by our College Data Analytics TeamTimes have changed. If you went to college in the 1960s or ‘70s, you likely remember having close relationships with your professors. The professor of the mid-20th century was seemingly always available, always at college, and provided valuable mentoring to students.
Student relationships with their faculty are an important part of the college experience. According to a paper entitled “Faculty Matter: So Why Doesn’t Everyone Think So?” by Adrianna Kezar and Dan Maxey, having access to professors leads to higher graduation rates, better grades, and a better long-term career outlook. Additionally, such interactions enhance qualitative skills like critical thinking and leadership.
While faculty play a crucial role in a student’s education, the late 20th century saw institutions focusing on cost-cutting and increasing scholarly flexibility, leading to a decline in permanent faculty positions.
Institutions realized that full-time tenured faculty were expensive. To save money and increase “flexibility,” they began hiring part-time or adjunct faculty. According to data from the Department of Education, only 51% of college professors are full-time.
Despite these cost-cutting measures, tuition has continued to rise. One contributing factor is the increase in administrative staff. In a paper by Jon Marcus titled “New Analysis Shows Problematic Boom in Higher Ed Administrators,” it’s noted that between 1987 and 2012, the number of administrative staff more than doubled, adding over 500,000 administrative and professional employees. During the same period, the number of temporary faculty increased significantly, while full-time faculty numbers declined.
In 2013, part-time instructional staff constituted over 50% of the faculty at most institutions, a sharp increase from the 1980s when only a third of faculty were part-time.
Administrative staff are essential for the smooth operation of colleges. Institutions argue that more administrators are needed to comply with federal regulations and provide services requested by students. However, the dramatic rise in administrators, coupled with the decline in full-time teachers, raises questions about its value.
What does this mean for your child? Part-time faculty often teach at multiple institutions, have reduced office hours, and may not have as much time to assist students due to other commitments. They are typically hired solely to teach and may not engage in additional critical activities like program development and assessment planning.
Meanwhile, the increasing number of administrative (non-instructional) positions has directly contributed to rising tuition rates.
When searching for colleges, pay attention to the percentage of full-time faculty. While not every school needs 100% full-time teachers, a higher percentage is generally better.
You can easily find this information on the overview page of any school in College Factual’s directory, or the faculty composition page. For example, looking up my alma mater—the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities—shows the school has a higher-than-average percentage of full-time instructors. These pages also provide information on the number and percentage of adjunct professors, as well as trends over the last five years.
Faculty compensation, expenditures per student, student-to-faculty ratio, and the percentage of full-time teachers are factors in our Best Overall rankings as well as rankings by major. By completing the matching system through College Factual, students will be guided to colleges that fit them best individually, as well as top-ranked schools that meet their preferences for location and major.
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