Dean Nina Zipser
Office for Faculty Affairs
Academic Year 2009-2010

Faculty Demographic Trends.  After a period of rapid growth, the size of the ladder faculty has remained relatively constant for the last three years. While the overall size of the faculty remained flat, the number of tenure-track faculty has decreased. This trend can be attributed to promotions into the tenured ranks together with tenured-faculty hiring outpacing tenured-faculty retirements. Figure 1 illustrates the number of ladder faculty in the FAS from the fall of 2001 through the fall of 2010, by tenured and tenure-track faculty.

Figure 1: Ladder faculty in the FAS from fall 2001 through fall 2010, by rank

* Note: The fall 2008, fall 2009, and fall 2010 faculty counts represent a September 1st snapshot, whereas the fall 2001 through fall 2007 counts represent a July 1st snapshot as in previous annual reports. This new counting methodology was implemented in order to capture appointments starting on September 1st.

During the period of rapid growth in the faculty, the number of women on the faculty also grew. From 2001 to 2008 the number of women increased from 134 to 185 and then decreased slightly over the last two years to 181. In 2001 women comprised 22 percent of the faculty and today comprise 25 percent of the faculty. In terms of rank, in 2001, 17 percent of tenured faculty and 33 percent of tenure-track faculty were women. As of September 1, 2010, 22 percent of tenured faculty and 36 percent of tenure-track faculty are women.

Figure 2: Ladder faculty in the FAS from fall 2001 through fall 2010, by gender

* Note: The fall 2008, fall 2009, and fall 2010 faculty counts represent a September 1st snapshot, whereas the fall 2001 through fall 2007 counts represent a July 1st snapshot as in previous annual reports. This new counting methodology was implemented in order to capture appointments starting on September 1st.

The gender distribution in terms of tenured and tenure-track faculty is illustrated in the graphs below.

Figure 3: FAS tenured faculty, from fall 1995 through fall 2010, by gender

Figure 4: FAS tenure-track faculty, from fall 1995 through fall 2010, by gender

During the last decade, the number and percentage of minority faculty grew. The percentage of minorities increased from 12 percent to 16 percent. In 2001, 9 percent of tenured faculty and 18 percent of tenure-track faculty were minorities. As of September 1, 2010, 14 percent of tenured faculty and 24 percent of tenure-track faculty are minorities. However, the number of under-represented minorities has remained relatively flat over the last five years, as illustrated in the graph below.

Of the 41 external searches conducted in academic year 2009-10, 20 have culminated in accepted offers to date, of which women represent 20 percent and minorities represent 25 percent (10 percent Asian minorities and 15 percent under-represented minorities).

It is vital that faculty searches are conducted as effectively as possible and that the best candidates are hired. Although progress has been made in enhancing the diversity of the faculty over the last decade, there is still much work to do to recruit and hire from the broadest and most diverse pools. In the coming year, renewed focus will be brought to searching, recruiting, and appointing practices within the FAS. To help with maintaining and enhancing the excellence of the faculty, Professor Mahzarin Banaji, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics, has been appointed as the Senior Advisor to the FAS Dean on Faculty Development to work with departments to identify and challenge any barriers that stand in the way of achieving our goal of the strongest faculty for the future.

In 2009-2010, tenure promotion rates were very strong. Of the 18 tenure promotion cases that culminated in a decision, 16, or 89 percent were successful. Thirty-one percent of the successfully promoted faculty were women and, likewise, 31 percent were minorities (25 percent Asian minorities and 6 percent under-represented minorities).