Associate professors are unhappy campers, study finds
There may be some hard times ahead for those looking to embark on a career in academia, according to new research by Harvard University’s Graduate School of Higher Education. A report by the Collaborative Careers in Higher Education (known as COACHE) found associate professors to have low job satisfaction levels compared to both of their counterparts, assistant and full professors.
The survey of 13,510 professors at 69 four-year universities during the 2011-2012 academic year found causes of job dissatisfaction related to several key issues including nervousness about getting tenure, increased duties and less support.
“All of the mentorship, the protections of time, the clear policies and formal milestones that faculty had as assistant professors are lifted when they become associates,” Kiernan Mathews, director of COACH told Inside HigherEd. ”Suddenly, they’re teaching more, they’re serving on more committees, they’re even serving as department chairs — yet the criteria for promotion to full professor have nothing to do with these activities.”
High levels of job satisfaction among all college educators is critical to the effectiveness of an academic institution, according to another report by COACHE on faculty satisfaction. “The engagement, productivity, and vitality of the faculty are extremely important to the success of academic institutions in fulfilling their missions,” reads the report’s abstract.
COACHE plans to investigate further the issue of faculty engagement and job satisfaction, looking at the influences of other potential factors, like demographics.
