Jeanne E. Miller

By Jeanne E. Miller
Director, Information Services and Publications,

Center for the Education of Women

The Center for the Education of Women is wrapping up a three-year Sloan Foundation grant regarding non-tenure track faculty in the U.S. The grant funded the development of the National Clearinghouse on Academic Worklife (www.academicworklife.org). The National Clearinghouse on Academic Worklife combines into a single website information resources and community discussions to support those who study or participate in academic work. Since its inception in May, it has been accessed by over 1200 individuals/month.

Up-to-date articles, policy examples, and discussions are available on topics ranging from family-friendly benefits, tenure attainment, and faculty satisfaction to policy development, productivity, and demographics. You can search for articles, reports, or policies from a wide range of disciplines and institutions

• if you are an administrator making policy decisions or comparing your school with peer institutions,
• if you are a researcher seeking to keep informed on important topics in the field or looking for a central location for research across many disciplines,
• if you are a faculty member or academic staff person interested in academic discussions and developments,
• or if you are in the academic career pipeline.

CEW researchers are finalizing the last publication from this grant. “Making the Best of Both Worlds” incorporates a chartbook of data from our national survey with a discussion of the importance of non-tenure track faculty to U.S. colleges and universities and what institutions of higher education can do to make themselves workplaces that attrack and retain high quality non-tenure track faculty. The first two publications "Family-Friendly Policies in Higher Education: Where Do We Stand?" and "Designing and Implementing Family-Friendly Policies in Higher Education" are both available on the CEW website at http://www.cew.umich.edu/research/resnow.htm. In addition, the second report is available in hard copy and can be requested at: acadclearinghouse@umich.edu.

In a related Sloan Foundation grant, CEW is re-investigating the prevalence of family-friendly policies in higher education by conducting a survey that inquires about such policies. This survey is based on one conducted by CEW in 2002, allowing for analysis of current polices and practices as well as comparisons over the past 5 years. Data analysis is underway and findings are expected to be released by the end of October, 2007.