Treading the Tenure-Track Tightrope: Finding Balance Between Research Excellence and Quality Teaching

Clearly, a rift exists between what faculty at public colleges and universities do and what the general populace and external funding agencies increasingly expect them to accomplish (Fairweather, 1996). Throughout the 1990s, the continual allegation has been that the emphasis on research has escalated at the expense of undergraduate teaching quality (Cole, 1994; Winston, 1994). This article examines the circumstances that have contributed to this state of affairs and then looks at two attempts to address the increased demands for better undergraduate teaching without weakening the research reputaton of their organizations. This first approach—the development of ethical principles of teaching—encourages compliance. The second, a revamping of faculty development and reward structures, promotes a kind of teaching-research synergy.