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

Abstract

This study compared the perceptions of faculty members and administrators of the value placed  on  the  pillars  of  tenure,  the  value  of  various  aviation  publications,  sole versus multi-authorship, and the geographic venue for presenting scholarly research. The study 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.  The  respondents  responses  were  divided  by  employment classification and  institution  type  (research  versus  non-research).  The  results  indicated 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. Teaching and service perceptions were generally similar for all groups of respondents.