Drawing on various secondary sources and direct encounters with casual academic staff, this article examines the emergent context and lived experiences of casualisation in Australian universities, with specific reference to on-going developments in teaching arrangements across the sector. Particular attention is paid to the challenges associated…

Australia has an ageing academic workforce and the nation's capacity to refresh, build and maintain this workforce during a period of expansion in tertiary education participation needs urgent consideration. To inform possible strategies to recruit and retain academic staff, this study investigates the current attitudes of the academic profession…

The nature of the American academic workforce has fundamentally shifted over the past several decades. Whereas full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty were once the norm, more than two-thirds of the professoriate in non-profit postsecondary education is now comprised of non-tenure-track faculty. New hires across all institutional types are now…

A national study indicates that part-time faculty now teach a major portion of undergraduate studies, and that most institutions plan to use more in the future. Data from the study are used to describe part-time faculty characteristics, how they contribute to their institutions, and the conditions in which they work. Suggestions are made for…

A study used available data to develop a profile of non-tenure-track college faculty (n=132) and compare it with a similarly derived profile of untenured but tenure-track faculty (n=587). The research explored the relationship between employment status and selected demographic, career orientation, career circumstance, and work environment…

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)

A study compared employment patterns, working conditions, and workload among college and university faculty in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, England, Japan, and the United States, based on data from an international faculty survey. Results indicate considerable differences across academic rank, particularly in the European countries. However,…

The evolution of the faculty and working conditions at the University of Sydney (Australia) since its founding are chronicled, focusing on academic ranks and promotion, the growth of the faculty, internal governance, tenure, policy on sabbatical leave, salary levels, and the status of academics in the community. (MSE)

A mixed-method study conducted in eight midwestern states in which 487 campuses participated focused on the workplace environment for faculty of color, with particular attention to problems in recruitment, retention, and professional development. The findings emphasize the need to persevere in efforts to diversify higher education. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 322 University of Queensland (Australia) faculty found changes in attitudes about retirement age and about terms and conditions of employment at later ages. Implications are discussed and barriers to more flexible faculty employment are examined, including the current structure of retirement benefits, taxes, and flexible retirement;…

Discusses issues in the use of adjunct faculty in law schools, including lack of participation in intellectual dialog of the institution or in discussion of pedagogical concerns, appropriate use of adjuncts' skills, pay equity, and hiring and evaluation practices. Offers specific suggestions for departments and institutions in communicating with…

A study of one small Canadian university used official employee records, details from contracts and employment terms, an employee survey, and structured interviews to investigate gender equity in university employment. Six employee groups were examined: faculty, librarians, professional and technical workers, secretarial-clerical workers, physical…

A study investigated the effects of 1988 changes in Australian economic policy on the reward structures and employment trends, particularly for women, at two Australian universities: Murdoch and Edith Cowan. Results suggest that the new policy has been beneficial for some women, particularly at lower employment levels, but that climbing this more…

This paper, one in a series about the priorities of the professoriate, traces the rise in the use of part-time faculty and asks whether academic employment has become a dual labor market. Data for the study was derived from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty. The research focuses on the effects on part-time faculty and on educational…

Surveys of Australian college faculty, conducted in 1977 and 1993, provide data for tracing trends in workload. While time devoted to teaching and research have remained stable, changes at the margins of academic workload are considerable. These tasks are largely generated by demands of institutional competition, accountability, and quality…