Brown professors' salaries increased by 3.9 percent this year - a slightly higher rate of increase than the national average of 3.8 percent, according to a study by the American Association of University Professors released April 14. But this increase is not enough to keep up with inflation, the study says, resulting in no increase in real income for postsecondary educators.
The AAUP study examined salaries of professors, administrators and coaches at colleges across the country, and the data reflect percentage increase between the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 academic years.
Dean of the Faculty Rajiv Vohra P'07 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that University faculty pay rose an average of 5 percent per year from 2001 to 2007.
Nationally, salaries of professors are not keeping up with those in other professions, said John Curtis, director of research and public policy for the AAUP, a professors' advocacy group. The study's data are worrying "in the sense that there's always a question of whether we can attract the best and most capable" individuals to the postsecondary education profession, Curtis said.
Brown tends to follow national trends, Carolyn Dean, associate dean of the faculty, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. The average full Brown professor's salary is $139,900, according to this year's AAUP data. Brown's salary is above the national average salary of $118,444, but the University is still the lowest-paying in the Ivy League. On average, Harvard professors make $184,800 and Cornell, the second lowest-paying Ivy, pays their full-time professors an average of $148,200 each.
According to the AAUP, the low increase is the result of the current economic situation and universities' priorities. The AAUP argued in the report that universities nationwide need to re-prioritize and increase funding to resources, Curtis said.
As evidence of this, the AAUP report points to salaries of coaches in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), which are nearly 10 times as much as professors'.
"Universities are making decisions all the time on how to expend their resources. The fundamental investment should be at the core areas of teaching and researching," Curtis said.
Another area of concern in the AAUP's report is the discrepancy between administrator and faculty salaries. The growth of chief administrators' salaries nationwide has exceeded both the rate of inflation and the growth rate in full professor salaries.
"The AAUP believes that the argument for paying faculty well is at least as strong as the argument for paying presidents well," the report says. "Deploying resources to recruit and retain the best faculty is the most important investment a college or university can make."
At Brown, administrators' salaries vary, with some paid more than the average faculty salary and some less, Dean wrote in her e-mail. "Administrators work the full year rather than the academic year and have additional responsibilities," she added.
The University's "faculty increase pool" is determined through the annual budget process and takes into consideration factors such as equity, competitiveness and promotions, Dean wrote.
In reference to the University's salary decision-making, Dean wrote, "Our process is a collaborative one between chairs, faculty and the dean (of the faculty)." Brown students are able to voice their opinions through student evaluations that are weighed heavily in salary decisions, Dean said. The AAUP report said salary decisions should be a joint effort that includes faculty, alumni and students.
"Everyone should have a say," Curtis said.
