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2014: Tuition and Expenditures Up; Faculty Salaries LagBy Suzanne B. Clery

Suzanne B. Clery is a senior research associate at JBL Associates, Inc., in Bethesda, Maryland, a consulting firm specializing in postsecondary education policy. Ms. Clery has worked extensively with higher education data and issues for over two decades. Her many statistical analyses include reports on institutional finance, salary, compensation, and pay equity. Clients of JBL Associates Inc., include the National Education Association, the U.S. Department of Education, the Massachusetts State College Association, the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and individual institutions.

Ms. Clery has prepared in-depth analyses for the PSC Study on Race and Employment at CUNY published by the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York (CUNY). The study investigates how race, gender, and ethnicity affect hiring, promotion, tenure, and reclassification at CUNY. Clients for her detailed studies of compensation include the public colleges and universities in Massachusetts and Brown University.

Changes in policy, enrollment, fund-ing dollars and sources, the economy, employment, workforce and labor

force demands, technology, accreditation, reg-ulations, and public and student needs have historically affected colleges and universities—their missions and strategies; budgets, finan-cial flexibility and priorities; number, type and needs of students; staffing levels and types; and compensation packages. Recent changes in revenue streams, expenditure patterns, student costs, staffing, and compensation demonstrate that the past two decades are no different.

• RevenueStreams The share of revenues public institutions

derived from federal, state, or local appropri-ations decreased over the past two decades, from 38 percent to 20 percent. Income from tuition and fees replaced the largest share of the loss, increasing from 18 to 27 percent of total revenues. Corrected for inflation, rev-enue per student in public institutions from government appropriations declined $1,922 over the past two decades, while tuition and fees revenue per student increased by $4,641.

10 THE NEA 2015 ALMANAC OF HIGHER EDUCATION

• CosttoStudents Inflation-adjusted net price1 at public four-year institutions increased 58 percent over the past two decades,2 while the inflation-adjusted median family income increased only four percent. During the 1993 academic year, the net price of attendance at a public four-year institution was $7,990, which was 16 percent of the median family income. The average net price at public four-year institu-tions was $12,620 in 2013–14, or 25 percent of the median family income.

The average loan debt for baccalaureate degree recipients, expressed as a ratio of the average annual income for young adults, increased by 80 percent over the last two decades.

• Faculty The average salary for full-time faculty

on 9/10-month contracts in 2013–14 was $78,736. Among workers holding bachelors, masters, and doctorates as their highest degrees, 2013 median earnings were $57,616, $69,108 and $84,396, respectively.3 Inflation-adjusted institutional expenditures per stu-dent increased 35 percent over the past two decades, but the average purchasing power of faculty increased only seven percent.

The faculty categories that are growing earn less. The median salary for non-tenured assistant professors, for example, is $56,774, significantly less than $82,981 paid to tenure track assistant professors.4 The median part-time pay per course, based on a three-credit course in a four-year university, was $2,700 in fall 2010. Only 23 percent of part-time faculty had access to healthcare.5

The share of tenured or tenure track instructional staff declined from 36 to 25 per-cent between 1992 and 2012. By contrast, the share of part-time faculty increased from 33 to 39 percent. Graduate assistants increased from 19 to 22 percent.

OVERVIEWThis report relates trends in revenues and expenditures to faculty staffing and salaries. It relies largely on data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Inte-grated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Human Resources (HR), Finance, and Enrollment Survey data. NCES, a division of the U.S. Department of Education, collected 2013–14 HR data from 4,682 degree-granting colleges and universities as part of the annual IPEDS data collection for higher education institutions.6 Our analysis excluded 1,515 semi-naries, religious training institutions, and for-profit colleges, leaving 3,167 institutions. We used an early release version of the IPEDS data; our results may therefore differ from the data reported by NCES at a later time.

INSTITUTIONAL FINANCING

Institutional RevenuesCorrected for inflation, total revenues for public institutions doubled from $169 to $343 billion between 1992 and 2012. Community colleges showed the largest revenue increase, from $31 billion to $71 billion or 128 percent. Public baccalaureate granting institutions showed the smallest increase in revenues, from $3.2 billion to $4.5 billion or 41 percent. The largest enroll-ment growth among public institutions over the two decades occurred at community col-leges. Full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment increased from 3.0 to 4.4 million students, or 47 percent.7 Enrollment growth in all other public sectors ranged from 28 to 34 percent.

The sources of inflation-adjusted revenue streams in public institutions changed over the two decades. Tuition and fees nearly tripled from $30.1 to $91.5 billion between 1992 and 2012, while government appropriations only increased from $64.2 to $68.3 billion (Figure 1). Inflation-adjusted state appropriations remained at approximately the same level in 1992 and 2012, $56.5 billion. Federal appropriations declined

2014: TUITION AND EXPENDITURES UP; FACULTY SALARIES LAG 11

Figure 1. Revenues by Source and Institutional Type, Constant Dollars, Public Institutions, 1992 and 2012

Source: NCES, IPEDS Finance Survey, 1992–93 and 2012–13.

Revenue Source Institutional Type

Dollars (in billions)

0

50

100

150

200

250

2012

1992

Doctoral ComprehensiveBaccalaureateTwo-YearAppropriationsOtherSales/Services &Auxillary

Enterprises

Grants,Gifts,

Contracts

Tuitionand Fees

by $567 million while local appropriations increased by $4.8 billion. Total governmental appropriations therefore increased slightly.8

Revenue from grants, gifts, and contracts grew significantly between 1992 and 2012. These revenues are usually not for discretion-ary use. Benefactors typically earmark the funds for specific expenditures, or they are des-ignated for research, development, and train-ing programs. This revenue stream includes federal funds covering expenditures for Pell Grants to students. The cost of the Pell Grant program grew from an inflation-adjusted $9.1 billion in 1993 to $336 billion in 2013.9 That’s an increase from 18 to 27 percent of the gift, grant, and contract revenue between 1992 and 2012.10 Sales and services of educational activi-ties and auxiliary enterprise revenues nearly tripled, increasing from $20.1 to $57.9 billion. Revenue from other sources increased from $22.1 billion to $49.1 billion.

Increased revenues must support growing enrollments. FTE enrollment in public colleges and universities increased from 7.7 to 10.6 mil-lion, or 38 percent, between 1992 and 2012.11 Corrected for inflation, total operating revenues per student in public institutions increased by 47 percent, from $22,040 to $32,398 (Figure 2). Tuition and fees revenues per FTE student more than doubled, from $3,968 to nearly $8,627 per FTE student, while governmental appropria-tions per FTE student declined by $1,922, or 23 percent. Among revenue sources in public institutions, only governmental appropriations per FTE student declined over the two decades.

Figure 3 shows the change in the relative share of each revenue source over the two decades at public institutions. The share of revenues from governmental appropriations declined from 38 to 20 percent. Tuition and fees replaced much of the diminished governmen-tal support, increasing from 18 to 27 percent of


Figure 3. Distribution of Revenue by Source, Public Institutions, Constant Dollars, 1992 and 2012


18%

27%

19%22%

12%17%

13% 14%

38%

20%

Revenue Source

Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100

2012

1992

AppropriationsOtherSales/Services &Auxiliary Enterprises

Grants, Gifts,Contracts

Tuition and Fees

Figure 2. Public Institution Revenues per FTE, by Source, Constant Dollars, 1992 and 2012

Source: NCES, IPEDS Finance Survey, 1992–93 and 2012–13; IPEDS Enrollment Survey, Fall 1992 and Fall 2012.

Revenue Source

Dollars per FTE

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2012

1992

AppropriationsOtherSales/Services &Auxiliary Enterprises

Grants, Gifts,Contracts

Tuition and Fees


Figure 4. Expenditures by Source and Institutional Level, Constant Dollars, Public Institutions, 1992 and 2012


Expendituresby Source

Expenditures byInstitutional Level

Dollars (in billions)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

2012

1992

Doctoral Compre-hensive

BaccalaureateTwo-YearO&M/Plant

PublicService

InstitutionalSupport

Scholarship/Fellowship

AcademicSupport,

Student Service

ResearchInstruction

total revenues. Revenues attributed to grants, gifts, and contracts increased from 19 to 22 percent. Auxiliary enterprises income grew from 12 to 17 percent; other revenue sources increased from 13 to 14 percent.

The shift in revenue sources to replace the loss of governmental support differed for public two- and four-year institutions. Increased reve-nue from tuition and fees—from 18 to 27 percent of total revenues—largely offset the appropria-tion decline in four-year institutions. Tuition and fees revenues increased only five percentage points in public two-year institutions, from 20 to 25 percent of revenues. Income from grants, gifts, and contracts—often earmarked for spe-cific expenditures—increased from 17 to 26 per-cent of total revenues in two-year institutions.

Institutional ExpendituresCorrected for inflation, operating expenditures for public institutions grew from $130 to $244

billion, or by 87 percent, between 1992 and 2012 (Figure 4). Expenditures for scholarships and fellowships, and for plant operation and maintenance showed the smallest increases (40 and 49 percent, respectively). Student ser-vices and academic support showed the largest increases (116 percent); followed by research and institutional support expenditures (110 and 107 percent, respectively). Instructional and public service expenditures increased by 83 percent and 81 percent, respectively.

Community college expenditures doubled from $28 billion to $57 billion, while spend-ing at research universities grew by 87 percent, from $89 billion to $165 billion. Expenditures in the small, public baccalaureate sector increased from $2.7 billion to $3.5 billion, only 33 percent.

The average cost per FTE student increased from $16,974 to $22,991, or 35 percent, over the two decades (Figure 5). Instruction, student services, and academic support—categories


Figure 5. Public Institution Expenditures per FTE, by Source, Constant Dollars, 1992 and 2012

Source: NCES, IPEDS Finance Survey, 1992–93 and 2012–13; IPEDS Enrollment Survey, Fall 1992 and Fall 2012.

Expenditures by Source

Dollars per FTE

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

2012

1992

TotalO&M/Plant

PublicService

InstitutionalSupport


AcademicSupport,

Student Service

ResearchInstruction

relevant to the educational experience of stu-dents—accounted for 57 percent of total expen-ditures. Instructional expenditures per FTE student increased only 33 percent over the 20 years, from $6,863 to $9,099. But combined expenditures for student services and academic support increased by 56 percent, from $2,544 to $3,979. The student services category includes counseling and advising, regulation compli-ance, volunteer programs, recruiting expenses, fitness centers and athletic courts and fields, IT support for new infrastructure and distance learning, student centers, athletic clubs and student organizations. Institutions invested in more amenities and support services as com-petition for students increased.

Inflation-adjusted expenditures per student on scholarships and fellowships remained the same over the two decades, at about $1,500. Expenditures in the remaining categories increased: research by 52 percent; institutional

support by 50 percent; public service by 31 per-cent; and operation and plant maintenance by eight percent.

The relative share of total expenditures for each expense category remained consistent over the 20 years in all public sectors (Figure 6). The slight decrease in the share of total expen-ditures going to plant operation and mainte-nance suggests that institutions are delaying facility upkeep.12

FACULTY SALARIESHave the large increases in institutional rev-enues and expenditures benefitted faculty members? The historical high point of faculty purchasing power occurred in 1972–73, when the average faculty member earned $73,722, adjusted for inflation. In 2013–14, faculty purchasing power was 6.7 percent higher, or $4,964, than the 1972–73 high (Table 1).13 The $78,736 average salary in 2013–14 is 7.4 percent


Figure 6. Distribution of Expenditures by Source, Public Institutions, 1992 and 2012


Expenditures by Source

Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100

2012

1992

O&M/PlantPublic ServiceInstitutionalSupport


AcademicSupport,

Student Services

ResearchInstruction

40% 40%

12% 14%10% 11%

5% 5%8% 7%9% 7%

15% 17%

higher, or $5,440, than it was two decades ago. The purchasing power of instructors, lectur-ers, and faculty with no rank declined signifi-cantly since 1972–73. Much of the decline took between 1972–73 and 1993–94. The purchasing power of these ranks increased since 1993–94, but remains below the 1972–73 level. The pur-chasing power of full professors also declined between 1972–73 and 1993–94; it increased significantly over the last two decades and now surpasses the 1972–73 level.

Faculty salaries ranged from an average of $105,486 for professors to $52,654 and $51,519 for instructors and lecturers respectively (Table 1). Continuing a trend, instructors and lectur-ers earned half as much as professors; associates earned about three-quarters as much, and assis-tant professor salaries earned about two-thirds as much. Faculty in independent institutions earned more than colleagues in public institu-tions, except at community colleges (Figure 7).

Faculty members at public and independent research universities received higher salaries than colleagues at other institutional levels (Figure 7). Faculty at public research universi-ties earned $83,600—$16,000 to $21,000 more than faculty in other public institutions (rang-ing from $62,869 in community colleges to $67,314 in comprehensives). Average salaries for faculty members at independent institu-tions show a broader range. The average for faculty at independent research universities is $96,646—$25,000 to $47,000 more than fac-ulty in other private institutions (ranging from $49,598 in two-year institutions to $71,843 in baccalaureate-granting institutions).

The disparity between public and indepen-dent faculty salaries persists for most faculty ranks. The biggest difference: professors at independents earn over $22,000 more than colleagues in public colleges and universities ($120,690 vs. $98,547). The salary difference for


other ranks ranges from $3,000 to $13,000—all favoring independent faculty, save for instruc-tors. Instructors in public institutions, mostly two-year colleges, averaged $52,796; instruc-tors in independents earned $48,668.

Salaries by StateState funding for higher education varies; so does the magnitude of funding cuts or increases. The rankings of faculty salaries by state, both two- and four-year, remain relatively stable; the same states consistently rank in the top and bot-tom five or ten. New Jersey, Delaware, Califor-nia, and Connecticut are perennially among the top five four-year institutions, while Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana are among the bottom five (Table 2). Public two-year institutions in California, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New Jer-sey pay their faculty the highest average salaries.

The relative ranking of two- and four-year faculty salaries is similar in many states. Pennsylvania, for example, ranks 12th for four-year faculty salaries ($83,638), and 13th for two-year faculty salaries ($63,564). There are exceptions; faculty salaries at Iowa’s four-year and two-year institutions rank 8th and 26th, respectively ($87,107 and $55,492).

Continuing the historical trend, faculty in public four-year institutions average more than colleagues in public two-year colleges. The dif-ference in average salaries ranged from $6,444 (Michigan) to $34,623 (Indiana). Faculty in public two-year colleges earned more than col-leagues in public four-year institutions only in Wisconsin, $77,345 vs. $71,619; the $5,726 dif-ference closed by $563 since 2011–12.

Average salaries in public four-year insti-tutions exceeded those in independents in 30 states. The range: from $1,356 in Vermont to $38,944 in Wyoming, for an average difference of $14,955. Washington, D.C. showed the most pronounced difference ($27,461) among inde-pendents whose faculty salaries exceeded those of public four-year institutions.

Salaries by DisciplineSalaries of faculty teaching in legal professions, business, health, and engineering averaged near or over $100,000 in 2013–14 (Table 3). Computer science ($92,406) and architecture ($83,265) faculty trailed at a relatively distant second and third. As has long been the case, visual and per-forming arts, English and history faculty had the lowest average salaries, all below $70,000.

Table 1. Average Salaries for Full-Time Faculty on 9/10-Month Contracts, Constant 2013–14 Dollars, and Percentage Change in Salary and Purchasing Power, by Rank, 1972–73, 1993–94, and 2013–14

1972–73 1993–94 1972–73 1993–94 to to to to Faculty Rank 1972–73 1993–94 2013–14 2013–14 2013–14 2013–14 2013–14

Total, All Faculty $ 73,772 $ 73,296 $ 78,736 $ 4,964 $ 5,440 7% 7%

Professor 102,173 95,919 105,486 3,313 9,567 3 10

Associate 77,618 71,516 76,476 (1,142) 4,960 -1 7

Assistant 64,072 59,421 65,189 1,117 5,768 2 10

Instructor 57,190 45,549 51,519 (5,671) 5,970 -10 13

Lecturer 61,984 48,119 52,654 (9,330) 4,535 -15 9

No Rank 67,519 64,178 62,038 (5,481) (2,140) -8 -3

Source: NCES, IPEDS Salary Survey, 1972–73, 1993–94, and 2013–14.

$ Change Percentage ChangeAverage Salary in Constant Dollars


Figure 7. Average Faculty Salaries, by Rank, 9/10-Month Contracts, 2013–14

Source: NCES, IPEDS Salary Survey, 2013–14.

Rank Institution Type

Average Salary ($)

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

Private

Public

DoctoralCompre-hensive

BaccalaureateTwo-YearNo RankLecturerInstructorAssistantAssociateProfessorAverage

In all but three disciplines—architecture, legal, and engineering—faculty teaching with the benefit of collective bargaining fared bet-ter than colleagues teaching in institutions without unions. Faculty supported by col-lective bargaining averaged $4,448 more in 2013–14 than colleagues with no union sup-port. The salary difference between unionized and non-unionized faculty in communications technologies, communication and journalism, philosophy and religious studies, visual and performing arts, and library science was more than $8,000. The differential in the three high-est paid disciplines was minimal or negative for those teaching in unionized institutions.

INSTRUCTIONAL STAFFINGOver the past two decades, the number of instructional staff—full-time tenured/non-ten-ure track faculty, non-tenure/non-tenure track faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assis-tants—increased by 56 percent, from 1.1 million

to 1.6 million.14 During this period, academe experienced a significant shift away from full-time, permanent instructional staff, towards reliance on contingent faculty. The proportion of part-timers and graduate students increased from 51 to 60 percent between 1993 and 2013. The share of part-timers grew from 33 to 39 per-cent of instructional staff during that period, while the share of graduate assistants increased from 19 to 22 percent (Figure 8). More than one in three faculty members were tenured or tenure track in 1993; that proportion fell to one in four by 2013. The share of full-time faculty without an opportunity for tenure fluctuated over the 20 years, ending one percentage point higher in 2013 than its 1993 level (13 and 14 per-cent, respectively).

The lower salaries and benefits paid to a contingent and part-time workforce yielded cost savings for colleges and universities. Con-tingency offers flexibility by allowing institu-tions to reduce staff if funding and enrollments


Table 2. Average Salaries for Faculty on 9/10-Month Contracts, and Rank, by State and Institutional Type, 2013–14

Average State Average State Average State State Salary Rank Salary Rank Salary Rank

National Average $ 62,691 ‡ $ 80,274 ‡ $ 86,422 ‡

Alaska 62,811 14 77,234 28 46,680 49Alabama 53,590 29 76,764 29 59,319 38Arkansas 44,560 48 65,203 50 57,671 40Arizona 70,426 7 85,699 10 60,882 35California 81,958 1 95,859 3 103,839 4

Colorado 51,194 32 78,337 25 85,119 11Connecticut 71,801 5 95,012 4 105,502 2District of Columbia ‡ ‡ 74,670 32 102,131 6Delaware 67,069 11 100,739 2 81,120 16Florida 58,004 23 80,075 20 77,139 21

Georgia 47,301 45 72,805 37 75,052 24Hawaii 67,604 10 90,463 5 77,316 20Iowa 55,492 26 87,107 8 62,335 33Idaho 49,847 37 63,385 51 53,730 45Illinois 71,275 6 80,393 18 91,612 8

Indiana 46,155 47 80,778 16 77,509 19Kansas 51,117 33 74,076 33 50,319 47Kentucky 50,638 35 71,597 41 56,721 41Louisiana 43,169 49 65,439 49 81,433 15Massachusetts 62,394 16 89,800 7 107,304 1

Maryland 67,786 9 81,867 14 84,624 12Maine 54,189 28 72,540 38 80,999 17Michigan 77,109 3 83,553 13 65,352 30Minnesota 62,410 15 80,983 15 74,003 25Missouri 53,123 31 69,215 43 78,438 18

Mississippi 50,716 34 65,962 48 56,015 42Montana 49,003 40 74,011 34 52,567 46North Carolina 48,669 41 77,446 27 83,560 13North Dakota 53,284 30 69,436 42 54,710 43Nebraska 54,278 27 79,369 24 65,030 32

New Hampshire 60,256 20 89,868 6 89,954 9New Jersey 71,976 4 104,013 1 104,767 3New Mexico 47,640 43 72,328 39 ‡ ‡ Nevada 62,188 17 86,347 9 59,851 37New York 70,283 8 80,543 17 98,525 7

Ohio 60,402 19 79,845 22 69,188 28Oklahoma 49,062 39 68,617 44 65,299 31Oregon 66,762 12 73,525 35 73,718 27Pennsylvania 63,564 13 83,638 12 87,221 10Rhode Island 61,068 18 77,517 26 102,712 5

South Carolina 47,815 42 75,334 31 58,306 39South Dakota 47,622 44 66,713 47 53,759 44Tennessee 49,145 38 73,163 36 75,964 22Texas 56,397 25 80,065 21 82,518 14Utah 50,409 36 67,182 46 60,335 36

Virginia 60,059 21 84,564 11 60,982 34Vermont ‡ ‡ 76,758 30 75,402 23Washington 56,424 24 80,239 19 73,970 26Wisconsin 77,345 2 71,619 40 66,288 29West Virginia 46,598 46 68,069 45 50,209 48

Wyoming 58,694 22 79,444 23 40,500 50

Source: NCES, IPEDS Salary Survey, 2013–14.

‡ Does not apply/No institutions reported.

Public Two-Year Public Four-Year Independent


Table 3. Average Salary by Discipline and Collective Bargaining Status, 2013–14

Total, Non-Collective Collective (Collective- Discipline Average Bargaining Bargaining Non-Collective)

All Fields $ 80,058 $ 79,102 $ 83,550 $ 4,448

Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services 70,985 68,498 77,184 8,686

Communication, Journalism, and Related Services 70,798 67,327 75,891 8,564

Philosophy and Religious Studies 72,948 69,457 77,953 8,496

Visual and Performing Arts 67,955 63,943 72,258 8,315

Library Science 71,215 68,493 76,741 8,248

Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies 79,366 74,667 82,518 7,851

Engineering Technologies/Technicians 78,570 75,209 82,980 7,771

Psychology 73,291 71,039 78,806 7,767

English Language and Literature/Letters 68,290 64,879 72,283 7,404

History 69,760 66,551 73,955 7,404

Education 71,601 69,215 76,490 7,275

Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 71,715 67,698 74,123 6,425

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 71,382 68,885 75,202 6,317

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 79,087 79,636 85,527 5,891

Security and Protective Services 70,795 68,934 74,795 5,861

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services 92,406 92,064 97,821 5,757

Physical Sciences 75,593 75,883 81,206 5,323

Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences 81,835 80,741 85,909 5,168

Parks, Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies 70,151 69,115 74,227 5,112

Mathematics and Statistics 73,750 72,441 77,475 5,034

Social Sciences 77,247 74,720 79,674 4,954

Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences 80,629 79,880 84,542 4,662

Biological and Biomedical Sciences 79,779 80,419 84,746 4,327

Public Administration and Social Service Professions 75,487 74,176 77,998 3,822

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 108,930 109,232 112,287 3,055

Natural Resources and Conservation 78,161 77,375 79,430 2,055

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences 75,041 74,215 76,091 1,876

Architecture and Related Services 83,265 82,829 81,716 (1,113)

Legal Professions and Studies 118,663 112,722 110,862 (1,860)

Engineering 99,609 100,409 97,748 (2,661)

Source: College and University Professional Association, 2013–14 National Faculty Salary Survey by Discipline and Rank in Four-Year Colleges and Universities. Washington, D.C.: CUPA, March 2014.

Average SalaryDifference,

Average Salary


Figure 8. Percentage Distribution of Faculty by Employment Type, 1993, 2003, and 2013

Source: NCES, IPEDS Fall Staff and Salary Surveys, 2013–14.

Employment Type

Percentage

0

20

40

60

80

100

2013

2003

1993

Graduate AssistantsPart-TimeFull-Time, Non-Tenured/Non-Tenure Track

Full-Time, Tenured/Tenure Track

36%

23% 25%

13%10%

14%

33%

42%39%

19%24% 22%

decline. But contingent status adversely affects the finances and security of instructional staff members that would rather work in full-time, permanent positions:• In2010, themedian remuneration in four-

year universities paid to part-time fac-ulty per course was $2,700. This amount is approximately 60 percent less than the esti-mated hourly pay to full-time, tenure-track faculty.15 Some faculty string together part-time jobs. A faculty member who teaches five classes at median pay receives $13,500 per semester or $27,000 for two semesters. The poverty threshold in 2010 for a family of four was $22,113.16

• The Affordable Health Care Act (ACA)requires any business with 50 or more employees to provide health insurance to employees working 30 or more hours per week. Since the act’s passage, labor unions, and colleges and universities have established policies for part-time faculty. Some policies

are positive and constructive; other policies are adversarial and unsupportive. The Uni-versity of Missouri defined the number of hours a faculty member works per course credit hour as 3.3, or 10 hours per three-hour class.17 But some institutions limit the num-ber of courses their part-time faculty may teach. Colorado Mountain College, which relies heavily on part-time faculty, assigns a three-hour level of effort to every one credit hour. Citing the prohibitive costs of provid-ing its part-time faculty with healthcare, the college allows part-time faculty to teach only nine credits per semester. The 27 hours-per-week limit keeps part-time faculty at or under the ACA’s 30-hour threshold.18

• Only23percentofpart-time facultymem-bers, notes a 2010 study, had access to health care.19 Institutions paid the health insur-ance premium for only four percent of sur-veyed part-timers with access to health care. Another 15 percent shared the cost with the


institution, and the remaining four percent carried the full cost.

• Tenurablefaculty,onaverage,arepaidmorethan non-tenurable colleagues. The average assistant professor on tenure track earns $82,931—46 percent higher than the average pay of $56,774 to an assistant professor not on tenure track.

CONCLUSION: WHAT’S IN OUR FUTURE?Inflation-adjusted institutional revenues per student, have increased significantly, and have shifted from federal and state sources to stu-dents. Students now find themselves in a high tuition, high aid scenario. Responding to labor force and economic demands, and to a need to secure their financial futures, students con-tinue to enroll, even if costs are rising quickly. The public outcry about the rising costs of tuition and student debt accumulation leads us to ask: how much is too much?

Expenditures per student increased over the past two decades, but instructional expen-ditures increased at a slower rate than student and academic support spending. Facing com-petition to attract and retain students, institu-tions invest more in supports, activities, and facilities than in basic classroom instruction.

Changes to performance-based funding models affect many aspects of institutional oper-ations, including strategic focus, programming and policies, and marketing. These operations have associated costs, paid for by changing rev-enue streams. Meanwhile the high school grad-uate and college-going population is shrinking. First-time postsecondary enrollments declined by 1.5 percent between fall 2012 and 2013. This decline may further affect institutional demand and revenues, as well as operations.

Where will the supply and demand curves meet? How do we contain costs while provid-ing quality education and supports, along with non-academic services? Is there “bloat”—are colleges providing services that, if eliminated, would not affect the quality of education or the ability of students to succeed?

Competing forces affect faculty employ-ment status—full- or part-time, tenured or not tenured—and salaries, compensation, work-loads, and working conditions. Tightened rev-enue streams, cost containment measures, and growing concern for student debt may lead col-leges and universities to increase their depen-dence on part-time and contingent faculty. Conversely, replacing headcount with account-ability and performance-based funding may lead colleges to greater reliance on a full-time, permanent faculty workforce that, possessing a higher morale and enjoying better working conditions, is more apt to maintain quality.

NOTES1 Cost of attendance less grants and tax benefits.2 Baum and Ma, 2013.3 United States Department of Labor, 2013.4 Data retrieved from www.Glassdoor.com on Decem-ber 2, 2014.5 Coalition on the Academic Workforce, 2012.6 The IPEDS faculty salary survey excludes part-time faculty, faculty members paid by a religious order, and non-teaching faculty members.7 Based on JBL Associates, Inc.’s analysis of U.S. Depart-ment of Education, National Center for Education Statis-tics, IPEDS enrollment data.8 Based on JBL Associates, Inc.’s analysis of U.S. Depart-ment of Education, National Center for Education Statis-tics, IPEDS finance data.9 Baum, Elliott, and Ma, 2014.10 Estimate developed by JBL Associates, Inc. from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Edu-cation Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Finance survey data, 2012 and 1992.11 Based on JBL Associates, Inc.’s analysis of U.S. Depart-ment of Education, National Center for Education Statis-tics, IPEDS enrollment data.12 Hurlburt, and Kirshstein, 2012.13 Unless otherwise noted, the reported compensation data for full-time faculty members represents those on 9/10-month contracts—83 percent of all full-time faculty members.


14 Based on JBL Associates, Inc.’s analysis of U.S. Depart-ment of Education, National Center for Education Statis-tics, IPEDS human resources data.15 Kezar and Maxey, 2013.16 U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2013.17 Curators of the University of Missouri, 2014.18 Harvey, 2014.19 Coalition on the Academic Workforce, 2012.

REFERENCES

Baum, S., D.C. Elliott, and J. Ma. Trends in Student Aid, 2014. Washington, D.C.: The College Board, 2014. Available: https://lp.collegeboard.org/trends.

______, and J. Ma. Trends in College Pricing, 2013. Wash-ington, DC.: The College Board, 2013. Available: http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/college-pricing-2013-full-report.pdf.

Coalition on the Academic Workforce. A Portrait of Part-Time Faculty Members: A Summary of Findings on Part-Time Faculty Respondents to the Coalition on the Academic Workforce Survey of Contingent Fac-ulty Members and Instructors (2012). Author, 2012. http://www.academicworkforce.org/index.html.

Curators of the University of Missouri, The. The Afford-able Care Act (ACA). Available: http://www.umsys-tem.edu/totalrewards/affordablecareact.

Harvey, N. “College Limits Part-time Staff’s Hours to Avoid Obamacare Costs,” Aspen Daily News Online. March 17, 2014. Available: http://www.aspendaily-news.com/section/home/161613.

Hurlburt, S. and R.J. Kirshstein. Spending: Where Does the Money Go? A Delta Data Update, 2000–2010. Washington, D.C.: American Institutes for Research, 2012. Available: http://www.deltacostproject.org/sites/default/files/products/Delta-Spending-Trends-Pro-duction.pdf.

Kezar, A. and D. Maxey. “The Changing Academic Work-force,” Trusteeship 21 (3) (May-June, 2013), 15-21. Available: http://agb.org/trusteeship/2013/5/changing- academic-workforce.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau. Poverty Thresholds. 2013. Available: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/index.html.

United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics. Earnings and Unemployment by Educational Attainment. 2013. Available: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm.

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