EQUITY FOR WOMEN ADMINISTRATORS OF COLOR IN 2-YEAR COLLEGES: PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS

The study reported here involved trend and predictive analyses to examine changes in the proportional representation of women administrators by race/ethnicity from 1991 to 1997 in a sample of 1,030 matched 2-year colleges. Hispanic-serving, urban, California 2-year colleges, and the percentage of women faculty of color entered as significant positive predictors of change in the proportional representation of women administrators of color. These findings open the door not only to new ways of informing policy development and practice, but also to future research that can uncover new understandings of gender and race-equitable practices in 2-year colleges.     

Maximizing responses to a nationwide faculty survey

Using on-campus facilitators to distribute and retrieve an 11-page questionnaire administered to a nationwide sample of humanities faculty and nonhumanities department chairmen in two-year colleges resulted in an 84% return rate. The 2,000 subjects were drawn from 156 junior/community colleges selected on the basis of geographic locale and type of control. Secondary stratification variables included college size, organization, and curriculum emphasis. Accurate rosters of full-time and part-time faculty were generated from class schedules. Pilot procedures, selection of the college and faculty samples, and the use of facilitators are described.     

Recruiting,Retaining, and Benefiting From a Diverse Community College Faculty: A Case Study of One College’s Successes

The variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives that an ethnically diverse faculty provides a community college give it the capacity to support the complex work that community colleges undertake. The challenges in having a diverse faculty require recruiting diverse applicants and in retaining those applicants once hired. Achieving these twin aims has proven elusive for many community colleges. This case study explores one college that underwent significant institutional transformations and concurrently diversified its faculty in ways that helped it evolve the collective skills that the institution needed. Over a 15-year period, the college became the most diverse in its state while growing from 4.3% full-time faculty of color to 23.3% full-time faculty of color. The study explores that 15-year period through analysis of archived records and interviews with key informants. This study identifies how a diverse faculty strengthened the college; it also suggests three key principles for how other colleges can achieve such diversity.     

Anatomy of a Community College Faculty Diversity Program

Diversifying the faculty in community colleges, especially with faculty of color, continues to be problematic as we move through the first decade of the 21st Century. National statistics show that overwhelmingly the faculty continues to be Caucasian, even at a time when more and more students are coming from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This seemingly intractable problem is particularly acute in California, where the majority of community college students are students of color, but not the faculty. A faculty diversity program that has been in existence for 17 years has made important progress in changing the situation in southern California. This comprehensive program recruits, trains, and places interns in 10 community colleges in cooperation with a regional university. The results of the program demonstrate that substantial numbers of faculty of color are being prepared by the program and that they are getting hired in community colleges as adjunct and full-time faculty. Community colleges can be and should be proactive in identifying, developing, and hiring faculty of color. They shouldn't wait for other societal institutions to do the job for them. By working cooperatively with other local colleges, community based organizations that involve communities of color, and nearby universities, they have the opportunity to make significant inroads into diversifying their faculty. This program can and should be replicated in other parts of the country as a way to nurture the next generation of community college faculty leaders.     

Part-Time Faculty and Community College Student Success

With the Completion Agenda taking such political prominence, community colleges are experiencing even more pressure to find ways to promote and improve student success. One way that has been suggested is to limit the reliance on part-time faculty under the premise that the employment status of faculty has a direct influence on student success. The tacit assumption is that full-time faculty are more engaged with their home institution, and this engagement translates into the engagement of the students taught. The present study examined employment status of faculty on the success of students enrolled in four, two-course sequences. Using Pearson chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses, it was concluded that employment status of the faculty has no statistical influence on student success as has been previously claimed. These results suggest that community colleges should not assume that hiring more full-time faculty will improve student success and, instead, should possibly consider utilizing funds otherwise allocated to hiring new full-time faculty on the development and compensation of part-time faculty.     

校园文化对独立学院专职教师职业心态的影响研究

独立学院是我国高校中的一支新生力量,专职教师是独立学院教师的主体,其职业心态影响着学校的教学、科研和管理等工作,也影响着教师的职业发展,校园文化是维系高校发展的精神力量,学校的文化氛围会影响教师的职业心态,本文采用实证研究的方法,选取了云南省七所独立学院中的四所,对这几所学校的150名专职教师进行了问卷调查,并选择了其中的几住老师进行了访谈,旨在探讨校园文化对独立学院的专职教师职业心态的影响,为独立学院的长远生存和发展献计献策。     

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT IN TEXAS TWO-YEAR COLLEGES

To discover the organizational components that nurture good teaching in Texas two-year colleges, I undertook the task of replicating a study of Ohio two-year colleges. A review of the literature uncovered several variables for assessing faculty development. The most important of these appears to be an institutional climate that encourages faculty development. To assess faculty development, a 65-item survey was sent to all Texas two-year colleges. Although the results of the Texas study are more encouraging than those of the Ohio study, Texas community colleges could be doing more to support faculty development.     

ENHANCING RECRUITMENT SUCCESS FOR TWO-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS OF COLOR

The increasing proportion of students of color enrolled in secondary institutions makes the issue of their recruitment into postsecondary institutions an increasingly important concern in higher education. Data from a national survey of chief student affairs officers (CSAOs) on recruitment barriers and strategies for students of color were merged with 1995 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Fall Enrollment Survey data. A regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the percentage of students of color at 562 two-year colleges. The percentage of students of color was used as a proxy measure of aninstitution's success inrecruiting students ofcolor.Demographic and institutional characteristics that emerged as predictors included (a) having a CSAO of color and(b) being an urban institution.Recruitment strategies that entered as predictors included (a) having recruitment materials in students' native languages, (b) working with minority high schools in the design of curricula, (c) having individuals of color as members of the board of trustees, and (d) participating in dual-enrollment programs with minority high schools. The percentages of faculty members and administrators of color and the amount of contact that CSAOs have with students of color emerged as the strongest predictors. The study found that two-year colleges reap the benefit of faculty-student and faculty-teacher interactions in the form of greater institutional success in increasing their percentages of students of color. Policy makers, administrators, and faculty members can use the results of this study to promote equity by designing and implementing more successful recruitment policies and practices for two-year college students of color.     

Women Scientists in Academia: Geographically Constrained to Big Cities, College Clusters, or the Coasts?

Women scientists in academia have been shown to be less geographically mobile than their male counterparts, a factor that may exacerbate gender inequities in faculty representation, tenure, and salary. This study examines the extent to which the jobs of academic women scientists are disproportionately concentrated in large cities, areas with many colleges and universities, and regions where most doctorates are granted. We also investigate whether jobs in these locations affect salary, tenure, full-time faculty status, and employment outside one's field of training in ways that differ for women and men. Our analysis is guided by arguments that geographic constraints on women's mobility are rooted in social factors, such as gender roles and mate selection patterns. Data are drawn from over 13,000 faculty respondents in the national Survey of Doctoral Recipients, representing 22 science and engineering disciplines and over 1,000 4-year colleges or universities. Regression analysis reveals that, irrespective of their family status, women faculty are more likely than their male counterparts to reside in doctoral production centers, areas with large clusters of colleges, and large cities. Responsibility for children intensifies women's geographic concentration more than marriage does and in ways that differ from men. Geographic concentration also appears generally more harmful to women's careers than to men's. Women in doctoral production centers are less likely to have tenure and more likely to work part time; those in larger cities are more likely to be in jobs off the tenure track. Locales with many colleges appear to present somewhat better career prospects for women.     

Sex and Race Differences in Faculty Tenure and Promotion

Data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty are used to explore sources of the lower representation of women and minorities among tenured than tenure track faculty and among full professors than lower ranking faculty. A 2-step approach is used. First, differences in the probability of being tenured rather than on a tenure track are explored. Then, differences in the probability of holding the rank of full professor among faculty who are tenured are examined. Logistic regression analyses are used to isolate the effects of sex and race on the dependent variables after controlling for human capital, productivity, and structural characteristics. For both tenure and promotion to full professor, separate analyses are conducted for women and men in order to explore sex differences in the tenure and promotion processes. All analyses are conducted separately for full-time faculty working at public 2-year institutions and full-time faculty working at 4-year institutions.     

Literature Conceptualizing Women in Community Colleges: 1997–2007

Women are playing a major role in community colleges as students, staff, faculty, administrators, and presidents. Yet despite increasing representation, disparities exist between women and men in various roles within these institutions. This study reviewed literature published between 1997 and 2007 to examine the conceptualization of roles of women faculty members or senior-level leaders within the context of the community college. The emergent themes focused on faculty topics, leadership representation, and implications for institutional practices.     

Faculty employment at 4-year colleges and universities

We examine the variation in employment levels of part-time faculty, full-time teaching faculty, and full-time professorial faculty across 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. Employment structures and practices in higher education institutions are determined by a variety of economic and institutional factors. For example, a 1% increase in the average salaries paid to professorial faculty increases the employment level of part-time faculty by 0.845%. A 1% increase in the average salaries paid to full-time teaching faculty reduces the employment level of full-time teaching faculty by 0.757%. Institutions located in large cities or suburban areas hire 31.3% more part-time faculty but 12.5% fewer full-time teaching faculty. Private institutions hire more part-time faculty than their public counterparts. A 10% increase in FTE student enrollment is associated with a 5.4% increase in the number of part-time faculty, a 10.1% increase in the number of full-time teaching faculty, and a 9.1% increase in professorial faculty. In addition, we find divergent patterns of temporal variability among these three types of faculty. While employment levels of full-time instructors and professorial faculty are rather consistent over time, there is a wide range of fluctuation in the employment of part-time faculty. Finally, the employment of part-time faculty is significantly affected by that of full-time teaching faculty. There is no substitution effect on the employment of professorial faculty.     

Technology Usage Among Community College Faculty

Community colleges are increasing their use of part-time faculty who are taking a leading role in utilizing technology for instructional purposes. Part-time faculty are less likely than their full-time counterparts to use technology for instructional purposes and are less likely to teach non-face-to-face classes. For community colleges to be successful in expanding technology-based education, they must promote technology use by all faculty. This quantitative, national study reports factors found to predict faculty use of technology for instructional purposes.     

What Are Online Teaching Faculty Telling Us About Building Community?

This article describes the results of a mixed-methods study that examined the perceptions of community among online faculty in Washington state community and technical colleges. Twelve community and technical colleges were randomly selected from the 34 colleges in Washington state. Results indicated significant differences between females versus males on questions related to motivators, time, and interactions. A significant difference existed among program area faculty related to regularly scheduled community-building activities. There were no significant differences between responses from full-time versus adjunct faculty or among the responses based on instructors’ number of years teaching online or their age. The results of this study suggest a strong agreement (87%) among all faculty on the value and importance of interacting with other online colleagues regarding effective online teaching practices.     

Adjunct Employment Preference: Who Wants to Be Full-Time Faculty?

Recent research suggests at least half of community college faculty who are teaching part-time would rather have a full-time appointment (Cashwell, 2009; Kramer, Gloeckner, & Jacoby, 2014). Little is known, however, about what distinguishes those voluntarily teaching part-time from those preferring a full-time faculty position. This inquiry draws from person-job fit theory to investigate adjunct faculty members’ abilities and qualifications, as well as their needs from the job itself (Edwards, 1994). Participants were 1,245 adjunct faculty teaching in 10 community colleges during the spring 2016 term. Two thirds of the participants were at least somewhat interested in becoming full-time faculty at a postsecondary institution, with 47% expressing strong, immediate interest in such a position. An ordered logistic regression model indicated that several dimensions of qualifications, job experiences, and socio-demographics predicted employment preference. Part-time faculty with higher levels of recent teaching experience in the community college setting were more likely to express a strong desire for a full-time position, as were adjuncts who utilized more job-related resources. Those who viewed the recognition and rewards given for adjunct job performance as adequate tended to be content in a part-time role. In terms of demographic characteristics, involuntarily part-time faculty were more likely to indicate economic need and self-identify as African American or Hispanic. The findings illustrate how careful attention to the distinctive backgrounds, experiences, and attitudes of part-time faculty subgroups may help college and university administrators more intentionally design policies and programs to better meet the needs of their increasingly diverse constituents.     

加强高职院校教师队伍建设的思考

文章针对当前高职院校教师队伍在准入制度、师资结构、双师要求、职后培训、兼职教师等方面存在的问题,提出了观念调整、制度更新、资源共享、活跃形式、专兼同塑等对策。     

How Community College Faculty Members May Improve Student Learning Productivity in Their Online Courses

Eleven experienced community college faculty members were interviewed to elicit examples of how they improved student learning productivity in their online courses. The 11 faculty members represented eight different states, nine different fields or disciplines, and all were permanent or full-time faculty members at community colleges in the southern or western states. Based on a thematic analysis of the examples given, improvement in student learning occurred by (a) emphasizing seven approaches to increase student engagement, (b) using six different structuring tactics to focus student attention on learning, (c) using assessment techniques to improve learning, and (d) pursuing a personal passion for online teaching. These findings suggest that faculty can and do find ways to use different tools in different ways to improve student learning productivity in community colleges.