BY MATTHEW BOEDY
A first-of-its-kind survey of higher education faculty across the South has revealed that an overwhelming majority of respondents in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas are deeply dissatisfied with the current state of higher education. The survey, which received responses from nearly 3,000 individuals [2,924], highlights the significant impact of political interference and changes to tenure on faculty recruitment and retention.
Key findings from the survey indicate that about 60 percent [58.7] of respondents would not recommend their state as a desirable place to work for colleagues, while 28 percent are planning to apply in another state in the coming year. That same amount [27.7 percent] have applied for academic jobs in other states since 2022. The top five states for those applications are: California, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Illinois. Every state in the nation was listed at least four times. More than a quarter [27.7 percent] said they do not plan to stay in academia long term.
The survey also sheds light on the primary factors driving faculty members to seek employment elsewhere. Respondents could list multiple reasons. The majority listed a cluster of issues: salary [56.5 percent], the state’s broad political climate [53.3 percent], and academic freedom [49.6 percent]. Issues related to tenure; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and shared governance were mentioned by about 30 percent. LGBTQ+ issues, reproduction/abortion access, and cost of living were also significant factors for more than 20 percent of respondents.
More than 1,700 faculty members expressed their concerns in an open-ended question about the impact on their work of changes to tenure and academic freedom. One respondent highlighted the increased difficulty of teaching sensitive topics, stating, “I have stopped teaching certain texts/topics.” Others noted specific attacks: “Multiple faculty members at my institution have been doxxed and harassed, including by elected officials. This makes it difficult to do my job, feel safe on campus or at my home, and honestly just live my life.” Another noted the long-term impact from attacks on higher education: “We are witnessing the collapse of the USA’s ability to lead the world, with an increasingly uneducated public, even if they have gone to college. It is very concerning.”
Furthermore, the survey revealed the detrimental effects of political attacks and policy changes on hiring within higher education. About 50 percent [48.9] of respondents noted a decrease in the number of applicants. More than 45 percent noted their knowledge of candidates hesitant to proceed during the interview process [45.6], a decline in the quality of applicants [44.1], and offer refusals [41.8]. These all lead to the loss of top-notch talent within their departments. About 18 percent of respondents said they knew of no impact.
The survey also highlighted the dissatisfaction with the political atmosphere surrounding higher education, with about 70 percent of respondents rating it as poor or very poor. Furthermore, about 55 percent expressed disappointment in their school’s administration for not adequately defending academic freedom and tenure.
The survey, conducted by state AAUP conferences in the region from August 12 to August 30, utilized social media and email for distribution. About 17 percent of respondents identified as nonwhite and 51 percent as female. The respondents encompassed a range of experience, status, and salary. More than 60 percent of respondents said they hold tenured positions.
These findings echo a similar survey conducted in 2023 of faculty in Georgia, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. Both surveys should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and administrators, emphasizing the urgent need to address the concerns raised by faculty members. Failure to do so may result in a significant brain drain and a decline in the quality of higher education in these states.
Contributing editor Matthew Boedy is the president of the Georgia conference of the AAUP and works at the Univeristy of North Georgia. He can be reached through email or his Twitter account @matthewboedy.
“More than a quarter [27.7 percent] said they do not plan to stay in academia long term.”
I truly feel like crying. One thing that I see that transcends our divisions, and is simply a reflection on many peers’ and colleagues’ testimony year after year, for decades now, is that there is a rotten feeling inside many of us. Higher Education has skeletons in its closet too many to mention, transgressions against the mission of academia in a democratic-spirited country. And it gets to all of us somehow, some more than others, some disciplines more than others.
A friend of mine in advanced work in genetics has no problem with grants, money, or brains. But he finds no joy in this business, as he starts his last decade in it. His department won the Nobel last year. Except one of the awardees (Katalin Karikó) was not in the department b/c she had been denied tenure there. That sounds unhealthy. Have none of us any home?
The corporatization of the university in the US will lead to its death as a democratic public utility of full-spectrum higher education; the alienation entailed by the evaporation of basic respect for the labor of scholars, I believe, has already killed us inside.
How many have advised their bright students, to not pursue academia?
There is a spot on my office floor carpet worn thin from the times I have gotten on my knees to counsel a better life than this.