Contingent Faculty Fill Most Instructional Positions Nationwide and Teach Close to Half or More of All Courses at Public Institutions in Three Selected States

		From 1995 to 2011, the Number of Instructional Positions Filled by Contingent Faculty More than Doubled While Those Filled by Full-Time Tenure- track Faculty Increased By 10 Percent

According to IPEDS data, from 1995 to 2011, the percentage of  postsecondary instructional positions filled by contingent faculty increased  from 57.6 to 71.6 percent. Although it is unknown how many faculty hold  jobs at multiple institutions, this is likely to be more prevalent among  faculty filling part-time positions. Other faculty in these  positions may have employment or sources of income outside of  teaching. Educational Attainment

Our analysis of state data suggests that across 4-year public institutions  in North Dakota and Ohio, lower proportions of individuals in contingent  positions have a graduate or doctoral degree (see fig. While full-time contingent faculty may have a variety of responsibilities,  administrators stated that part-time contingent faculty generally focus on  teaching, though they also may fulfill different purposes. 9). Some administrators  also said that the academic freedom associated with tenure or having  faculty who conduct research in their field may be beneficial to  students. Absent National Information on Pay Rates, Contingent Faculty in Two Selected States Are Paid Less per Course, and Relatively Few Part- Time Faculty Receive Health or Retirement Benefits Data from Two States Show Contingent Faculty Are Paid Less per Course, Though Disparities Shrink If Pay for Research and Service Is Excluded

National data on contingent faculty pay rates are not available, but data  from two states show that contingent faculty are paid less per course. These analyses controlled for  other factors that may affect earnings, such as employing institution,  discipline, highest degree earned, and demographics. While Contingent Faculty at Selected Institutions Said Their Work Offers Certain Advantages, They Expressed Concerns about Contracts, Wages, and Institutional Support

		Contingent Faculty Identified Certain Advantages of Their Work

Contingent faculty at selected institutions said their work offers certain  advantages, including those allowing them to balance professional and  personal responsibilities, develop skills, or work with students. We  are interested in being with students.”

		Contingent Faculty Expressed Concerns about Short-term Contracts, Untimely Contract Renewals, and Compensation

			Contract-Related Concerns

Contingent faculty in some of our discussion groups expressed concerns  about contractual issues. That’s disappearing. Contingent faculty in some discussion groups also described a lack of  institutional support in areas that can affect faculty teaching duties, such  as access to information systems or office space. Education did not have any comments. NSF and expert  reviewers provided technical comments, which we incorporated, as  appropriate. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of this review were to determine (1) what is known about  the makeup and utilization of the postsecondary instructional workforce;  (2) the roles different types of faculty fill at selected institutions and the  factors administrators consider when determining their faculty makeup;  (3) what is known about how economic circumstances compare across  different faculty types; and (4) what contingent faculty members report as  advantages and disadvantages of their work. In addition to  administrators at the institutions above, we also interviewed  administrators from one large online-based for-profit institution, which we  selected primarily based on size of the institution. In total, we conducted 21 discussion  groups with contingent faculty. We analyzed faculty makeup, including counts and percentages  of faculty positions by type of position and faculty characteristics (e.g.,  age, education, and academic discipline), by the following faculty  categories (based, in part, on faculty tenure and work statuses):  We sometimes analyzed full-time and part-time contingent faculty and  instructional graduate assistants combined as “contingent faculty” and  full-time and part-time tenure-track combined as “tenure-track faculty.”  Unlike our analyses of IPEDS data, we included instructional graduate  assistants in our combined contingent faculty group because they were  listed as teachers of record for courses in the state data. We prorated  administrators/management staff according to the same method as at 4- year institutions due to their likely having substantial non-teaching  responsibilities. As shown in table  18 above, in terms of total pay per course, full-time contingent faculty in  North Dakota and Ohio are paid about 40 and 43 percent less per course,  respectively, than full-time tenure-track faculty—compared to 35 and 40  percent less per course, respectively, when both 4-year and 2-year  institutions are included.
Why GAO Did This Study

Contingent faculty play a large role in postsecondary education but may not have the same job protections as tenured or tenure-track faculty. In 2015, GAO reported that contingent workers—those in temporary, contract, or other non-standard employment arrangements—earn less, are less likely to have work-provided benefits, and are more likely to experience job instability than standard workers. GAO was asked to examine issues related to contingent faculty.
This report examines (1) what is known about the makeup and utilization of the postsecondary instructional workforce; (2) the roles different types of faculty fill at selected institutions and the factors administrators consider when determining faculty makeup; (3) what is known about how economic circumstances compare across different faculty types; and (4) what contingent faculty members report as advantages and disadvantages of their work.
GAO analyzed data from nationally representative sources and from public institutions in three states—Georgia, North Dakota, and Ohio. GAO selected these states based primarily on data availability. GAO interviewed administrators from 9 postsecondary institutions in these states and one large for-profit institution. GAO selected institutions based on factors such as institution size and percent of contingent faculty. GAO also conducted 21 discussion groups with contingent faculty.
The Department of Education did not have comments on this report. The National Science Foundation provided technical comments, which we incorporated, as appropriate.

What GAO Found

According to 2015 Department of Education data, contingent faculty—those employed outside of the tenure track—made up about 70 percent of postsecondary instructional positions nationwide, though this varied by type of institution. In addition, data from three selected states show that contingent faculty teach about 45 to 54 percent of all courses at 4-year public institutions, and higher proportions at 2-year public institutions. In terms of job stability, some full-time contingent positions with annual or longer contracts may be relatively stable while part-time positions with short-term contracts may be among the least stable, though it is unknown whether faculty in these positions have other employment. In contrast, tenure-track positions are often viewed as having a high degree of job security that is somewhat unique to postsecondary education.
Administrators GAO interviewed at selected postsecondary institutions said full-time contingent faculty generally carry heavy teaching loads, and some also take on additional responsibilities, such as conducting research or advising students. However, administrators stated that part-time contingent faculty generally focus solely on teaching. As shown in the figure below, administrators also described factors they consider in determining their institution's faculty makeup.
GAO examined recent data from North Dakota and Ohio public institutions and found that, among faculty who primarily teach—which excludes individuals such as administrators or researchers—part-time and full-time contingent faculty were paid about 75 percent and 40 percent less per course, respectively, compared to full-time tenure-track faculty. This comparison includes earnings for all of their responsibilities, including teaching and any other duties. However, when estimating faculty earnings for teaching duties only, pay disparities decreased to about 60 percent and 10 percent less per course for these contingent faculty, respectively. In addition, state and national data also showed that relatively few part-time contingent faculty received work-provided health or retirement benefits.
In discussion groups with GAO, contingent faculty cited advantages such as the flexibility to balance professional and personal responsibilities, skill development, or working with students, and described disadvantages that included uncertainty due to short-term contracts, untimely contract renewals, and pay—including a lack of compensation for some of their work. Other concerns they cited included limited career advancement opportunities, not having a voice in institutional decision-making, and not having certain types of institutional support.