The purpose of this report is to investigate paid time off, tuition benefits, and retirement benefits offered to higher ed employees. We surveyed 419 higher education institutions on the paid time off, tuition benefits, and retirement benefits they offer their employees. Key findings include the following. Only about one-third of institutions…

In laying out policy priorities in their 2020 State of the State addresses, governors recognized the role the public education system plays in supporting strong economies. Often citing the need to align education with the 21st century's knowledge economy, governors agreed that a high-quality education is the key to both an individual's and the…

Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), this paper exposes the neoliberal ideology of the knowledge-based economy embedded within university policies, specifically those that regulate faculty hiring, promotion, and remuneration in two national contexts: Turkey and Mexico. The paper follows four stages of CDA: (1) focus upon a social wrong in its…

Despite a nascent economic recovery, education advocates, policymakers and other leaders continue to sound concerns over U.S. higher education's long-term viability and productivity. Foremost among current worries is the financial stability of colleges and universities, particularly now that federal stimulus support has dried up. Even while…

The primary goal of this study was to investigate, at a national level, the job satisfaction characteristics of higher education faculty of 5 different races. Data for this quantitative secondary analysis study were taken from the national study of postsecondary faculty (NSOPF) collected in the year 2004. The study used chi-square, one-way-ANOVA,…

According to the Carnegie Foundation, faculty job satisfaction has declined drastically over the past few decades at institutions of higher education (Shuster and Finkelstein, 2006). Researchers have also found that faculty satisfaction is critical to the vitality of colleges and universities (Clark, Corcoran, and Lewis, 1986; Farrell, 1983).…

Of all full-time faculty members in the United States, approximately 75% are White males, and the gap in the percentage of tenured men compared with the percentage of tenured women has not changed in 30 years (Trower & Chait, 2002). A number of studies have been conducted over the past 5 decades examining the factors influencing the recruitment…

In the midst of the global recession, how have national governments viewed the role of higher education in their evolving strategies for economic recovery? Demand for higher education generally goes up during economic downturns. Which nations have proactively protected funding for their universities and colleges to help maintain access, to help…

This 60-item bibliography presents books, journal articles, and dissertations concerning various aspects of sabbatical leave. (MJM)

Describes a tax-sheltered annuity plan to help attract and keep qualified faculty. (Editor/PG)

In the 1990s at Appalachian State University, as at many other colleges and universities, the balance shifted in the writing program. Before then, English composition courses had been taught by tenure-track faculty members, but now most composition courses are taught by non-tenure-track faculty members. In this article, the authors describe how…

This paper presents an alternative plan to the system of academic tenure instituted at Webster College in Missouri. The alternative plan allows several options to faculty members: (1) with the 3rd-year contract, a faculty person may negotiate for a 1-semester sabbatical at half-salary or a summer sabbatical with negotiable salary; (2) with the…

This article reviews retirement benefit plans for faculty in a critical light and examines alternatives. (JD)

This study addresses concerns regarding compensation disparities between New Mexico institutions and their peers. A recommended adjustment schedule with fiscal requirements is included, but not specific recommendations for faculty at individual institutions. The average salaries for New Mexico institutions were compared with regional peers to…