Faculty Attitudes toward Tenure and Academic Freedom at Private Universities.

In this study, 76 faculty (48 tenured, 28 nontenured) at 5 private universities were interviewed and asked to rate seven questions on tenure and then comment on their ratings. Faculty were at small and medium-sized colleges and universities in Southern California and represented the fields of sociology, history, biology, and business. The faculty rated job security and due process as more important attributes of tenure than the protection of academic freedom or professional status. They also said that academic freedom would still be moderately well protected on their campuses if there were no tenure system, because of the culture and traditions of the institution, students, the administration, and above all, the faculty themselves. Survey results suggest that de-coupling tenure and academic freedom for purposes of analysis could lead to better employment practices and the expansion of academic freedom to all faculty, both tenured and nontenured. Tables detailing the study's findings are included. (Contains 27 references.) (Author/LEE)