The status of instruction/research employees in Missouri state-supported higher education institutions during 1978-79 was examined by HEGIS discipline divisions. The employees' status was examined with respect to numbers of full-time and part-time employees, percentage part-time, and percentage with tenure. The implications of this information for institutional and statewide policy were also considered. Information is provided on full-time and part-time employees for the University of Missouri, state four-year institutions, and state two-year institutions. It was found that institutional practices vary with respect to the use of part-time instructional faculty and the granting of tenure to full-time instructional faculty. Some discipline divisions were found to have large numbers and/or percentages of full-time faculty with tenure. This situation may be a sign of oversupply of faculty. The use of part-time instructional faculty was more extensive in professional fields and in the two-year institutions. It is suggested that there may possibly be an excessive use of part-time faculty in some discipline areas. (SW)