Considering the core function of colleges and universities should be providing an education to its students, we have to wonder: who is actually teaching the students? As Figure 1 (below) shows, the percentage of tenured faculty in the classroom has declined significantly from approximately 57% in 1975 to 32% in 2005. To make up for this, the percentage of part-time and non-tenured faculty in the classroom has grown.

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What are the tenured faculty doing?