ABSTRACT
Examination of the data discloses a number of reasons for involuntary termination. Another form of involuntary termination, more common than professors like to admit to themselves, is firing by the administration. Resignations or voluntary terminations accounted for 57 percent of the total mobility in the sample. As with involuntary terminations, the data show a variety of reasons for such terminations. The reader is again reminded that these are rough categories and are not presented as exhaustive or absolute. The voluntary terminations occur: because of discontent and discord within the department, upon the reception of an unbeatable offer, through a "drifting away" process, and for non-academic, personal reasons. The theme of discontent and discord is a common one in the academic profession–so common that departmental feuds are regarded as normal and one does not have to pry very far into the history of almost any department to find one. Similarly, the category of personal reasons for termination includes many interactional nuances.
