The use of contingent faculty in higher education in the United States has grown tremendously over the past three decades. In 1975, only 30.2 percent of faculty were employed part time; by 2005, according to data compiled by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS),…

Challenges associated with the increasing use of contingent faculty appointments in American higher education are mounting. The AAUP and other professional groups have identified several major problems: (1) unacceptable conditions and compensation for contingent faculty members; (2) poor learning outcomes for students; and (3) the potential…

The effects of reliance on part-time faculty in higher education have been much discussed of late. Most observers now agree that the increasing reliance on contingent academic labor has worrisome consequences for both students and faculty. The authors recently attempted to provide needed analysis of what drives the current reliance on part-time…

While it may provide greater economic efficiency, the increased use of part-time faculty in colleges and universities has been strongly criticized. The criticisms of increased employment of contingent faculty are based on research that supports the idea that faculty-student interaction leads to positive outcomes, including increased cognitive and…

Almost thirty years ago, Justice William Brennan saw clearly that American higher education was coming under the same pressures to "cut costs and increase efficiencies" to which market forces were subjecting businesses. Since Justice Brennan's observation, employers generally have sought to maximize their "flexibility' by creating a…

Much of the dialogue about part-time faculty on the tenure track has focused on individuals who have not yet earned tenure and whose chances of obtaining it may be affected by the challenges of bearing or raising children. As a pretenure faculty member with young children, the author pursued the path of many colleagues in academia: she found…

The American Association of University Professors statement concerns policies and practices that open senior academic appointments to persons with reduced workloads and salaries without loss of status. (MSE)

An interview with Catharine Stimpson, dean at New York University, focuses on an administrator's perspective on tenure. Suggests that while tenure promotes stability and independence, it can also prevent change. Other issues touched upon include faculty governance, academic freedom, mandatory retirement, and the use of part-time contingent…

A collection of anecdotes and ideas about tenure includes such topics as competition, faculty dismissal, job security, use of part-time faculty, governance, and the role of higher education. It ends with a call for a major task force effort to address the problem comprehensively. (MSE)

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,…

A growing bulge in the age distribution of California State University faculty and its potential effects on the status and distribution of full-time, part-time, tenured, and probationary appointments in the institution are examined. (MSE)