mandatory retirement for tenured faculty (uncapping) which was enacted in the 1986 amendments to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) will take effect. This grace period between enactment and effective dates was a response to the concerns that have been regularly expressed by educational administrators such as Rosovsky. In the congressional debate concerning the impact of uncapping on the retirement behavior of tenured faculty and the implications of any behavioral changes for the vitality of higher education, it was concluded that this delay would allow time for study, adjustment, and the opportunity to request a permanent exemption, if necessary.

Twenty years have passed since President Kennedy declared that action was needed to assure that pay rates be comparable with private enterprise rates for the same level of work. Because there are no profit considerations in government and powerful political influences affect all decisions, special guidelines are needed for wage determination. During the subsequent years, the doctrine became the guiding principle in federal pay policy for both bluecollar and white-collar workers. Over time, however, the implementation of full comparability adjustments have more often been downgraded to satisfy other national policy goals. A major reform bill is now under consideration in Congress. Therefore, it is appropriate at this time to examine where we are in terms of achieving and maintaining and consider the prospects for reform.