This report contains seven essays on current issues in higher education and a 1995-96 faculty salary report. "Faculty Salaries, 1995-96" (John B. Lee) provides an overview of faculty salaries, while "Faculty Workload and Productivity: Ethnic and Gender Disparities (Henry L. Allen) examines the ethnic and gender differences in faculty workload and productivity. "The Relative Value of Teaching and Research" (James S. Fairweather) examines the continued high rewards being paid to faculty who concentrate on research rather than teaching, while "Re(con)figuring the Professional Workforce" (Gary Rhoades and Rachel Hendrickson) documents the growth of part-time faculty and non-faculty positions. "State Fiscal and Policy Climate for Higher Education: 1996" (William Zumeta and John Fawcett-Long) examines the effect of state funding and economic trends on higher education, while "Faculty Retirement and Benefits" (Jay L. Chronister) and "Administrative Staff: Salaries and Issues" (David C. Montgomery and Gwendolyn L. Lewis) document faculty and staff salary, benefit, and retirement issues. The institutional faculty salary report provides salary and compensation information for 3,247 institutions. The data are organized by state, institutional type, and control and are based on preliminary data released by the Department of Education. Each essay contains references. (MDM)