Contingent faculty in ecology: Results of a survey

Background/Question/Methods

In 2007, slightly more than one half of the faculty at degree-granting institutions in the United States were classified as contingent (non-tenure track). In the future the proportion of contingent (part-time or full-time) faculty is expected to Increase as colleges and universities cope with constant or shrinking budgets and greater resistance to tuition increases. Contingent faculty experience many difficulties in pursuit of their professional goals, including job insecurity, lower pay, little or no benefits, and little say in departmental or institutional decision-making. In addition to these obstacles, contingent faculty often have limited access to resources for research or professional development.  In November, 2012, we carried a survey on behalf of the Committee on Diversity and Education of the ESA to find out how many ecologists occupied contingent positions and how the Society could best help them attain their professional goals.

Results/Conclusions

We received 559 responses, of which 80% were from individuals currently employed as contingent faculty. 88% of the respondents had a Ph. D. The largest age class was between 31 and 40 years old (48 %). The sample was almost evenly divided between women and men, while 86% claimed European ethnicity. 89% of the 522 individuals who answered the question were members of ESA. Two-thirds of the respondents had been employed as contingent faculty for less than 5 years. Most (63%) were employed full-time.  30% were primarily employed as researchers, 26% had mainly teaching duties, 23% did both teaching and research, and the remainder had administrative responsibilities in addition to teaching and/or research. When asked how the ESA could best support their professional development, respondents ranked reduced fees for membership, page charges and meeting registration highest followed by small grants for travel and research. The proposed activity that received the least support was the formation of a section for contingent faculty.