This article explains why college faculty benefit by taking large portions of their compensation in fringe benefits, presents data showing trends in the provision of fringe benefits to college and university employees, and suggests that academic supply and demand conditions during the 1990s may lead to resumption of the upward trend in…

In response to a previous essay about problems with the tenure system, argues that while for many colleges and universities the tenure system is dysfunctional, arguments made against it based on educational history are mistaken, and the economic arguments are unsubstantiated. Also proposes that the arguments made against tenure exploit divisions…

The difficulty for an institution of finding a balance between traditional faculty compensation practices and free labor market practices that raise the salaries of faculty in high-demand disciplines in government, industry, and education is discussed. (MSE)

A recent article on the job crisis in higher education is critiqued, and related issues are discussed, including how the current crisis compares to the 1970s, parallels and differences in crises in the humanities and the sciences, how the crisis has affected the overall job system in academia, and whether shrinkage in the job market has affected…

Areas of change and nonchange in college faculty employment since the 1950s are examined, particularly as they affect faculty mobility. External factors (prestige, labor market, public opinion) and internal factors (the department structure, institutional policy, and changes within disciplines) are discussed. (MSE)

Proposes strategies for improving the status of graduate students and new doctorate recipients: a bill of rights for graduate teaching assistants, unionizing teaching assistants, making teaching assistants employees, paying a living wage, challenging the budget priority given faculty salaries, urging community colleges to hire doctorates,…

An anthropologist seeking academic employment reflects on the plight of young, underemployed, often temporary faculty in a difficult job market. Conflicts between expectations and the reality of the stratified academic culture are highlighted. (MSE)

A junior faculty member reflects on the dilemma of that professional position, noting that its anxieties fall into two categories: "Is this all there is?" and "What if we lose it?" She examines problems with, and prohibitions against, speaking one's mind in that position, sees solutions as being institutional or individual, and examines how…

Changes in college faculty employment patterns since the 1970s are examined, focusing on the current lack of available positions, increased use of part-time faculty, dual appointments, racial/ethnic and gender distribution among college teachers, and growth in class size. (MSE)

It is argued that graduate students are bearing the costs of the oversupply of doctor recipients making them overworked, underemployed, indebted, anxious, and in crisis. The situation is particularly acute in the humanities, English, and comparative literature. Institutions and their faculty must reassert their commitment to graduate students,…

The development and implementation of a state university's salary structure providing for market differences between disciplines, merit differences, and salary increases based on professional experience and achievements are described. (MSE)

It is argued that increasing pressure on graduate students and new doctorate recipients to publish is confusing entry-level faculty employment issues and stressing skills that may have little to do with the jobs available. Faculty are encouraged to protest the escalation of entry-level requirements and change unrealistic hiring practices. (MSE)