. While time devoted to teaching and research have remained stable, changes at the margins of academic workload are considerable. These tasks are largely generated by demands of institutional competition, accountability, and quality…