WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG TO GRADUATE?

• Shrinking state support for public universities nationwide has led to higher tuition and fees. Consequently, increasing numbers of students must work and frequently take fewer credit hours. Many of them have opted for a 12 to 13 credit load. But on average, students must complete 32 credits per year (about 16 credits per semester) to graduate in a four-year period.
  
  
• Approximately 70% of the students at Texas A&M University change their major subject at least once during their undergraduate years. When students change majors or take courses not required to graduate, they extend their time in school.
  
  
• The number of non-traditional students is increasing, and these populations typically take fewer credit hours.
  
  
• Increasing numbers of students are taking one or more semesters out of school to participate in job internship or cooperative education programs designed to give them direct experience in their major subject. In such cases, students choose to slow progress towards their degrees in order to gain valuable experience that will help them find superior jobs after graduation.
  
  
• Many Texas A&M students also take advantage of leadership opportunities outside the classroom. The university has more than 700 student organizations that provide opportunities for hands-on leadership training.
  
  
• Students who plan to attend professional or graduate school may drop courses in which they are earning low grades in order to ensure a high grade point average. Other students may drop courses because they are having difficulty passing and need to retake them. In either case, progress to graduation is slowed.
  
  
• Inadequately prepared students must take additional courses to prepare themselves for classes here. Although these courses do not count toward graduation, they necessarily add to the time the students take to reach graduation.

WHY ARE CLASSES SO LARGE?
and
CLASS AVAILABILITY AND COURSES TAKEN AT OTHER COLLEGES

Why are some Texas A&M classes so large?

It is true that some course sections are very large. Introductory courses often present basic information that can be communicated adequately, if not perfectly, in a large classroom setting. Resources are limited and hard choices must be made: A large student-to-teacher ratio in the introductory courses permits departments to limit the sizes of more advanced, upper-division courses that cannot be taught without more individual interaction in the classroom.

Why doesn't each professor just teach more classes to make classes smaller?

We could, but if we did, our character as a major research university would change.

A decision was made many years ago to make Texas A&M University one of the great research universities. Our efforts have been successfully directed toward this goal for several decades, and as a result we are already ranked among the top 10 research universities of the United States in several subjects.

It would certainly be possible to reverse our direction and become a school devoted primarily to teaching. Our best researchers would probably leave, and the international reputation we have gained would evaporate. Should we do that? We believe not.

Couldn't we make introductory classes smaller by shrinking the number of students here at A&M?

We are already turning away thousands of students each year who are qualified and want to attend Texas A&M University. Should we turn away still more? We believe we should keep class sizes at the maximum possible while meeting our responsibility to teach well, thus turning away as few students as possible consistent with high quality instruction.

Why do students take some courses at other colleges while at the same time taking courses at TAMU?

These alternatives offer scheduling flexibility for the students, especially with regard to courses in high demand.

What about students taking courses at other schools when you do have openings?

Many students return home during the summer and can save money by taking courses at local colleges while living with their families. But not all students study elsewhere for that reason. We have asked them why they opt for junior or community college credit in courses where we have openings. They have pointed out that the content of courses and the level of performance at other schools typically are believed to be less demanding than they are at TAMU. Moreover, the Common Course Numbering System guarantees that they can transfer the credit to TAMU. So some students take courses they consider difficult, such as science, mathematics and foreign languages, at colleges where they believe they will face less competition and smaller fees.

We do not believe that searching out less demanding courses is in the best interests of the students. Because of the large number of people seeking to become students at Texas A&M University, our average student is significantly more academically competitive than the average at most other colleges and universities. To serve these uncommonly good students, we have set the level of rigor in our courses above that in similar courses elsewhere. Thus, although those of our students who take a course elsewhere receive excellent teaching, the syllabi for many of these courses show that less material is taught in the same courses than at Texas A&M University. Unfortunately, by State law we have little control over where our students take their courses.

WHY DO YOU USE GRADUATE STUDENTS TO TEACH?
and
WHY FOREIGN GRADUATE STUDENTS TEACH

Why don't you use tenured faculty in front of all classes instead of sometimes using graduate students?

To do that, we would have to hire many more professors. But for many purposes and reasons, graduate students make excellent teachers. Moreover, using them as teachers provides benefits to both the graduate students and to the University and State.

The most common uses of a graduate student are as a research assistant, as a teaching assistant in the laboratory, and (occasionally) as a grader. The research assistant helps the professor do research and is usually paid from grant money. That graduate student does not actually teach a class. The same is true of the grader, whose job is to grade homework and to help grade tests under the direct supervision of the professor. On the other hand, the laboratory assistant does interact with the students. To understand this person's job, you need to know that many lower division courses are made up of two parts. First, there is the lecture, given three or so hours per week by a skilled specialist in the field, such as a tenured professor or specialized lecturer. For the second part, the students will gather in smaller groups in laboratory sections, each usually led by a graduate student. This person's job is to help the students understand the lessons given in lecture and to guide the students in carrying out experiments and setting up and using laboratory equipment. The laboratory assistant meets regularly with the professor for guidance.

But don't graduate students sometimes actually teach?

Yes. More advanced graduate students are sometimes used as lecturers. Theirs is a more responsible position, since the lecturer usually prepares the lessons, often makes up the tests that are given, and assigns the grades at the end of the term. But this responsibility is not given lightly, and supervision by experienced faculty is regularly given. In fact, we are very proud of our graduate students' teaching. They are closer to the undergraduates in age than most of the faculty, and closer in immediate life experience, since they are still students themselves. These factors often prove to be a real advantage for the undergraduates who have the graduate student instructors, since they can more easily communicate with each other. In Fall, 1995, about 14% of freshman and sophomore lecture classes, and about 6% of junior and senior classes, were taught by graduate student lecturers.

Graduate students are used as lecturers only near the end of their graduate training. These men and women are brilliant, able, and well trained. Most have already taken all of the courses they need to graduate and are working on other aspects of their degrees. A formal program of teaching assistant recognition has been in place at TAMU for the past several years, and many of our teaching assistants have been honored for their excellence and classroom contributions. Because of this sort of training at the nation's graduate institutions, even new faculty are experienced teachers.

But many graduate students are international students. Is it good for students to wade through a hard subject and an instructor's poor English at the same time?

Let's distinguish between an accent and poor English. Those graduate students whose native language is not English must pass the "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (a national exam) before being admitted to the University. In addition they must pass a second, more difficult set of tests, the "English Language Proficiency Exam," before they are allowed to teach. The exam is administered by the Measurement and Research Services Office of the University; a passing score requires a minimum grade of 80% on each section of the exam. If they do not pass, they are not allowed to teach and they are referred to the English Language Institute for improvement of their English.

Early contact with international students gives our young people a chance to understand cultures they may be working with in their professional futures. Texas A&M graduates often work for companies with branches in foreign countries. It is common for recruiters to express a preference for hiring university graduates who can work in a multinational environment because of the increasingly global nature of the work place. Early contact with international students gives our young people a chance to understand cultures they may be working with in their professional futures.

Is that the only reason international students are allowed to study at Texas A&M University? Don't we actually subsidize their education?

The university and the state realize long-term benefits by teaching and employing international students. About half of these students remain in Texas and other states and contribute their expertise and hard work at levels far above our investment in their education. Those who return to their native countries go with a greater appreciation of U.S. values and standards. They strengthen U.S. ties abroad, where the U.S. will increasingly transact business and cultural exchanges in the twenty-first century. In turn, international students broaden the cultural knowledge of U.S. students, which promotes respect and harmony between nations.

Moreover, by drawing our graduate students from both inside and outside the United States the average quality of graduate students, and thus the quality of research in which they participate, is raised. Thus the University, the State, and the Nation gain by the presence of international students.

There's one other thing about them you might find interesting. Although only about 29% of our graduate students are international students, in the 1994/95 academic year total expenditures by foreign students in the state of Texas exceeded three-quarters of a billion dollars and created over 8000 jobs.

To summarize the matter of using graduate students as teachers: The use of qualified teaching assistants to supplement available faculty permits considerable cost savings to the taxpayers of the state and thus to our students, provides supervised training for graduate students as teachers, and provides the undergraduates with instructors who enhance their educational experience.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS - WHY DO THEY EXIST?
and
WHAT'S INVOLVED FOR THE GRADUATE STUDENT AND HOW IS THE STUDENT SUPPORTED?

Why do graduate programs exist?

Graduate programs exist because there are many fields for which a successful career requires more than four years of study beyond high school. Graduate programs produce well-educated professionals who contribute much to society and the economy. They also supply the college and university faculty of the future. Further, they create an atmosphere in which undergraduates learn from the advanced work going on around them, and benefit from the increased value of a degree from a higher ranking university.

The importance of graduate studies to Texas A&M University was recognized early in its history. Texas A&M University, the state's first public institution of higher education, opened for classes in 1876. Twelve years later, in 1888, the faculty began programs of instruction at the graduate level. By 1936 the Board of Directors had approved programs of study and research leading to the doctorate. In the 1960's the Board of Regents approved changes that resulted in graduate programs in all of the academic colleges of the University. The addition of sea and space grant designations to Texas A&M University would not have been possible without the development of strong graduate programs.

Does a professor's work at the graduate level have practical applications and benefits outside of a university?

Definitely! The investments made in research and graduate programs today drive the technological developments of tomorrow. The impact of the semiconductor integrated circuit industry on the economies of Austin and Dallas provides a current example to the taxpayers of Texas. In this industry ideas and concepts developed by university graduate research now provide the state with tens of thousands of skilled jobs. In fact, ten chief executives of small, high-technology companies in the State of Texas, in a 1995 letter to Members of Congress, wrote, "Our University system and its research programs play a central and critical role in advancing our state of knowledge. Without adequate federal support, University research efforts will quickly erode. American industry will then cease to have access to the basic technologies and well-educated scientists and engineers that have served American interests so well."

At the national level, twenty chief executives of major US corporations, in an open letter to President Clinton reprinted in USA Today, April 24, 1996, stated, "Our universities, and the research programs pursued therein, have played a pivotal role in continually advancing our technical knowledge. Equally important, they have produced the very scientists and engineers that allow American industry to compete with nations and cultures throughout the world. The standard of living we enjoy today has, in large part, been made possible by our ingenuity and creativeness and our ability to continually advance and apply technology."

Another kind of application resides in the value of the reputation of a university to its students when they are granted degrees. We are world-class, and that fact is noticed when our graduates seek jobs. But the university's reputation is largely based on the combination of research carried out here, the recognition earned by its faculty for their creative work, and the reputations earned later by the people who earn degrees from here. The activities of graduate students thus benefit all of the university community.

In addition, the graduate students who are now conducting research independently or jointly with faculty will be the leaders in their fields of study in a few years and many of them will be the professors for the next generation of students. Their work will ultimately directly benefit our economy and our entire society, and the reputations they gain in later years will reflect back on Texas A&M University.

In short, it is essential for the welfare of our students as well as the economic health of our state and nation that we continue to promote strong university research and graduate programs. These are the educational seed corn for our future.

What gains do graduate studies bring to the graduate student?

At the beginning, graduate studies seem quite similar to undergraduate studies. The student takes more classes and gets a deeper understanding of the subject. In some programs, this kind of study eventually culminates in the "qualifying" or "preliminary" examinations, which are long and thorough exams, usually written, covering everything the student is supposed to know by then. Many professors say that they knew more about their subject at the time of their qualifying exams than any time before or since. At this stage the student may stop with a master's degree.

However, there are other programs in which the further courses are capped by the writing of a research thesis instead of qualifying exams. This thesis must show that the student has learned scholarship at a professional level.

What about the PhD degree?

The PhD studies are much more intense. A professor spends hours with a PhD student discussing the student's work and guiding the student toward the sort of professionalism that characterizes the well-trained professor.

This is the time when the student learns to do research. Even students who have done research before embarking on a PhD program gain enormously in the depth of their understanding of how to choose problems, extend the questions originally asked as evidence comes in, and build a research program.

In brief, research is the process of formulating questions whose answers are not known, and developing responses to the questions. The culmination of successful research is a coherent development of new information that answers the original question, and more questions besides, and may raise new questions that are worth studying.

There is a significant danger to the student at this stage. Research is publishable only if it is new, and a degree is granted only for successfully completed publishable research. There are many cases on record of graduate students whose research projects failed - no useful answer to the initial question was found, or one was found but it was anticipated by another researcher someplace else. In such cases the student's research project may have to be scrapped and the student starts over with a new research project.

The studies for the PhD degree typically average four to seven years beyond the baccalaureate degree. The new PhD can then seek a job in industry or government or at a college or university.

How are graduate students supported?

We employ graduate students as lab assistants, research assistants, and lecturers with salaries sufficient to allow completion of studies without assuming significant debt.

ON RESEARCH AND GRANTS

Aside from teaching, what is a professor's job?

In addition to teaching, all faculty are expected to devote some of their time to both research and service. Each of these is a broad category of activities that consume the time and energy of all faculty members in varying amounts, depending on their stages of career development and assigned jobs. Individuals may spend one part of their career emphasizing research and another emphasizing service, particularly if they rise to leadership positions within their universities or professional fields.

What is research?

Research is continued learning that leads to the creation of new knowledge. Faculty learn how to conduct research in graduate school, then apply those skills throughout their careers. Research activities include:

• Conducting research projects, often in collaboration with students or colleagues.
  
  
• Teaching research skills to students and supervising student research projects.
  
  
• Traveling to gather data, consult with experts, or attend professional meetings.
  
  
• Publishing the new results in professional journals and books.

Research distinguishes Texas A&M in national and international rankings of universities. It is essential to keeping faculty and students on the cutting edge of knowledge.

Who pays for research?

Most research is supported by grants and contracts, outside funds that faculty secure for the university. However, some research is supported by the University itself, and some is even self-supported by faculty members through the work they do during unpaid summer terms.

How do faculty obtain grants?

Private and government agencies issue regular requests for grant proposals. In response, faculty write proposals, a job that often requires a month or more of hard work, and submit them to granting agencies. Some are for specific, well defined tasks, others for more general scholarly investigations in a faculty member's area of expertise. Because these are often national competitions, only 10% to 20% in some fields, and on the average only about 25%, of all proposals are successful.

What does a grant cover?

Research funds purchase equipment and supplies, travel, some salary support for faculty members (who are typically only paid nine months teaching salaries by the State), financial support for students and post-doctoral fellows who participate in the grant project, and "overhead costs" which reimburse the University for the use of its rooms, supplies, and staff and for its administrative support for the project. A portion of the overhead is given to the State of Texas; that money often comes back to the University. Approximately $24.6 million of external grant funds support students and post-doctoral fellows, thus fully supporting about 2000 graduate students at $12,000 per year.

Some grants allow faculty to devote full time to research for a period, or to study at institutions with special resources unavailable at Texas A&M.

Are external grants important to the University?

External grant funds provide much needed additional resources to enhance the educational experience at the University. Such funds are essential to the graduate programs and also have a large impact on the undergraduate programs. These funds provide state-of-the-art equipment and financial support which enable many Texas A&M students to obtain highly advanced training in their chosen fields. The work accomplished using these grants also contributes greatly to the scholarly reputation of Texas A&M University and the practical ability of the university to bring the benefits of research involvement to the classroom and Texas as a whole.

Who looks after all this money?

The faculty member designated as principal investigator on a grant has signature authority on all grant expenditures. Oversight and accounting for all expenditures is provided by the University, the Texas A&M Research Foundation, or the Texas Agricultural and Engineering Experiment Stations. These entities assure that all disbursements of funds are handled in accordance with the policies of the granting agencies. Grants and activities of the recipients of grants are routinely audited for compliance with University and State guidelines.

Do professors have to get grants to be promoted and tenured?

Sometimes, and sometimes not. The importance attached to having external grants will vary according to field of study within the University, and even according to a faculty member's area of responsibility within an individual department. Grants are more essential for faculty in areas where laboratories or other special facilities are needed in order for them to do their research.

External grants are typically awarded after extensive peer review. The receipt and successful use of such grants provides additional evidence of the motivation, abilities and stature of the faculty members in their areas of study. This information is one of the things used in reviewing faculty members for raises, promotion, and tenure.

THE PURPOSES OF TENURE - RESEARCH AND TEACHING

What are the purposes of tenure?

Like everybody else, professors want to support their families, educate their children, and provide for their future. They will not foolishly risk their livelihood for mere curiosity. But there is a public need for the study of questions raised by curiosity. The public need is for people of proven ability at solving problems to attack new ones - problems whose solutions are both needed and completely unknown. We hire precisely those people to staff our major research universities, including Texas A&M, and we must provide them with the assurance that exploring tough questions will not result in job loss. Tenure is that assurance.

But why would doing the job you're hired to do cause you to lose the job?

There is no point in studying problems whose solutions are already known, and not much value in studying those whose solutions are easily guessed. But if we start to study a problem whose answer is unguessable, we might not like what we discover. Darwin's discovery of evolution was and remains highly controversial, and it is not what he hoped to find when he embarked on his voyage of discovery. But without his work, we would not be seeking gene therapies right now. And consider the case of Professor Samuel Herrick of UCLA. Many years ago he wrote both professional and popular articles on space flight. Because space flight was seen as a childish fantasy at that time, his work was a considerable embarrassment to the university faculty and administration. Without tenure, he probably would have carried out other, less controversial, investigations or he would have been fired, and his work would have been lost to the world. As it was, his promotion to full professor was long delayed. Now he is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field. His work led directly to our present highly active space program, including the valuable Hubble telescope and weather and communication satellites.

Are the only dangers in research that you might appear foolish or not like the answers?

Not at all! A professor might spend months or even years studying a subject and mastering a problem, only to have some other person publish a similar result first. Often problems worth studying are known to everybody, and newly discovered methods of study become tools for the whole community. Many of us have lost credit for work for just this reason. But to the outside world, a researcher who works for years on a problem, only to have somebody else publish first, may appear to have done nothing for years.

Are there risks in teaching that justify tenure?

As Prof. James E. Perley said in The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 4, 1997, "What kind of courage [does it take] to instill a suitable skepticism in students?" Our job is to open the minds of our students, and this cannot be done without challenging them with new and sometimes unpalatable ideas.

Even discussing controversial subjects in the classroom can lead to problems. In the 1950's, the philosophy professor who discussed Marxism with students was at risk. A law professor who wants to show that some aspects of the McVeigh trial were unfair might have troubles now.

Also, consider the time it takes to write a textbook. A well-written text will usually take several years to write. The professor prepares and teaches courses, takes care of assigned service work, and then goes off and works as much as 5 or 10 hours a day writing the book. The risk is that when the book is done, it may not be accepted by colleagues as a ground-breaking contribution to the field.

Wise faculty members would not go so far as to risk their jobs by doing research or writing books that could result in nothing. But curiosity and the desire to teach are strong driving forces, and experience has shown that faculty members will risk their next few raises, and even their next promotion, to satisfy these needs. Tenure limits their risk.

Most businesses would not tolerate a person whose record showed huge amounts of time spent on unsuccessful research, or time spent on work that seems unimportant or unpalatable, or on writing a book that does not sell. Yet this is precisely the type of work that often achieves the big breakthroughs. It is no accident that most such work is done, and most such breakthroughs occur, at research universities. There the climate is right, assuming the faculty have tenure.

So tenure is a way of helping professors keep their jobs while they take chances for the public. But business people take chances every day - starting new businesses, changing product lines, and so on. They don't get any special protection. Why should professors?

Business people are working for themselves. They see good opportunities and act on them because they will directly benefit from success. But professors are employees of an organization which may not reward them even if they are successful. They have the option of doing "safe" research - research that is unlikely to produce major breakthroughs but which is publishable. Why would they take chances if they could lose their jobs as a result?

But isn't tenure intended to protect academic freedom?

Yes, and that is exactly what was described above. There is no academic freedom if one's job can be lost for pursuing hard or unpopular questions and ideas. The risk is in the pursuit; if it extends to the possibility of the loss of the job, academic freedom disappears.

The purpose of tenure is to protect academic freedom, the freedom to pursue original research, and the freedom to study and discuss ideas that are new, unpopular or misunderstood. Such freedom of thought benefits society by encouraging innovation, independent analysis, and creativity.

Alexander W. Astin, in the March/April 1993 issue of Change (Volume 25, number 2, page 49) said, "One thing that we tend to forget about academic freedom is that it is not merely an end in itself but that it has a larger purpose: the pursuit of truth. The link between academic freedom and the pursuit of knowledge is often overlooked ..., but the underlying logic is really very simple: the quickest and surest way to the truth is to encourage the expression of diverse points of view and to promote active discussion and debate of these different views. This is really what academic freedom is all about."

Tenure has developed over hundreds of years, and forms the foundation of the modern university in Western society. Its value in encouraging new generations of scholars and sustaining the quest for knowledge should not be taken lightly. Tenure means that a faculty member has earned a secure position on a university faculty, but it does not prevent dismissal for poor performance.

THE ACQUISITION AND LOSS OF TENURE

What is the meaning and purpose of tenure?

Former Harvard University Dean Henry Rosovsky describes tenure as a social contract in which professors achieve job security by accepting lower pay than their education, talents, and initiative would command in other fields. Faculty members have the talent and amount of time invested in their own education that would tend to make them very successful business people, lawyers, and doctors - people who make much more money than the average faculty member. Our faculty have chosen not to take that course, but instead have chosen the challenge of tenure in order to seek and publish answers to difficult and unpopular questions.

How does a person achieve tenure?

A doctoral degree, which typically requires from four to seven years of study beyond the baccalaureate degree, is required for most university teaching positions. Chosen from perhaps hundreds of applicants in a highly competitive process, a new faculty member enters the tenure track, a seven-year developmental period during which progress is monitored annually by peers and administrators.

In each of the first six years, the new faculty members are reviewed. They must receive favorable student and peer evaluations of teaching, and they must publish research in peer-reviewed scholarly journals or produce equivalent peer-reviewed creative work. The third year review is more stringent than the other reviews.

In the sixth year, an even more thorough review of overall performance is performed by faculty peers, external reviewers from other universities or industry, department heads, deans, and ultimately the Provost and President, who may recommend to the Board of Regents that tenure be granted. The Board usually grants tenure upon this recommendation effective in the seventh year. Thus, when tenure is granted, the faculty member has devoted ten or more years of effort to achieve that status. Slightly more than one-half of those hired into the tenure track at Texas A&M actually receive tenure.

The rigor of this process of evaluation ensures that tenured faculty are prepared to remain a highly productive group for the balance of their careers. Because of this rigorous process, we can be sure that the tenured faculty are people of proven ability to solve problems.

How is research measured?

Quality and amount of research are measured by publications, dollar value of grants, patents won, showings in galleries, performances, architectural awards, number of references to one's work, invitations to speak at conferences and colloquiums, honors and awards, and invited memberships in prestigious societies. At the times of tenure and promotion consideration, and occasionally at other times, experts in the same field are asked to write letters assessing the research of a faculty member.

Many A&M faculty have published books that are used and cited around the world. Others have achieved technological breakthroughs that have increased productivity and competitiveness in engineering, agriculture, and numerous other fields. Research and publication are the key determinants of a university's national and world reputation, for they demonstrate faculty quality to an audience beyond the campus of Texas A&M and the state of Texas.

What happens to the people who don't get tenure?

Some go into industry, some go to other, usually less stringent, schools and start the tenuring process again, and some change their fields of study. The bar for tenure at Texas A&M is set very high, so to be denied tenure here is not a cause for shame.

Is it true that a tenured faculty member cannot be fired?

No. There is a continuing review process including annual reviews. When a pattern of weakness, or inadequacy, is seen, a post-tenure review process is initiated, in which the faculty member, in concert with his or her department head and dean, works out a three-year program of improvement with specified goals. If this program fails, the faculty member may be fired.

Moreover, the security of tenure may be forfeited if a faculty member is found through due process to have become incompetent, or to be guilty of moral turpitude. A faculty member who relaxes and quits doing the hard work that earned tenure will quickly become so far behind current work in his or her field that he or she will become effectively incompetent. But long before such incompetence manifests itself, this sort of faculty member is pressured to improve or find other employment.

What sort of pressure is used?

When the problem first manifests itself, a department head may simply talk to the faculty member about the problem. Later pressure can include restrictions in choices of courses taught and small or no pay raises. Inevitably, the colleagues of an underperforming faculty member know about it; the resulting peer pressure is intense. In the face of these pressures, most faculty will either improve or move on to another, less demanding, job. But if the faculty member does not improve and does not move on, then post-tenure review provides a mechanism to obtain the desired action. During the five years from Fall 1991 to Fall 1996 (excluding Medicine and Galveston), about 5% of our tenured faculty moved to other institutions. Many were people who were wooed away from us and whom we did not want to lose, but some were those whose willingness to work to justify their tenure had evaporated. We replaced all of these former faculty members with strong people, thus increasing competition within their departments.

Why not just fire the person right away? "Pressure" could take years.

We have a huge investment in each tenured professor. Moreover, in many fields these people are irreplaceable - one may be the only person working on a problem of importance to us, or one of so few that attracting another here is unlikely. So if an unproductive faculty member can be rehabilitated, even if it takes several years, the University and the public it serves come out ahead. Firing faculty is, as it should be, reserved for the hopeless cases and for those whose behavior is completely unacceptable. Firing is done carefully and with many safeguards, for firing a faculy member damages programs in ways that cannot be repaired. But it does occur.

SERVICE

What is "service?"

Service is non-teaching, non-research, job-related work. Many service activities support the internal functions and governance of the university. These include:

• Advising and counseling students.
  
  
• Sponsoring, advising, or speaking to student organizations.
  
  
• Chairing and participating on student admissions committees.
  
  
• Writing letters of recommendation for students and colleagues.
  
  
• Supervising the development of new courses and programs.
  
  
• Participating in hiring new colleagues.
  
  
• Serving on tenure and promotion committees for colleagues.
  
  
• Holding elective offices on a department Executive Committee or the Faculty Senate.
  
  
• Holding administrative positions, such as supervising a department's graduate program or a research center.
  
  
• Serving on state, regional, or national professional organizations.

Is service restricted to university activities?

No. As befits a nationally ranked university, much service takes faculty beyond the campus. These activities include:

• Serving on editorial boards of journals and scholarly publishers;
  
  
• Evaluating research proposals;
  
  
• Evaluating papers for publication;
  
  
• Holding offices in state, national and international professional organizations;
  
  
• Sharing knowledge with farmers and ranchers, businesspeople, educators, and other members of the general public.

SHARED GOVERNANCE

What is "shared governance?"

Briefly defined, "shared governance" means that the administration and faculty engage in a joint effort in governing the university. Thus faculty (through the Faculty Senate and various committees on which faculty serve) have a meaningful role and voice in determining the institution's curricular issues, long-range plans, use of physical resources, budgeting priorities, selection of the university's officers, and all other aspects of life related to the educational process. The following paragraphs give some specific examples of the sorts of activities included in shared governance.

As professionals, university faculty bear primary responsibility for choosing new faculty, evaluating colleagues for promotion, tenure, and salary increases, and overseeing university regulations.

Faculty are also responsible for the curriculum, creating new courses, deleting outdated ones, and minimizing course overlap. Sometimes this means creating a whole new program, such as the George Bush School of Government and Public Service.

Faculty serve on a network of permanent committees at each level - department, college, and university - to keep the university machinery running smoothly and ensure the quality of the students and curriculum.

This service commitment is perhaps the least visible of faculty efforts, yet it can consume as much time as teaching or research.

FACULTY WORK LOAD AND PAY

How many hours a week do faculty members work and how do they spend their time?

In addition to supervising students and preparing classes, TAMU professors conduct an ongoing program of research, which may involve spending time in laboratories, collaborating with other researchers in the U.S. or abroad, conducting experiments, or working in the university library. Some professors work alone, reading and writing in solitude, while others work in teams. Most research professors compete for federal or private grant funds to help support their research projects. Because competition for these funds is intense, professors must spend large blocks of time preparing applications.

Surveys and other studies over the last three decades have consistently concluded that faculty members work between 45 and 55 hours per week, with most estimates on the high side of this range. Work load studies show that teaching activities take 40-50% of the time, research takes 25-35%, and professional and community service and administration take up the rest.

Of course, averages do not tell us about individual cases. Faculty members have many different roles and emphasize different aspects of their jobs at different points in their careers. Sometimes a grant for an important and time-restricted piece of research requires that more time be put on research. Sometimes teaching is paramount because of project timing or a pause in research funding or maybe just because it is important to the department that someone take on a particular teaching challenge. Service comes to the fore for some faculty because of opportunities for leadership in faculty governance or in professional associations. Typically, though, every faculty member spends time weekly in teaching, research, and service activities.

Hard work deserves pay. How are starting salaries determined?

For new faculty, market demand is the major factor. To recruit effectively, the university must consider salaries paid by other universities nationwide, and those paid in private industry and other forms of non-university employment. Since these salaries vary widely depending on the field or academic specialty, the initial salaries of Assistant Professors are more than twice as high in some areas, such as engineering or business administration, as in others, such as liberal arts or education. Moreover, as important fields of study emerge with few individuals in those fields, and as universities seek to diversify their faculties to serve all student groups, competition intensifies. This competition typically results in higher salaries for widely-sought individuals. Because universities are widely believed to offer better employment security and a higher quality of life in the workplace, faculty salaries are generally lower than those in private industry and in the non-academic public sector for comparably skilled people. For further information about initial salaries in universities, you can click on "initial salaries" above, which takes you to the web page with URL http://chronicle.merit.edu/.almanac/.links.html

And what about raises?

Faculty salary increases are awarded on the basis of individual merit. Annual reviews of both tenured and untenured faculty are given to assess an individual's accomplishments in teaching, research, and service. The results determine merit increases. For example, if funds are sufficient to provide an average raise of three percent, actual awards may range from zero to six percent or more, depending on performance. Since cost-of-living raises are uncommon at state universities, raises given only for merit are a powerful incentive for excellence in performance.

COSTS AND SOURCES OF FUNDS

Texas A&M University, including the Health Science Center (HSC), had a total budget of about 663 million dollars for the academic year 1998-99. Because various sources impose a variety of conditions on the use of these funds, we break down this total into four main budgets. Figures 1 through 5 on the next few pages show these budgets of sources of income for TAMU in the form of pie charts. Some of the money represented is tax money, some comes from tuition and fees, some comes from private business and individuals, and some is from other sources. Each of the charts represents a different kind of activity in the university.

Educational and General (E&G) Budget (Figure 1)

The part of the budget that goes to teaching, University-supported research, and support functions for these activities is called the Education and General (E&G) Budget. E&G funds are spent on the primary objectives of the institution: instruction, research, and public service. This portion of the budget is supported primarily by state appropriations, by the Available University Fund, and by tuition and lab fees. The general revenue portion of this budget, about 65.8% of this budget's total, is tax money. Parents and students pay the State mandated tuition and lab fees, which account for about 19.6% of the total E&G budget.

What is the "AUF" in Figures 1 and 2?

"AUF" stands for the Available University Fund, which is made up of the income from the Permanent University Fund (PUF). The PUF consists of investments and the saved income from the West Texas lands originally given to the University of Texas by the State of Texas during the nineteenth century and now amounts to several billion dollars. The income from this investment, the AUF, has been shared between Texas A&M University (1/3) and the University of Texas (2/3) since 1934, and more recently part of Texas A&M University's portion has been shared with Prairie View A&M.


So that is not tax money, strictly speaking.

Right. Let's go on.

Designated Budget (Figure 2)

The budget funds represented in Figure 2 are generated locally from such sources as field trip fees, computer access fees, printing center charges, etc. These funds are designated by the Board of Regents for specific purposes. These budgets are self-supporting primarily through user fees and sales. In addition, by law the University authorized tuition (UAT) appears in this budget; this tuition is also paid by parents and students. Currently, approximately one-third of the UAT is used to service the debt on University buildings. The rest is used to supplement the E&G budget.

Why do UAT funds appear in the second chart, while other tuition appears in the first chart?

For many years, the General Use Fee (GUF) was used to pay for classroom buildings and laboratories, although more recent increases were designated for faculty salaries and improving the library. In 1995, the State changed this fee into a University Authorized Tuition (UAT) (limited by the State to an amount at most equal to the tuition mandated by the State). This same law required the universities to list this income in the designated budget. Its uses have not changed.

Auxiliary Enterprises Budget (Figure 3)

The third chart covers facilities and services for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to the campus. Examples are residence halls, food services, athletic department, parking, etc. These enterprises function like businesses and are also self-supporting, primarily through user fees and sales. State appropriated funds are not available to these operations.

Restricted Budget (Figure 4)

Finally, the fourth chart describes those funds available for operating purposes but restricted by donors or other outside agencies as to their specific use. This account is where research grant money goes. These funds are held in local bank accounts, and are self-supporting primarily through gifts, grants, and contracts.

Total Budget (Figure 5)

We have summarized these four budgets in one chart shown in Figure 5. You will notice there that the average student (or the parents of the student) pay about 21.5% of the budget in tuition, fees, and University Authorized Tuition. More comes from the sale of services such as dormitory housing and food services, but students may opt to use off-campus housing and services. But even including housing and food services, the students and parents directly pay a little less than 36% of the cost of running this university and HSC. The rest is covered by the state, the Available University Fund, and other funds.

Even so, the state contribution to the University and HSC in the form of general tax revenue is only 38.8% of the total budget. The state sees its payments to the University as a good investment partly because college educated people earn more than they would without the advanced education, partly because it wants all of its citizens, whatever their economic backgrounds, to have the educational opportunity of a top-quality university, and partly because a highly educated workforce attracts high technology businesses to Texas. An educated populace is essential to the future development of the state, so it makes sense for tax dollars to be used to support the university.

How is all of this money distributed to the parts of the University?

The whole budget is available in several volumes at the Reserve Desk of the Sterling C. Evans Library. A summary of the budget can be found by using a web navigator to get to the URL http://www-fiscal.tamu.edu/budget/index.html and the URL http://www-fiscal.tamu.edu/vp/presentations In general, funds are given to departments to support their teaching and research activities and to allow them to develop in accordance with the University's strategic plan. Departments are then responsible for using the money appropriately. The University monitors the expenditure of funds, and the University management is assisted in monitoring resources and expenditures by computerized procurement, disbursement and accounting systems. Expenditures are also reported by function to the Legislative Budget Board on the Legislative Appropriation Request. Subsequent reviews are performed by state and internal auditors.

Who pays for intercollegiate athletics? The state?

Intercollegiate athletics are self-supporting through revenues not appropriated by the state. In fact, General Revenues, other E&G revenues, and University Authorized Tuition are not permitted to be used for intercollegiate athletics. It also should be noted that Texas A&M University does not use Student Service Fees to support athletics (unlike many other universities). Intercollegiate Athletics pays for its share of utilities, physical plant, and pro rata share of administrative costs.

Why are there so many fees?

For a young person living away from his or her parents' home, gaining a college education is expensive. By listing separately the various costs of attending the University, we give students and their parents an opportunity to control some of these expenses.

Tuition and required fees are provided for by specific statutes and/or Board of Regents approval. They are dedicated for specific purposes such as Health Center support, computer access, student services, etc. Other fees such as field trip fees are assessed under the Incidental Fee Statute to cover functions which are course- or activity-specific. Other charges such as parking, athletics, meal plans, and room rent are customer driven and paid only by specific users. This allows students to select optional charges and partially determine the overall cost of their educational experience.

MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WORK

Editor:
Arthur M. Hobbs (Mathematics)


Initiating Committee:
Legislative Affairs Sub-Committee, Planning Committee, Faculty Senate

Thomas R. Lalk (Mechanical Engineering) (CHAIR)
Arthur M. Hobbs (Mathematics)
Michael S. Poole (Speech Communication)
John Slattery (Chemical Engineering)


Planning Committee of the Faculty Senate (1995-96):

Ted F. Anthony (Business Analysis)
Christopher A. Bailey (Poultry Science)
Charlie G. Coble (Agriculture)
Ronald Darby (Chemical Engineering)
Gary L. Gilmore (Health & Kinesiology)
Arthur M. Hobbs (Mathematics) (Vice-Chair)
Thomas R. Lalk (Mechanical Engineering) (CHAIR)
Howard Marchitello (English)
Peter M. McIntyre (Physics)
Leila Payne (Library)
John B. Penson (Agricultural Economics)
Thomas V. Peterson (Medical Physiology)
Robert K. Popp (Geology)
Raymond D. Reed (Architecture)
Harry J. Shafer (Anthropology)
Karan L. Watson (College of Engineering)
Bryan T. Woods (Medicine)


Ad Hoc Committee on Philosophy:

Gaile Cannella (Curriculum & Instruction)
Doug Hensley (Mathematics)
Peter Hugill (Geography) (CHAIR)
Alvin Larke (Agriculture)
Paul Parrish (English)
James R. Wild (Bio/Bio)


Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Issues:

Dennis Berthold (English) (CHAIR)
Stan Carpenter (Education)
Tom McKittrick (Architecture)
Bill Perry (Associate Provost and Dean of Faculties)
John Stansell (Curriculum & Instruction)


Ad Hoc Committee on Research:

Robert Kennedy (Vice-President for Research)
Peter McIntyre (Physics)
Jim Rosenheim (History)
Joe Templeton (Veterinary Medicine - Pathobiology)
Paul Wellman (Psychology) (CHAIR)


Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Students:

Cesar Malave (Industrial Engineering)
Dan Robertson (Director, Office of Graduate Studies)
Martha Scott (Oceanography) (CHAIR)
Ward Wells (Architecture)


Ad Hoc Committee on Student Issues:

Mary Broussard (Undergraduate Program Coordinator)
Gary Engelgau (Admissions and Records)
Kate Kelly (English) (CHAIR)
Karen Kubena (Animal Science)
Dan MacGilvray (Architecture)
Mike Manson (Biology)
Wm. Alex McIntosh (Sociology)
Murray Milford (Soil and Crop Sci.)


Ad Hoc Committee on Finances:

Rick Carlson (Geology & Geophyics)
Jim Flagg (Accounting)
William Krumm (Vice-President for Finance)
Joe Natowitz (Cyclotron Institute)
Win Shearon (Accounting)
Walter Wendler (Architecture) (CHAIR)


The Senate Executive Committee (1996-97):

Stephen Oberhelman (Modern Languages) (SPEAKER)
Robert S. Bednarz (Geography)
Pierce E. Cantrell (Electrical Engineering) (EX OFFICIO)
Arthur M. Hobbs (Mathematics)
Diane S. Kaplan (Curriculum and Instruction)
Thomas L. McKittrick (Architecture)
Ronald J. Newton (Forest Science)
Larry J. Oliver (English) (DEPUTY SPEAKER)
Karan L. Watson (Engineering) (SECRETARY)
Mark H. Weichold (Electrical Engineering)


The Senate Executive Committee (1997-98):

Wayne E. Wylie (SPEAKER)
Robert S. Bednarz (Geography)
Frederick O. Boadu (Agricultural Economics)
Arthur M. Hobbs (Mathematics)
Diane S. Kaplan (Curriculum and Instruction)
Thomas L. McKittrick (Architecture) (SECRETARY)
John W. Nielsen-Gammon (Meteorology) (DEPUTY SPEAKER)
Stephen Oberhelman (Modern Languages) (EX OFFICIO)
Larry J. Oliver (English)
Philip B. Yasskin (Mathematics)


Rewrite Committee:

Arthur M. Hobbs (Mathematics) (CHAIR)
Peter Hugill (Geography)
Mike Manson (Biology)
Jane Maxwell (University Relations)
Mary Jo Powell (University Relations)
Martha Scott (Oceanography)
John Stansell (Curriculum and Instruction)
Paul Wellman (Psychology)
Walter Wendler (Architecture)


Student Reader:

P. J. Barnes


Outside Readers:

Virginia Abbott (Caldwell, TX)
Larry and Mary Ann Bernhard (Houston, TX)
Prof. Jerrold W. Grossman (Oakland University, MI)
Billie Howard (Calvert, TX)
Louis Hudson (Bryan, TX)
JoAnn Johnson (Bryan, TX)
Prof. Sam Nadler (University of West Virginia, WV)
Dr. Giovanni Crosta (U. Milan, Italy)