Final Question
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FacultySalaries.docxFaculty Salaries
In addition to the points we’ve discussed so far about faculty salaries, there is an additional issue. Should faculty be paid based on market value? Should all members in a faculty be paid the same thing regardless of their fields of study?
For university faculty the ranks for the purposes of promotion are as follows:
· Instructor-lowest level
· Assistant Professor-new doctorate usually has this rank
· Associate Professor-doctorally qualified, seasoned, published
· Professor-the highest rank
The following is an excerpt from Mississippi College’s Policy on rank and promotion:
The basic qualifications for the various ranks are as follows:
· Instructor: For the rank of instructor one should have a master=s degree in the teaching field from an accredited institution or, in rare cases, have equivalent work experiences in the field of study which qualify the individual unquestionably for university instruction.
· Assistant Professor
· New Doctorates: Assistant Professor is generally the rank of faculty with new doctorates. It is expected that these faculty will become eligible for tenure and promotion when justified by length and quality of service to the institution.
· Without the Doctorate: Although Instructor is the normal rank for those without the doctorate, promotion to Assistant Professor is possible in certain cases of exceptional qualifications. In such a case, the rank of Assistant Professor will not carry tenure and will be considered a terminal rank; the doctorate will be required for promotion to a higher rank. An instructor seeking promotion without the doctorate should offer qualifications that clearly justify this distinction, and these should include at least the following:
· Levels of scholarship and teaching above the normal expectations for instructors.
· Length of service in the rank of Instructor at Mississippi College. Ten years of such service will be the minimum for consideration.
· Additional graduate work and/or exceptional service to the university. The following represents several examples: two masters degrees, 30 graduate hours beyond the first masters degree, leadership positions for the university including additional academic and administrative responsibility.
In such cases, the decision will go through the normal tenure and promotion process at Mississippi College. Exception: In certain exceptional circumstances, the Masters degree in the discipline may be considered as the terminal degree. The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Criteria 1998, specifically identifies the Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA) to illustrate the exception. Consistent with the Criteria, the MFA in studio or performing arts is considered the terminal degree at Mississippi College when the faculty member holding this degree teaches in the field. It is expected that the faculty holding the appropriate MFA degree will become eligible for tenure and promotion to all higher ranks when justified by length and quality of service to the institution.
· Associate Professor: To be appointed as an associate professor, or to be promoted to this rank, one ordinarily must have served for at least six years as a full-time Assistant Professor with an appropriate doctorate or appropriate terminal degree as defined above. An exception can be considered for one who has had at least twelve years of full-time college teaching, including three years with the doctorate or appropriate terminal degree, or twelve years as a full-time Assistant Professor, including at least one year with the doctorate or appropriate terminal degree. Also, in certain professional fields, it may be possible to give some seniority credit for senior-level professional experience. Exceptions are not to be made lightly; the intention is to be consistent and fair to all.
· Professor: A full professor must have an earned doctorate or appropriate terminal degree as defined above in the teaching field from an accredited institution of higher learning and ordinarily will have had at least six years of successful service in the rank of associate professor. The professor must also have demonstrated both competence to teach and a willingness to continue study and research in the area of specialization.
So the question is how should university faculty salary best be determined? Let’s collect some data:
Go to these two websites and study average faculty salaries for Assistant Professors: http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Assistant_Professor%2c_Postsecondary_%2f_Higher_Education/Salary (Links to an external site.)
