Faculty Survey 2004-2005

Teaching Faculty Results

Demographics

Earlham teaching faculty respondents were somewhat younger than the respondents from other institutions with 7.3% being under the age of 30 and less than 15% over the age of 60. Many of the respondents were recent hires at their present institution. 27.5% of Earlham respondents accepted their current appointment during the previous 3 years. The same was true for 20.2% of respondents nationwide and 20.4% at our peer institution.

Age
Earlham
All institutions
Peer Group
 
%
%

%
Under 30
7.3
2.0
2.2
30 to 40
14.7
17.3
24.7
40-60
63.4
61.1
56.9
Over 60
14.7
19.6
15.2

Earlham teaching faculty showed more racial diversity than other institutions. While 81% of the Earlham teaching faculty were White, 92.6% nationwide and 90.5% of our peer group teaching faculty were White. Earlham respondents included 4.8% African American/Black faculty while 2.3% of the nationwide faculty and 3% of our peer group faculty were African American/Black. Earlham also had a greater percentage of teaching faculty indicating they had an "other" racial/ethnic group compared to only 1.8% nationwide and 2.5% at peer institutions.

Year of Appointment

 
Earlham
All institutions
Peer Group
Before 1967
2.5

1.6
2.6
1967-1976
10.0
10.3
13.0
1977-1986
22.5
16.4
19.5
1987-1996
25.0
26.2
27.1
1997-2001
12.5
25.3
17.3
2002-2004
27.5
20.2
20.4

Academic Rank

 

Earlham Teaching Faculty

All Institutions

Peer

 

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Group
 
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

Professor
60.9
26.3
45.2
38.7
20.0
31.4
40.4

Assoc. Prof
8.7
15.8
11.9
23.9
23.4
23.7
25.6

Asst. Prof.
21.7
36.8
28.6
20.8
27.8
23.6
27.6

Lecturer
0
0
0
3.2
5.9
4.3
1.7

Instructor
0
10.5
0
11.5
20.3
15.0
3.3

Other
8.7
10.5
9.5
1.8
2.6
2.1
1.5

The overall percentage of full professor respondents from Earlham was greater than that percentage for all colleges and universities and for our peer group. The percentage of lecturers and instructors from the nationwide sample was much higher than from Earlham or our peer group, and Earlham had a greater percentage of teaching faculty that did not consider themselves to be in any of these academic ranks.

Highest Degree earned

 
Earlham men
Earlham women
Earlham total
All institutions
Peer Group
 
%
%
%
%
%
Bachelor's
4.3
10.5
7.1
3.3
.8
Master's
8.7
26.3
16.7
27.4
9.8
Ph.D. or terminal degree
82.6
63.2
76.2
64.5
87.2

Of the Earlham teaching faculty who chose to respond to the survey, a higher percentage did not have a graduate degree compared to the nationwide sample and the peer group. The percentage having a Ph.D. or terminal degree was higher than all institutions but lower than our peer group

 

As well as being asked about the highest degree they had earned, Earlham faculty were asked in which field they had received that degree.

Major of Highest Degree

Earlham

All Institutions

Peer

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Group
 
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

Agriculture

 or Forestry
0
0
0
2.0
.7
1.4
.2

Biological Sciences
9.1
0
5.1
7.1
5.4
6.4
7.8

Business
0
0
0
6.8
5.7
6.1
.8

Education
0
5.9
2.6
9.3
10.8
12.9
3.2

Engineering
0
0
0
5.7
.9
3.9
.3

English
9.1
11.8
10.3
5.7
10.1
7.0
7.0

Health-related
0
5.9
2.6
2.6
13.5
5.9
.6

History or Political Science
13.6
17.6
15.4
8.1
4.0
6.6
10.3

Humanities
13.6
23.5
17.9
7.8
8.7
8.3
20.1

Fine Arts
9.1
5.9
7.7
9.4
9.2
9.2
12.4

Mathematics or Statistics
4.5
5.9
5.1
6.6
5.3
5.6
6.1

Physical Sciences
13.6
0
7.7
9.2
3.4
6.8
11.8

Social Sciences
13.6
17.6
15.4
11.3
11.6
11.6
17.4

Other Technical
9.1
0
5.1
3.4
2.3
2.6
.6

Other Non-Technical
4.5
5.9
5.1
5.1
8.2
5.6
1.4

 

Unlike the national sample, the greatest percentage of teaching faculty at Earlham and at our peer group institutions received their highest degree in Humanities.

Year Highest Degree Earned

 

Earlham

All Institutions

Peer

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Group
 
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

Before 1967
4.3
0
2.5
5.1
1.6
3.8
2.6

1967 to 1971
0
0
0
9.8
2.8
7.1
6.6

1972 to 1976
21.7
11.8
17.5
14.2
6.7
11.2
10.5

1977 to 1981
21.7
5.9
15.1
12.3
9.3
11.1
11.4

1982 to 1986
17.4
0
10.0
11.5
12.1
11.7
12.1

1987 to 1991
0
29.4
12.5
12.1
14.5
13.1
14.3

1992 to 1996
8.7
17.6
12.5
13.5
19.0
15.7
14.7

1997 to 2001
13.0
29.4
20.0
14.9
22.5
17.9
18.0

2002 to 2004
13.0
5.9
10.0
6.5
11.6
8.5
9.8

 

The male teaching staff at Earlham tended to earn their degrees earlier than the female teaching staff, with no women receiving their degree earlier than 1972.  Both the peer group institutions and the nationwide sample shows a greater percentage of teaching faculty receiving their highest degree between 1967 and 1971.

 

One question dealt with the issue of tenure.  When asked if they were tenured, 53.7% of the Earlham teaching faculty responded positively.  This can be compared to 51.8% of faculty at all other institutions.  Breaking this group down into male and female, we see that at Earlham 60.9% of male faculty and 44.4% of female faculty has tenure.  Among our peer group 63.2% of the teaching faculty reported having tenure.

 

Questions on the faculty survey did not deal solely with the college-related aspects of the professors’ lives but also with personal and familial questions.  Faculty members were asked about their marital status as well as the education of partners.

A question about marital status revealed that 82.6% of male professors and 73.7% of female professors at Earlham are married.  This differs somewhat from the marital statuses of all teaching faculty nationwide, where the trend of more married male than female professors continues as 82.5% of the males and 66.1% of the females are married.  The percentage of Earlham teaching faculty who are unmarried and living with a partner is 4.8% compared to 4.3% nationwide and 5.7% at peer institutions.  The percentage of Earlham teaching faculty reporting having been divorced (14.3%) was less than the percentage reported on the 2001 faculty survey (24.5%) and is less than the 2004 percentages for the nationwide sample (24.9%) and at our peer institutions (20.9%).

Most of the respondents were U.S. citizens; 92.3% of the Earlham teaching faculty respondents, 94.4% nationwide, and 94.6% of the faculty from our peer institutions. Many were born in the U.S.A.; 91% nationwide, 85.7% from Earlham and 88.8% from peer institutions. Teaching faculty nationwide are more likely to have a long distance to commute to work than the teachers at Earlham and our peer institutions; 21.7% nationwide, 14.3% of the Earlham respondents, and 12.7% from our peer group. About a third of all teaching faculty have a spouse or partner that is an academic; 33.3% nationwide, 35% at Earlham, 31.9% at peer institutions.

General Activities

 
Earlham
All Institutions
Peer Group
 
%
%
%
Have you been sexually harassed at this institution
0
5.0
3.9
Are you a member of a faculty union
0
26.7
4.0
Do you plan to retire within the next 3 years
4.8
13.0
9.0
 
During the past two years have you...
Received at least one firm job offer
31.0
27.7
21.2
Considered early retirement
19.0
22.4
21.2
Considered leaving academe for another job
35.7
31.1
29.0
Considered leaving this institution for another
31.0
40.9
39.1
Changed academic institutions
9.5
9.4
10.9

As shown in the table above, 31% of Earlham teaching faculty respondents received at least one firm job offer during the past two years and 35.7% considered leaving academe for another job. We are grateful to learn that, unlike faculty at other institutions, no Earlham teaching faculty was sexually harassed while at Earlham. Earlham also has fewer teaching faculty planning to retire within the next 3 years.

The survey question relating to salary was broken down between 9/10 month contracts and 11/12 month contracts. Roughly 60% of the teaching faculty at Earlham and at our peer institutions indicated they were on a 9/10 month contract. Among those, 52% at Earlham reported earnings between $40,000 and $59,000 annually.  Thirty-two percent reported making over $60,000.  At our peer institutions, 29.8% earn between $40,000 and $59,000 and 65.8% have a base salary of over $60,000. Nationwide, 77% indicated they were on a 9/10 month contract. Of those surveyed, 40.5% have base salaries between $40,000 and $59,000 and a large number (41.6%) make over $60,000. When asked if they were satisfied with their salary and fringe benefits, 47.4% of the nationwide sample were either satisfied or very satisfied while 51.2% at Earlham and 68.7% at peer institutions indicated the same.

Teaching faculty were asked about their children. The nationwide sample of teaching faculty were somewhat more likely to not have children. 39.4% of teaching faculty at Earlham have two children over 18 but only 19.5% of teaching faculty nationwide and 24% of teaching faculty from our peer group have two children over the age of 18. However a higher percentage of nationwide and peer group respondents had three or four children.

 

Children  

 

Earlham
All institutions

Peer Group

Children under 18
%
%
%
None
53.8
64.2
42.9
One
23.1
15.7
27.0
Two
23.1
14.7
23.9
Three
0
4.1
5.1
Four
0
1.3
1.2
Children 18 years or older
None
42.4
55.0
49.3
One
12.1
12.8
16.3
Two
39.4
19.5
24.0
Three
3.0
8.1
7.8
Four
3.0
4.6
2.7

Sources of stress for Earlham faculty differed dramatically by gender when looking at marital friction and job security. Female faculty at Earlham were much more likely to consider these factors stressful compared to the males. The review process was more stressful for faculty at our peer schools and for faculty nationwide compared to Earlham faculty, however keeping up with technology was stressful for a higher percentage of Earlham faculty compared to faculty nationwide and faculty from our peer schools. Working with underprepared students was stressful for a smaller percentage of faculty at our peer institutions compared to the percentage of faculty at Earlham and faculty nationwide. Being part of a dual career couple was a source of stress for 52.5% of Earlham teaching faculty compared to only 35.2% nationwide and 45.9% at peer schools..

Factors noted as a source of stress

Earlham

All Institutions

Peer

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Group
 
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Household responsibilities
73.9
88.9
80.5
68.0
81.8
73.5
77.5
Child care
21.7
29.4
25.0
29.4
29.6
29.5
38.2
Care of elderly parent
43.5
35.3
40.0
30.7
36.4
32.9
30.0
Own physical health
47.8
50.0
48.8
49.2
54.8
51.4
48.0
Health of spouse/partner
17.4
29.4
22.5
39.0
29.3
35.2
32.8
Review process
21.7
33.3
26.8
40.3
50.8
44.4
42.4
Subtle discrimination
21.7
33.3
26.8
17.9
34.2
24.4
24.7
Personal finances
60.9
47.1
55.0
57.7
62.5
59.3
56.3
Committee work
60.9
66.7
63.4
54.7
61.1
57.2
57.9
Faculty meetings
47.8
66.7
56.1
47.5
52.2
49.3
46.7
Research or publishing demands
34.8
43.7
38.5
52.6
52.8
52.7
69.7
Institutional procedures
52.2
66.7
58.5
66.0
65.6
65.8
50.8
Teaching load
65.2
81.3
71.8
61.6
70.8
65.2
72.5
Children's problems
43.5
52.9
47.5
31.5
30.7
31.2
33.9
Marital friction
4.3
35.3
17.5
23.3
21.2
22.4
22.9
Lack of personal time
78.3
83.3
80.5
68.5
81.9
73.8
81.3
Keeping up with technology
78.3
77.8
78.0
54.0
64.2
58.0
54.1
Job security
13.0
38.9
24.4
27.3
36.5
31.0
26.3
Being part of a dual career couple
43.5
64.7
52.5
31.0
41.6
35.2
45.9
Self-imposed high expectations
73.9
88.9
80.5
75.0
84.4
78.7
84.7
Change in work responsibilities
34.8
38.9
36.6
33.7
48.0
39.3
35.0
Working with underprepared students
47.8
52.9
50.0
52.3
60.5
55.5
34.4

 

The political views of teaching faculty at Earlham are more strongly liberal or far left compared to teachers nationwide; 79.4% of the Earlham teaching faculty consider their political views to be liberal or far left, 74.4% of the teaching faculty at peer institutions and 51% nationwide. Earlham did, however, have 5.8% of their teaching faculty members with conservative or far right political views compared to 6.9% at our peer institutions and 19.5% nationwide.

Click below to link to more responses from the faculty survey.

Teaching Faculty

 

 

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Created by Mary Ann Weaver

March 21, 2006