Summary: This article provides a snapshot of the changing demographics of faculty and provides suggestions for how the academic workplace should change. The authors make the argument that "faculty members are an institution's intellectual capital. [...and] this intellectual capital is an institution's primary and only appreciable asset." (Amen!) Gappa and Austin note increases in women and people of color among the faculty and a decrease in full-time appointments. They also (this was news to me) note that "the academic fast track, or tenure track, at research-oriented universities is developing a bad reputation" for its lack of flexibility and overbearing workload. They suggest six "essential elements of faculty work": respect, employment equity, academic freedom and autonomy, flexibility, professional growth, and collegiality. They expand on these ideas in productive ways.
Response: This is a more complete and generalized exposition of the ideas in the Gappa and Trice piece, and similarly, the ideas are applicable for most faculty. The article provides some ideas for a WPA to think about--how the workforce is changing, job situations to fight for, etc.
Uses: It is quite up-to-date and provides a picture of the current professoriate and its concerns.
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