The issue of faculty vitality and an institutional case study are discussed, along with implications for academic policy. The literature of faculty vitality reveals a situational, contextual dimension that makes defining the concept difficult. It is helpful to view the college as an organization in which faculty members pursue careers as scholars, teachers, and researchers. Aspects of organizational behavior that relate to definitions of vitality include: organizational change, boundaries and boundary maintenance (macro and micro approaches), internal environments, control systems, reward systems, and job satisfaction and morale. At the University of Minnesota, interviews were conducted with samples of faculty members to explore models of faculty vitality and as a basis for the development of comparative data (a representative group, a highly active group, and a delayed promotion group). Information is presented on indicators of vitality for the three faculty groups, faculty work characteristics and values, work behavior, work preferences, satisfaction/dissatisfaction, and appraisals of the institutional environment. Definitions of vitality proposed by six researchers/writers are included in chart form. (SW)