Status of faculty affairs and faculty development offices in U.S. medical schools

To collect baseline data and describe how medical schools handle faculty affairs and faculty development responsibilities.

In January 2000, the authors surveyed faculty affairs designees at 125 U.S. medical schools, using a questionnaire developed in consultation with a group of faculty affairs professionals.

The responding 76 medical schools (61%) support over four times as many offices of faculty affairs as faculty development offices. Core functions of faculty affairs offices include administrative support for appointments, promotions, and tenure committees; faculty information and policies; faculty governance processes; and department chairs' recruitment support and personnel management issues.

While a consensus is emerging about the functions of a faculty affairs office, no school has a comprehensive faculty development system, in contrast to most industries, which must be more forward-looking to compete for talent.