Federal laws and regulations designed to assure equal employment opportunities have only recently been applied to faculty employment, but they have rapidly become an important issue in higher education. The goal of true equal employment opportunity has been pursued in court cases and legislation for many years, principally in the industrial sector, where efforts have been focused on the employment of blue-collar workers, particularly racial minorities. Federal agencies, courts, and universities are therefore breaking new ground when they translate the experience of the industrial sector to employment practices affecting professional university workers. This document describes federal laws that apply to faculty employment: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Executive Order 11246, as amended; the post-Civil War civil rights laws; the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The regulation implementing these laws is examined and the policies and practices that have developed from interpretive case law are explored. This document also reviews the impact that these laws have had on university personnel policies and the implications of the laws for future changes in faculty employment. (Author/KE)