Salaries and Tenure of Full-Time Instructional Faculty on 9- and 10-Month Contracts: 1997-1998

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Vol 1, Issue 4, Topic: Education Statistics Quarterly - Postsecondary Education

By: Patricia Q. Brown

This article was originally published as an E.D. Tabs report. The universe data are from the "Salaries, Tenure, and Fringe Benefits of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Survey," part of the NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The technical appendixes from the original report have been omitted.

Introduction
Average Faculty Salaries in 1997-98

Introduction

This report presents detailed tabulations for academic year 1997-98 of the number, tenure, and average salaries of full-time instructional faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts. These data are from the "Salaries, Tenure, and Fringe Benefits of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Survey" on 9- and 10-month and 11- and 12-month contracts; this survey is a component of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

NCES has collected data on full-time instructional faculty since 1968. From 1968 to 1985, these data were collected under the Higher Education General Information Surveys (HEGIS). HEGIS was limited to higher education institutions that were accredited at the college level by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. In 1986, HEGIS was superseded by IPEDS, which collects data from all postsecondary institutions. Although IPEDS encompasses the entire spectrum of postsecondary education institutions, data on the number, salary, tenure, and fringe benefits of full-time instructional faculty have been collected only from the types of institutions that were formerly in the HEGIS universe.

Data in this report present faculty salaries for the 1997-98 academic year at all degree-granting postsecondary institutions that are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid. The U.S. Department of Education no longer distinguishes among institutions based upon accreditation status, and NCES cannot obtain updated lists of "higher education" institutions as defined in previous reports. In lieu of this designation, NCES has subset the postsecondary institutional universe on the basis of whether or not institutions grant a degree, information that is available directly from IPEDS data. Additionally, because eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid has reporting implications and is of particular policy interest, the postsecondary institution universe is further subdivided into those schools that are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid and those that are not eligible. Title IV eligibility is based on lists of eligible institutions maintained by the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education.

Average Faculty Salaries in 1997-98

In 1997-98, the salaries of full-time instructional faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts averaged $52,335 in degree-granting institutions for all ranks combined (tables 1 and 5). Average salaries varied by academic rank and ranged from $68,731 for professors to $32,449 for instructors on 9- and 10-month contracts.

For all ranks combined, average salaries were $11,000 higher at 2-year public institutions than at 2-year private, non-profit institutions. When examined by academic rank, the difference increased to about $15,400 for professors, about $12,400 for associate professors, and almost $9,300 for assistant professors (table 1).

In 1997-98, degree-granting institutions reported that 60 percent of the total faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts were tenured (233,336 out of 386,495). When examined by gender, men constituted 71 percent of the tenured faculty at degree-granting institutions. California reported that 74 percent of its 37,048 full-time instructional faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts were tenured. California also reported the largest number of full-time instructional faculty at degree-granting institutions (tables 2 through 4).

Average salaries for all ranks combined for faculty in private, non-profit degree-granting institutions were higher than for faculty in public degree-granting institutions. By rank, however, only professors and lecturers earned more in private, non-profit institutions than in public institutions. Associate and assistant professors, instructors, and those with no academic rank had higher average salaries in public institutions than in private, non-profit institutions (tables 6 and 7).

The salaries of full-time instructional faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts in public institutions in California, Connecticut, and New Jersey averaged over $60,000 per year. In contrast, the salaries of full-time instructional faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts in public institutions in North Dakota and South Dakota were under $40,000 per year (table 6).

Faculty in 4-year degree-granting institutions had significantly higher salaries than those in 2-year degree-granting institutions. On average, faculty in 4-year schools earned over $8,000 more per year than those in 2-year institutions. Those faculty in the academic ranks of professor, associate professor, and assistant professor had higher average salaries in 4-year institutions than in 2-year institutions, while those faculty in the ranks of instructor and lecturer and those with no academic rank had higher average salaries in 2-year than in 4-year institutions (tables 8 through 11).

Among the states, average salaries for full-time instructional faculty in public 4-year degree-granting institutions were higher in California than in any other state. South Dakota was the only state where full-time instructional faculty in public 4-year institutions earned an average salary of less than $40,000 (table 9).

At degree-granting institutions, male faculty earned about $10,300 more than female faculty, all ranks combined. This disparity is greater than any difference within a rank because relatively few women are reported in the senior faculty ranks. Within faculty ranks, the differential between men's and women's salaries was highest among professors and decreased with decreasing rank. Among professors, men's salaries averaged about $8,500 more than women's salaries; among associate professors, the difference in average salaries was about $3,400; among assistant professors, it was about $2,500; and among instructors, it was less than $1,100 (tables 12 and 13).

Table 1.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank, level, and control: Academic year 1997-98

Table 1.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank, level, and control: Academic year 1997-98

—Not applicable.

*Number of faculty reported in this category was too small to yield reliable results.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Salaries, Tenure, and Fringe Benefits of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Survey" (IPEDS-SA: 1997-98).

Table 2.—Number of tenured full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank, level, and control: Academic year 1997-98

Table 2.-Number of tenured full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank, level, and control: Academic year 1997-98

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Salaries, Tenure, and Fringe Benefits of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Survey" (IPEDS-SA: 1997-98).

Table 3.—Number of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 3.-Number of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

*Number of faculty reported in this category was too small to yield reliable results.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Salaries, Tenure, and Fringe Benefits of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Survey" (IPEDS-SA: 1997-98).

Table 4.—Total number of full-time instructional faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by tenure status, state, and sex: Academic year 1997-98

Table 4.-Total number of full-time instructional faculty on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by tenure status, state, and sex: Academic year 1997-98

Table 5.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 5.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 6.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in public Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 6.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in public Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

—Not applicable.

*Number of faculty reported in this category was too small to yield reliable results.

Table 7.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in private, non-profit Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 7.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in private, non-profit Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 8.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 4-year Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 8.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 4-year Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 9.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 4-year public Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 9.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 4-year public Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 10.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 2-year Title IV eligible degree-granting

Table 10.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 2-year public Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 11.—Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 2-year public Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 11.-Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in 2-year public Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 12.—Average salaries of male full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 12.-Average salaries of male full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 13.—Average salaries of female full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Table 13.-Average salaries of female full-time instructional faculty, on 9- and 10-month contracts, in Title IV eligible degree-granting institutions, by academic rank and state: Academic year 1997-98

Data source: The NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Salaries, Tenure, and Fringe Benefits of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Survey" (IPEDS-SA:1997-98).

For technical information, see the complete report:

Brown, P.Q. (1999). Salaries and Tenure of Full-Time Instructional Faculty on 9- and 10-Month Contracts: 1997-1998 (NCES 1999-193).

Author affiliation: P.Q. Brown, NCES.

For questions about content, contact Patricia Q. Brown (patricia.brown@ed.gov).

To obtain the complete report (NCES 1999-193), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827), visit the NCES Web Site (http://nces.ed.gov), or contact GPO (202-512-1800).