Variables Affecting Faculty Salaries
Between 2005–06 and 2006–07, there was for the first time in many years a slight decrease in the difference between the average faculty salary at public and private institutions, from $6,908 to $6,900. (Chart 2). The greatest salary disparity is once again seen at the university level, where faculty at private institutions earned $11,142 more than their public counterparts. Although salary comparisons at all ranks show an advantage for faculty at private universities, the biggest gap is between full professors, who average $18,024 less at public institutions (Table 2), down slightly from last year’s differential of $18,590. As private universities continue to offer higher salaries, public universities remain concerned about faculty “brain drain”—the loss of sought-after faculty members to higher-paying private universities.
