Promotion and Tenure Perceptions of University Aviation Association (UAA) Collegiate Aviation Administrators and Faculty: Administration Perceptions versus Faculty Perceptions

Abstract

This article reports on a study undertaken to compare the perceptions of faculty members and administrators of the value placed on promotion and tenure. The authors discuss factors including the value of publishing in various aviation publications, sole versus multi-authorship, the geographic venue for presenting scholarly research, and service. They used a database created from a survey administered by Dr. Ruiz of Southern Illinois University (see Pavel, Legier, and Ruiz, 2012). The database contains responses to 20 multiple-choice questions (with additional comments) of 19 department chairs, 10 full professors, 29 associate professors, and 24 assistant professors from four-year collegiate UAA member institutions. Department chairs were considered to be administrators because they have more supervisory duties than faculty and may have a smaller teaching load. The responses were divided by employment classification and institution type (research versus non-research). The authors of the current study found that there was generally little difference between administration and faculty perceptions to the survey questions at similar institution types. Survey responses differed more when comparing research to non-research institutions, specifically responses on the value of scholarship in the promotion and tenure process. However, teaching and service perceptions were generally similar for all groups of respondents; most respondents (87%) considered teaching to be vital.