Abstract
University faculty members may be characterized by a set of interacting attributes. Some of these are con crete (e.g., rank, tenure, years of service) and others abstract (e.g., quality, production). This paper presents a model embodying specific but modifi able rules describing the interactions. The model is then used to investigate the consequences of adminis trative practices in hiring, promotion, tenure, and retirement.
While the abstract attributes are measurable, no attempt to measure them was made; instead, reasonable assumptions (obtained by consensus) about them and their interactions were made. The results of the simulation runs, of course, depend on these assump tions, but they suggest that promotion and retirement are much less important than hiring policies.
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