The 1975 Session of the Virginia General Assembly directed the Council of Higher Education, which by statute is advisory to both the executive and legislative branches of Virginia state government, to study faculty tenure and activities, and to report its findings to the General Assembly by November, 1976. A copy of the Senate Joint Resolution directing the study follows the preface.

This study is probably one of the most extensive ever conducted on the subjects of tenure and activity. Over 12,600 faculty members completed activity questionnaires, and personnel information for each faculty member was provided by institutional administrations. This information was analyzed in detail in order to extract the data from which the summary tables in this report are drawn. It is on the basis of this information, plus a thorough review of literature pertaining to the subject, that the Council has reached its conclusions.

The Council conducted its study in such a way that it has not overstepped its statutory responsibilities. Specifically, the Council is prohibited by statute from any action which affects,

“either directly or indirectly, the selection of faculty…it being the intention of this section that faculty selection…shall remain a function of the individual institutions."*

Because the decision to grant tenure is an aspect of "faculty selection," the council was careful to deal only with information in which individual faculty members could not be identified.

Further, because the Code of Virginia states specifically that "faculty selection" is a "function of the individual institution, " the Council has addressed its suggestions for improving the management of tenure systems to the boards of visitors of the institutions. In the last analysis, it is the responsibility of these boards to ensure that the tenure systems, along with other aspects of governance under their purview, are managed carefully and with sound judgement.

One characteristic of a "good" study is that it prompts self-review and constructive change. The study produced far more than a report to the General Assembly. It has been the occasion for constructive change and for the initiation of careful planning processes within Virginia's institutions of higher learning. In many respects, these 'by-products" are as important as the report itself.
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* Virginia Code Section 23-9.6:1(b)