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In almost every academic institution, faculty members are
organized into departments based on academic fields. Each
department operates independently and is headed by a department
chair. Faculty members of a department usually choose their
own chair from among senior members of the department. In
many cases, the position of department chair rotates from
one senior faculty member to another, changing every three
to four years. In other cases, the department chair remains
the same, subject to the approval of other faculty members.
The department operates as a more or less democratic body,
with all faculty members participating in important decisions.
The department acts within broad limits set by the university
to determine requirements for degrees, admit graduate students,
decide whether candidates qualify for degrees, choose teaching
assistants, determine the curriculum, and hire new faculty
for that department. In some departments, primary power lies
with the department as a whole. In others, the chair is more
powerful than the other members.
Faculty titles denote academic rank. In ascending order,
they are "lecturer" (or "instructor"),
"assistant professor," "associate professor,"
and "professor." Except in the case of very distinguished
senior professors, most faculty members who know one another
address each other by first names and do not use these titles
in conversation.
Lecturers and assistant professors have a full teaching load
— usually two classes that meet three times a week with a
laboratory, or perhaps three classes without a laboratory.
In addition, they may have one or more committee assignments
(the curriculum committee, the honors committee, and so forth),
which may take several hours per week. To this schedule, add
time needed for grading papers and exams, for meetings and
conferences, and office hours for students, not to mention
the many hours of research and writing necessary to build
a reputation for scholarly research and to achieve "tenure."
Tenure is a guarantee that a faculty member will remain employed
by the university until retirement except in the case of very
unusual circumstances such as the elimination of an entire
department or extreme misconduct on the part of the tenure
holder. The purpose of the tenure system is to preserve academic
freedom, to prevent an institution from firing a professor
for making unpopular or radical statements or for advocating
unorthodox ideas.
Lecturers, instructors, and visiting faculty are not considered
for tenure. An assistant professor generally has between five
and seven years to gain tenure. At the end of this time a
committee of peers (other university faculty) votes on whether
or not to recommend tenure. One of the most important considerations
is the faculty member's research and publication record.
What difference does this system make to visiting scholars
and researchers? You will generally be expected to make commitments
of time and to handle teaching loads similar to those of individuals
on the permanent faculty. Also, if faculty members are working
toward tenure, they may have little time to spare for collaboration
with their visitors.
Faculty salaries are often lower than salaries at comparable
levels of business or industry. In the 1999-2000 academic
year, they ranged from an average of approximately $45,000
for an assistant professor to about $76,000 for a full professor.
Instructors and other temporary and adjunct faculty generally
earned an average of around $35,000, based on the number of
classes taught. Faculty salaries in fields such as engineering
and medicine were considerably higher than the average.
Many faculty members serve as consultants to business, industry,
and government, both as a source of outside income and as
a stimulus for professional development. Senior faculty members
sometimes hold joint appointments whereby they have part-time
teaching responsibilities and part-time administrative responsibilities.
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