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The Annual Report On The Economic Status Of The Profession, 2008-09
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The Annual Report On The Economic Status Of The Profession, 2008–09
List of Tables and Figures
See tables as one file (.pdf)
Explanation of Statistical Data
Download this report (.pdf)
Appendix I State tables (for specific institutions) (.pdfs)
Alabama - Maryland
Massachusetts - North Carolina
North Dakota - Wyoming
Appendix II Institutions without Academic Ranks (.pdf)
With the broader economy in free fall and new indicators reported almost daily, the economic outlook for faculty members and higher education is anything but clear. Although our annual salary data represent the best information available, they are already out of line with a rapidly changing economic reality. Thus, in this year’s report we attempt to portray the variety of economic situations currently affecting faculty members and to suggest how faculty members might respond. Now more than ever, we call on our faculty colleagues to take an active role in collaborative decision making on institutional spending, to examine critically the claims of administrations and legislatures alike regarding the financial situation of higher education, and to raise questions about the inevitability and the advisability of cuts to faculty salaries and positions.
After six years of stagnation, inflation-adjusted faculty salaries are higher this year. But those higher salaries on paper do not necessarily reflect an increase in effective purchasing power for the faculty as a whole. This is especially the case for groups of faculty we have highlighted in previous reports: those in precarious contingent employment situations and the women faculty who continue to face disproportionate hurdles even after more than three decades of struggle for equity. We document the latest figures on the expansion of contingent faculty appointments and provide a sampling of reports on how contingent faculty members are faring in the economic downturn. And we take a fresh look at women’s advancement through the faculty ranks.
Policy makers seeking to stimulate the economy acknowledge the importance of investing in education. But all too often, they give insufficient consideration to the need to invest in faculty members, who are at least indirectly responsible for a tremendous proportion of our nation’s earning power. That is why even in a difficult economic situation, the spending priorities of higher education institutions must reflect our collective mission to provide a societal benefit. Decisions made now about salaries, reductions in faculty positions and academic programs, and changes in the employment conditions of contingent faculty will affect the quality of the education we can offer for years to come, and we must ensure that the choices we make are good ones.
Unless otherwise indicated, the data in this report were provided by institutions responding to the AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey and were compiled and analyzed by the AAUP Research Office. Any questions concerning the report should be directed to the American Association of University Professors, Research Office, 1133 Nineteenth Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036-3655. Telephone: 202-737-5900. Additional copies of the report are available for purchase from the AAUP.
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