Numerous observers and critics of higher education, including some policymakers, have suggested that hiring and maintaining faculty on tenure lines is a primary source of inefficiency in colleges and universities. These "disrupters" argue that reducing commitments to tenure will lead to cost savings and more effective adaptations to…

Collegiality, which indicates respect, a voice in decision making, and a commitment to the common good, is central to academic governance and faculty culture. However, as faculty work is increasingly unbundled, little is known about how concepts traditionally applied to tenure-track faculty, such as collegiality and the collegium (to which access…

This article reports on a study that investigated whether postdoctoral training contributes to scientists' and engineers' attainment of tenure and full professorship in research-extensive universities. It was found that training does not assist scientists in climbing the career ladder faster nor does it help them to secure more…

This study examines the demographic, academic, attitudinal, and institutional correlates of receiving industry or business funding for academic work in a national sample of faculty in the United States. The findings depict a complicated picture of externally funded academic work, with implications for the practical and theoretical understanding of…

In this essay, the authors begin by examining and challenging the way in which faculty vitality has been operationalized in the past, arguing for the value of institution-specific analysis of the faculty vitality issue. They then propose alternative models for understanding previously unexplored aspects of faculty vitality, drawing on research in…

As described in the 2003 Supreme Court decision on "Grutter v. Bollinger," the newly embraced conceptualization of diversity as "diversity within all disciplines" requires a renewed effort on the part of educators to determine whether universities are fulfilling their missions of achieving faculty diversity. A related and equally important…

A study explored the relationship between the traditional system of college faculty rank and faculty research productivity from the perspectives of behavioral reinforcement theory and selection function. Six hypotheses were generated and tested, using data from a 1989 national faculty survey. Results failed to support completely either the…

The design of a faculty salary structure that gives weight both to professional concerns about merit and to personal concerns of salary improvement in the course of an academic career is illustrated. Commitment to quality, resources, and leadership are seen as essential to this model's success. (MSE)

A study of the nature and extent of mentoring and other forms of career support among faculty (n=347) found that mentoring was not prevalent. Where occurring, it was mutually negotiated, primarily between persons of the same sex and between assistant and full professors. Four mentor types emerged. (Author/MSE)

A study of 16,837 faculty members at 219 colleges and universities in 42 states found great variation in the extent to which faculties were hiring their own institution's graduates as teachers. Six institutions showed no such "inbreeding," whereas seven had over 60% inbreeding. (Originally published in 1935) (MSE)

This study used data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty to examine the extent to which the concentration of women among part-time and nontenure-track faculty is related to family responsibilities. It found that in fact the effects of family responsibilities are less advantageous for women than for men. (EV)

Most faculty earn some supplemental income beyond their base salary, but the average amount is not large. A study found the amount of supplemental income is positively correlated with research productivity, unrelated to institutional and departmental involvement, and negatively related to time spent and relative interest in teaching. (Author/MLW)

Responses of 250 college faculty to questions about "good" teaching were analyzed by gender, rank, and discipline. Overall, few gender differences were found. Those that emerged include greater female faculty interest in student self-esteem, class interaction/participation, and seeking outside assistance in improving teaching. Male faculty valued…

A trial instrument was constructed and administered to the faculty of a private university to determine: (1) the relative importance of possible incentives to faculty, and (2) the perceived relationship between specific teaching and research behaviors and the probability of receiving various incentives. (Editor/LBH)

The underrepresentation of women and minority faculty at senior ranks is documented, and the contribution of promotion and tenure reviews to this situation is discussed. Potential conflicts between personal and professional values of women and minorities and the meritocratic values of academic culture are emphasized. (Author/MLW)