This report presents seven articles on current issues in higher education and a separate faculty salary report for 1997-98. Articles on the status of the profession are: (1) "Faculty Salaries, 1997-98" (John B. Lee and Robert Harmon); (2) "Workload and Productivity in an Era of Performance Measure" (Henry Lee Allen); (3) "Part-Time Faculty at Community Colleges: A National Profile" (James C. Palmer); (4) "Technology Issues in Bargaining: The New Unionism" (Christine Maitland and Gary Rhoades), including an appendix titled, "NEA Higher Education Bargaining Units"; (5) Fiscal Prospects for Higher Education: 1999" (William Zumeta); (6) "Benefits and Retirement in a Decade of Change" (Jay L. Chronister); and (7) "The Worklife Issues of Higher Education Support Personnel" (Linda K. Johnsrud). The institutional faculty salary report provides salary and compensation information for 3,216 institutions. Data are organized by state, institution type, and control and are based on preliminary 1997-98 data from the National Center for Education Statistics (ED) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.(CH)