Focused on academic departments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States, we attempt to map department chairs' awareness of family friendly policies and investigate possible determinants of their knowledge levels. Based on a sample of STEM department chairs in American research universities, we find…

Work sampling estimates the time a worker spends on an activity. In the office situation studied here, it was found that the work could be accomplished by a staff reduced by 23 percent from the present level. Campus-wide use of this technique could result in substantial savings for an institution. (Editor/PG)

The rapidly rising costs of the academic salary budget and the lack of flexibility for making new academic appointments or for reallocating resources to new and emerging educational demands are discussed. Personnel decisions made in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Dalhousie University are described. (MLW)

Coefficient estimates from a model of faculty retirement decision making are used to simulate the impact of financial incentives for early retirement. The results suggest that plans can be designed to induce relatively large numbers of faculty members to retire prior to the mandatory retirement age. (Author/MLW)

The 1978 Amendments to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act establishes the mandatory retirement age at 70. The implications for higher education are discussed, a steady-state model is examined, and an alternative is offered. (Author/MLW)

Many institutions are reviewing their consulting policy statements to determine their adequacy in light of pressures to more closely monitor outside work by their faculty. Confusion and confrontation over "control" of noninstitutional work for compensation is present. (Author/MLW)

Presents a merit pay allocation model based on the principle of awarding comparable percentage salary increases to college/university faculty members with similar merit ratings. The model enables users to calculate merit pay amounts for individual faculty members in a systematic and efficient manner and can incorporate various policy directives…

Presents three mathematical models for the evolution over time of the proportion of minorities in an academic department or similarly selected group of constant size. Analyzes both the steady-state and time-dependent behavior of the proportion of minorities and suggests a method of evaluating the fairness of a department's hiring history.…

An exploratory study isolated factors useful for predicting faculty attitude toward collective bargaining: monetary issues, working conditions, participation in institutional decision-making, promotion and tenure policies, and individual faculty compensation. Implications are discussed for faculty, administrators, faculty organizers, and…

An approach to identifying and correcting college faculty salary inequities based on gender is presented. Steps include determining whether a problem exists using an objective, legally sound procedure; developing feasible adjustment strategies; and implementing correction and a monitoring process consistent with institutional culture and values.…

An allocation model for teaching and nonteaching staff developed at the University of Utrecht is characterized as highly normative, leading to lump sums to be allocated to academic departments. Details are given regarding the reasons for designing the new model and the process of implementation. (Author/MLW)

One university's use of faculty input into the process of distributing salary dollars specifically designated as "market adjustment monies" is reported. Results indicate that, the more opportunity faculty had to be involved in the salary adjustment process, the greater their satisfaction with its outcomes. (Author/MSE)

This study investigated the relative importance of 9 instructional factors (amount learned, exam fairness, enthusiasm, individual rapport, organization, assignments, group interaction, breadth of materials, course difficulty) in 229 college students' global evaluations of faculty effectiveness in 3 disciplines (accounting, education, geology).…

Ratings of scholarly journals by department heads in seven disciplines (anthropology, economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science, sociology) are presented by journal title, and criteria and methods for assessing journal quality and visibility are examined. Possible use of such information in institutional personnel decisions is…

Data on over 4,000 full-time, tenure-track faculty in 4-year colleges and universities were analyzed for the relative importance of teaching, research, administration, and service in determining basic salary. Results showed dominance of the research-oriented salary structure regardless of institution type, professed mission, or discipline.…