PRESS RELEASE

Public Institutions Lagged Behind Private Institutions in Awarding Salary Increases Last Year to Faculty Members

The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) recently released the findings of its 2010-11 National Faculty Salary Survey. Results indicate that the overall median base salary increase for faculty members in 2010 was 1.1%. However, data show that increases occurred more frequently at private institutions than public institutions. For public institutions, the median salary increase was again 0.0% (the same as 2009); for private institutions, the median increase was 2.0%. This finding reflects the salaries of 214,155 faculty members and 5,148 researchers in public and private institutions nationwide. Salaries were reported by 812 institutions, including 497 private institutions and 315 public institutions.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers [CPI-U] in 2010 was 1.6% higher than in 2009. As such, the median salary increase for faculty this year was less than inflation for all institutions combined but substantially less than inflation for the publics and better than inflation for the privates.

“We are pleased to see that salary increases were awarded to many faculty members at private institutions; however, it is disconcerting that for the second year in a row, the majority of faculty at public institutions have not received increases,” says CUPA-HR President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Brantley. “As our higher education institutions continue to struggle to balance budgets, we hope that college and university leaders will look for new and different ways to acknowledge and reward the work of outstanding faculty.”

Survey Participants

Public institutions comprise 38.8% (315) of the 2010-11 respondents, and private institutions 61.2% (497). The responding private institutions include slightly more religiously affiliated (265) than independent institutions (232). In terms of classification, master’s colleges and universities are the largest group of participants at 44.7% (363) and includes more private than public institutions. Baccalaureate colleges comprise 29.1% (236) of the respondents. Doctoral institutions comprise 18.5% (150) of the respondents and two-thirds are public. Special Focus institutions are the smallest segment of respondents at 7.8% (63), and almost all are private institutions. About 33% (104) of the responding public institutions report that their faculties are unionized.

Data Breakdown

In terms of Carnegie classification, all private institutions showed a real increase in average salary (2.2% at doctoral institutions, 2% at master’s institutions and special focus institutions, and 1.9% at baccalaureate institutions), but the only public institutions to show a real increase were special focus institutions (with a 2% increase). In terms of rank, on the public side only “new” assistant professors showed an increase in average salary this year; in contrast, at private institutions, all ranks showed an increase.

The three disciplines with the highest average salaries are the same for all institutions across all ranks and also the same as the last three years — Legal Profession and Studies; Engineering; and Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services. For all ranks combined, and at each rank, disciplines with the lowest average salaries are mostly different for private and public institutions.

There are significant differences among disciplines in the distribution of faculty by rank. As in salary, the legal profession tops the highest percentage list for both private and public institutions, and engineering is also among the top three. For private institutions, philosophy and religious studies is also one of the disciplines with the highest percentage of full professors. At the other end of the spectrum, two of the three disciplines with the lowest percentage of full professors are the same for private and public institutions — Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences and Library Science.

Order Survey Results

To download a free Executive Summary, see a list of responding institutions, see data for selected positions, or order survey results for the 2010-11 National Faculty Salary Survey, go to “Surveys” on CUPA-HR’s home page (www.cupahr.org) and click on “Current Results and Respondents.” Full results can be purchased in two ways: (1) in a survey report, which provides an overview of median salaries from all reporting institutions by affiliation, budget size and enrollment with comparative tables breaking down data by budget quartiles and institutional classification, and (2) in DataOnDemand, a hands-on application enabling users to conduct their own analyses using peer comparison groups that they create.

About CUPA-HR

Founded in 1946, CUPA-HR is the association of HR professionals in higher education, and the leading voice on higher education workforce issues. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serving more than 1,750 member institutions and more than 13,000 HR professionals around the country and abroad, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education salary and benefits data, extensive online resources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information. Our membership includes 90 percent of all U.S. doctoral institutions, 70 percent of all master’s institutions, 50 percent of all bachelor’s institutions and 500 community colleges and specialized institutions. We also serve other organizations that are affiliated with higher education. CUPA-HR has been the national authority on compensation surveys for higher education since 1967.