Contents by
Section: April 1998
Front
Page
Lead Story
They're
talking on campus...
On the Road
ActionLine NEA
In the Know
From Capital to Campus
NEA
Affilitates in Action
Higher Education News
Money Savvy
The Dialogue
Thriving in Academe
Fewer Faculty Work Full Time
The trend away from full-time employment in academe has intensified.
Between
1991 and 1995, the number of part-timers in all employment categories in higher
education increased 18 percent, while those working full-time dropped by 1
percent, according to the newest report from the National Center for Education
Statistics.
The report, Fall Staff in Postsecondary Institutions, 1995, found that 41 percent of the entire professoriate was part-time in 1995, compared to 22 percent in 1970.
Part-time faculty were most prevalent in community colleges, where they make up 64 percent of the instructional staff.
The number of new hires at all instructional levels has been falling for years. In 1977 there were 133,241 new staff hires for all positions. By 1995, the number was 91,876.
Of these new employees, only 31,000 were full-time professors, 16 percent of whom belonged to minority groups.
Some 51 percent of the full-time professors hired in 1995 were not on the tenure track.
More women faculty are being hired, but fewer are at full professor.
From
1991 to 1995, the number of women in faculty ranks grew by 23 percent to a total
of 40 percent of the professoriate. In 1995, 39 percent of female faculty were
tenured compared to 59 percent of male faculty members. But women held only 18
percent of full professorships.
Female faculty also earned less than their male colleagues. The median salary for full-time female faculty members at four-year institutions was $40,467 compared with $51,13l for males. At two-year institutions, the median salary for women was $39,131 compared with $44,000 for men.
The employment and salary trends for minorities are similar to those for
women.
In 1995, 90 percent of full professors were white, 5 percent
Asian, 3 percent African American, 2 percent Hispanic, and 0.2 percent American
Indian and Alaskan Native.
In other ranks, the representation of full-time minority faculty has increased slightly since the 1970s but hasn't kept pace with the expanding minority student enrollment.
In 1995, 54 percent of whites were tenured, 46 percent of Asians, 45 percent of Hispanics, 40 percent of African Americans, and 41 percent American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Asians and Pacific Islander full-time professors earned median salaries of $50,501, more than any other racial group. Whites earned a median of $46,034, Hispanics $44,183; African Americans, Indians, and Alaskan Natives earned $42,000.
To view the full report, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/98228.html.
