Explanation Of Statistical Data

Instructional Faculty. The instructional faculty is defined as all those members of the instructional-research staff who are employed full time, regardless of whether they are formally designated “faculty.” It includes all those whose major regular assignment (at least 50 percent) is instruction, including release time for research. Faculty on sabbatical leave are counted at their regular salaries even though they may be receiving a reduced salary while on leave. Replacements for those on leave with pay are not counted; replacements for those on leave without pay are counted. All faculty members who have contracts for the full academic year are included, regardless of whether their status is considered “permanent.” Institutions are asked to exclude (a) instructional faculty who are not employed on a full-time basis; (b) instructional faculty whose services are valued by bookkeeping entries rather than by full cash transactions unless their salaries are determined by the same principles as those who do not donate their services; (c) instructional faculty who are in military organizations and are paid on a different scale from civilian employees; (d) administrative officers with titles such as dean of instruction, academic dean, associate or assistant dean, librarian, registrar, coach, or the like, even though they may devote part of their time to classroom instruction; and (e) graduate or undergraduate students who assist in the instruction of courses, but who have titles such as teaching assistant, teaching associate, or teaching fellow.

Salary. This figure represents the contracted salary excluding summer teaching, stipends, extra load, or other forms of remuneration. Department heads with faculty rank and no other administrative title are reported at their instructional salary (that is, excluding administrative stipends). Where faculty members are given duties for eleven or twelve months, salary is converted to a standard academic-year basis by applying a factor of 9/11 (81.8 percent) or by the institution’s own factor, reflected in a footnote to the appendix tables of this report.

Benefits. Benefit amounts tabulated here represent the institution (or state) contribution on behalf of the individual faculty member; the amount does not include the employee contribution. The major benefits include (a) retirement contribution, regardless of the plan’s vesting provision; (b) medical insurance; (c) disability income protection; (d) tuition for faculty dependents (both waivers and remissions are included); (e) dental insurance; (f) social security (FICA); (g) unemployment insurance; (h) group life insurance; (i) workers’ compensation premiums; and (j) other benefits in kind with cash alternatives (for the most part, these include benefits such as moving expenses, housing, cafeteria plans or cash options to certain benefits, bonuses, and the like). See also the footnote to tables 10A and 10B.

Compensation. Compensation represents salary plus institutional contribution to benefits. It is best viewed as an approximate “cost” figure for the institution, rather than an amount received by the faculty member.

Institutional Categories

Category I (Doctoral). Institutions characterized by a significant level and breadth of activity in and commitment to doctoral-level education as measured by the number of doctorate recipients and the diversity in doctoral level program offerings. Included in this category are those institutions that grant a minimum of thirty doctoral-level degrees annually. These degrees must be granted in three or more unrelated disciplines.

Category IIA (Master’s). Institutions characterized by diverse postbaccalaureate programs (including first professional), but not engaged in significant doctoral-level education. Specifically, this category includes institutions not considered specialized schools in which the number of doctoral-level degrees granted is fewer than thirty or in which fewer than three unrelated disciplines are offered. In addition, these institutions must grant a minimum of thirty postbaccalaureate degrees annually and either grant degrees in three or more postbaccalaureate programs or, alternatively, have an interdisciplinary program at the postbaccalaureate level.

Category IIB (Baccalaureate). Institutions characterized by their primary emphasis on general undergraduate baccalaureate-level education and not significantly engaged in postbaccalaureate education. Included in this category are institutions that are not considered specialized and in which the number of postbaccalaureate degrees granted is fewer than thirty annually or in which fewer than three post-baccalaureate-level programs are offered and that either (a) grant baccalaureate degrees in three or more program areas, or (b) offer a baccalaureate program in interdisciplinary studies.

Category III (Two-Year Institutions with Academic Ranks). Institutions that confer at least 75 percent of their degrees and awards for work below the bachelor’s degree and utilize academic ranks.

Category IV (Two-Year Institutions without Academic Ranks). Institutions that confer at least 75 percent of their degrees and awards for work below the bachelor’s degree but do not utilize academic ranks. An institution that refers to all faculty members as “instructors” or “lecturers” but does not distinguish among them on the basis of standard ranks is included in this category. Category IV institutions are listed in Appendix II of this report.

Definition of Data Presented in Appendices I and II

Academic Ranks-PR=Professor; AO=Associate Professor; AI=Assistant Professor; IN=Instructor; AR=All Ranks.

Col. (1) Institutional Category—The definition of categories is given above.

Col. (2) Ratings of Average Salary—Each rating represents the percentile interval in which the institution’s average salary in a given rank lies (1*=95th percentile or above; 1=80th to 94.9th percentile; and the like). An average salary lower than the twentieth percentile is rated 5. The ratings have been assigned using the actual average salary, which is then rounded to the nearest hundred for publication in Col. (3).

Col. (3) Average Salary by Rank and for All Ranks Combined—This figure has been rounded to the nearest hundred. “All Ranks Combined” includes the rank of lecturer and the category of “No Rank.” Salary and compensation averages are replaced by dashes (----) when the number of individuals in a given rank is fewer than three.

Col. (4) Rating of Average Compensation—Same definition as that given for Col. (2) but for compensation (see definition above).

Col. (5) Average Compensation by Rank and for All Ranks Combined—Same definition as that given for Col. (3) but for compensation.

Col. (6) Benefits as a Percentage of Average Salary—Total benefits as a percentage of average salary for all ranks combined.

Col. (7) Percent of Faculty with Tenure —This figure represents the percentage of faculty members tenured within a given rank. 0 indicates tenured faculty are less than 0.5 percent of that rank. A blank indicates that there are no faculty in that rank. See also Col. (9).

Col. (8) Percentage Increase in Salary for Continuing Faculty—The percentage increase in salary for faculty members remaining at the institution in 2007–08 from the previous year. This represents the average increase for individuals as opposed to a percentage change in average salary levels.

Col. (9) Number of Faculty Members by Rank and Gender—This number represents the total number of full-time (FT) faculty members in a given rank.

Col. (10) Average Salary by Rank and by Gender—See the definition for Col. (3).

Institutional Footnotes

Institutional footnote numbers are given in the appendix tables between the name of the institution and its category. The footnotes for both appendix I (institutions with academic ranks) and appendix II (institutions without ranks) are listed at the end of appendix II. Footnotes identify specific professional schools or programs (law, dentistry, nursing, engineering, or business) included in the faculty salary and compensation tabulations for each institution. Respondents were asked to self-identify their schools or programs based on the type of institution, as follows: for a university, they were to include only those organized as separate schools, colleges, or divisions; for smaller institutions, they were to identify programs that are degree granting and employ a substantial number of faculty. Medical school faculty are excluded from the tabulations.

Any inquiries concerning the data in this report may be directed to AAUP Research Office. E-mail: [email protected].