April 25, 2005

Pay for Professors

Faculty members are getting slightly larger raises this year than last year, but the raises have less buying power.

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The average salary increased by 2.8 percent in 2004-5 — weighted across all types of institutions and all faculty ranks — according to data released last week by the American Association of University Professors. That’s better than last year’s increases of 2.1 percent, which was a 30-year low. But inflation was extremely low last year, and rose to 3.3 percent this year. That means average increases lagged behind inflation for the first time in eight years.

The AAUP’s survey on faculty salaries — released every spring — also includes institution-by-institution breakdowns that are widely compared by faculty members. At the bottom of this article are lists of the best paying private universities (Rockefeller University is on top); public universities (University of California at Los Angeles); liberal arts colleges (Wellesley) and community colleges (Westchester Community College). AAUP officials caution, however, against reading too much into individual comparisons. The cost of living varies widely in the United States, and many colleges have large gaps in what they pay faculty members in certain disciplines, so the averages tell only part of the story.

The data released by the AAUP focus on full-time professors. But based on other data, association officials said that they fear that gaps are growing between full-time and part-time professors, and between groups that are covered by the survey. For instance, faculty members at doctoral universities, who already earn more than those in other sectors, also received larger raises this year. Average raises, and salaries across rank were: 3.1 percent at doctoral institutions ($78,236), 2.3 percent at master’s institutions ($60,807), 3.0 percent at bachelor’s institutions ($57,959) and 2.1 percent at community colleges ($52,862).

One concern noted was the growing gap between public and private institutions, especially in the senior faculty ranks, where top scholars reside. For years now, private institutions have paid more than publics, but the gap is growing. Faculty members at private, non-church related doctoral universities saw salaries increase by 3.5 percent, compared to 2.9 percent at public institutions.

Wide gaps now exist between average salaries at public and private, non-church related institutions, especially at the doctoral level:

Average Salaries at Doctoral Institutions, 2004-5

Gaps are also present in other sectors. At baccalaureate institutions, for example, the average assistant professor at a private, non-church-related institution earns just over $51,000, while the figure is just over $48,000 at a public institution.

An AAUP report accompanying the release of the data also noted that gender gaps remain significant in higher education, with far fewer women holding faculty positions, particularly at those doctoral institutions with the most prestige and the highest salaries. Generally, the AAUP found gaps narrowing at earlier stages of academic careers, however, and at community colleges.

The professors’ group also noted concerns about the relation of presidential pay to faculty pay. The AAUP has started to gather comparative data, and although it does not have comprehensive statistics, it noted that in the last decade “the gap between chief administrators and faculty widened.” As the association gathers more information about executive compensation in the years ahead, it intends to push on this issue.

“The basic premise of the AAUP’s analysis is that a president’s salary should bear some relation to the pay of faculty members at the same institution,” the report said. “The president’s salary should not be based solely on individual characteristics of the president or on an external salary comparison.”

The complete AAUP report and more information about the salary survey are available on the association’s Web site.

The AAUP survey does not provide breakdowns by discipline, but a recent study by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources found that the highest average salaries were in law, engineering and business.

Following are tables on the top colleges for average salaries for full professors:

Private Research Universities Where Average Salary of Full Professors Exceeds $125,000, 2004-5

Public Universities Where Average Salary of Full Professors Exceeds $110,000, 2004-5

Liberal Arts Colleges Where Average Salary of Full Professors Exceeds $110,000, 2004-5

Community Colleges Where Average Salary of Full Professors Exceeds $80,000, 2004-5

— Scott Jaschik

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