Faculty perceive their work environment as ideal in some respects, particularly our location in Southern California and the diversity of our community. However, internal factors such as workload, and external factors such as the state economy, do affect the extent to which the campus is able to consistently recruit and retain a highly diverse and highly qualified faculty. (Criteria 3.1, 3.2, 3.3)
The 2007 Lecturer Survey, collected internally, and the 2007 Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Survey, an external report based upon responses of untenured tenure-track faculty that compared CSULB to other universities, reveal that teaching load continues to be a serious concern of instructional faculty.1 The COACHE Survey may be found in the Team Room. (Criteria 3.2, 3.3, 3.4)
Lecturers tend to be paid on a per course basis. The Lecturer Survey indicates that 83.7% teach up to 14.9 units per semester. (37.1% teach up to 5.9 units per semester, while 46.6% teach between 6 and 14.9 units per semester.) There are also small numbers of full-time lecturers in each of the eight colleges who receive an annual salary for their work during the academic year; these instructors, who teach 12-15 units, make up 16.2% of the lecturers. The Lecturer Survey also indicates that 50% of the lecturers have been teaching here from one to five years, while 27% have been teaching here from six to ten years. These facts suggest that the majority of lecturers teach two courses or more; however, collectively, their opportunities for either a full-time appointment or a tenure-track position are somewhat limited. Interestingly, a significant percentage of lecturers choose to remain at CSULB despite the probability that they will remain in the part-time pool indefinitely. Thus, our lecturers assume substantial teaching duties and, in many instances, have taken on additional courses at other schools in order to earn supplemental income.
The 2007 COACHE Survey reveals that 37% of our untenured tenure-track faculty rated teaching load as one of the three worst aspects of working at CSULB. However, only 21% of the same cohort at five peer institutions and 10% of the same cohort from all participating universities rated teaching load as the worst aspect of working at their respective schools. The teaching load at CSULB is recognized by faculty and administration alike as heavy, especially in light of research expectations. Consistent with policy across the California State University system, faculty workload is defined as 15 weighted teaching units, nominally including 80% instruction (12 units) and 20% (3 units) of service-related activities per semester. However, about $10 million per year is spent on "re-assigned time" that supports faculty outside of the classroom for scholarly, creative and service activities.Measured faculty workload for instruction averages about 62% (9.3 units per semester in AY 2007-08); for research and scholarly activity, about 12% (1.75 units), for "re-assigned service," about 10% (1.45 units), and other service-related activities per semester, nominally 20% (not actually measured). These percentages add to 104% because of reported excess faculty workload.In addition, of course, faculty effort often exceeds reporting guidelines. A Provost initiative, effective in 2007-2008, has guaranteed all new tenure- track faculty assigned time equivalent to one course per semester reduction in teaching load for the first three years of their employment. This new practice is generally a substantial increase, as most colleges previously awarded new tenure-track faculty only 3 units per semester for one year. In addition, the opportunities for assigned time and the scholarly and creative activity award have steadily increased in recent years. (Criteria 2.8, 2.9).
Historically, faculty and, in some cases, full-time lecturers, have been able to receive assigned time in lieu of teaching a course. The highest categories of assigned time are for excess enrollments (reduction in courseload when there is excess enrollment), instructionally related research, instructionally related services, and student advisor responsibilities. In particular, Assigned Time Reports reveal a significant increase in the Weighted Teaching Units awarded, from 2867.1 in fall 2006 to 3253.2 in fall 2007. A portion of that increase was due to a 10% increase in support for instructionally related research. Ultimately, the overall increase in assigned time confirms that faculty have more support for their research projects or creative activity outside of the classroom. However, their cumulative teaching responsibilities have not been reduced; assigned time is, in effect, a substitution of one set of duties in place of another. Presumably, faculty workload at CSULB influences workplace satisfaction. Consequently, additional initiatives will need to be explored to address issues of workload and morale.
Los Angeles County remains one of the most expensive areas of the nation. Consequently, CSULB’s efforts to recruit and retain a diverse and highly qualified faculty continue to be impeded by economic realities. The 2005 Housing Survey, administered by the Division of Administration and Finance, illustrates a strong concern, particularly among our faculty, about the availability of affordable housing. (The Housing Survey is located in the Team Room.) Full-time faculty were notably more likely to say that it was somewhat or very difficult to find housing compared to support staff, lecturers, and management. Given the prohibitive cost of housing in the area, our faculty may be more concerned about the cost of living than their counterparts in other areas of the nation. In an effort to address these challenges, CSULB has enlisted the expertise of a real estate agent to facilitate informational sessions for faculty and staff regarding available property, particularly in relation to first-time buyer programs. Unfortunately, the housing market has adversely affected some of our partnerships with developers that had been initiated a few years earlier. These developers are currently not in a position to offer the discount opportunities that were potentially available well before the national housing market disintegration.
The COACHE Survey confirms this fact; 44% of our new faculty indicates that, like their workload, the cost of living is among the three worst aspects of working at CSULB. Comparatively, only 17% of the faculty from five peer institutions and 10% of the faculty from all participating universities feel that cost of living is a problem. Similarly, 37% of CSULB’s new faculty state that compensation is one of the worst aspects of working here. This is also reflected in the Housing Survey, where untenured professors were more likely than tenured faculty to indicate they would consider leaving CSULB due to high housing costs. However, in terms of compensation, 24% of the faculty from the five peer institutions and 18% of the faculty from all participating universities state that it is among the worst aspects of working at their respective institutions. Although CSULB’s average starting salary for assistant professors in 2007 was $68,364—typical of the national average—it is generally insufficient, even with a second income, for families who wish to purchase homes in the region. Moreover, this figure varies substantially across colleges on campus. In addition, evidence from CSU system data suggests that it may be difficult to attract new assistant professors to CSULB because the mean salary of our new faculty hires (as a broad group), while nationally competitive, falls below the CSU average. Details may be found in the 2006 CSU Faculty Recruitment and Retention Survey.
Retention is equally critical to our efforts; according to the Housing Survey, 45% of the faculty stated that they would consider leaving CSULB because of housing costs. Thus, the challenge posed by the cost of living in the area remains the single most difficult hurdle for the university as we attempt to attract and retain a highly qualified and diverse faculty. Although we lack access to CSULB-specific salary averages at each faculty rank, the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) compares CSU-wide average salaries to similar institutions. Their most recent report indicates that the CSU system’s average salary for assistant professors is 8.8% below the comparison group. This salary gap increases to 10.8% below the comparison group for associate professors and balloons to 23.4% for full professors. The university has experienced problems with salary inversion, as salaries necessary to attract new faculty, at times, can be higher than the salaries of experienced CSULB faculty.
In terms of salary data as it pertains to gender, the 2007 Gender Equity Study reveals that female faculty members generally are paid $2,000 less than men (The Gender Equity Survey may be found in the Binder for Core Commitment II in the Team Room.). Evidence also suggests that women are less likely to negotiate their salaries than their male counterparts, which helps to perpetuate the pay disparity. Although the disparity is comparable to the national average, the lack of equity should be addressed.
In terms of the opportunities for advancement among lecturers and faculty, CSULB is very supportive, particularly in comparison to the other 22 CSU campuses. According to the 2005 CSU Faculty Recruitment Survey, while 75% of the newly appointed faculty in 2005 was hired from non-CSU institutions, 21% was hired from among CSULB lecturers. In fact, CSULB was among the top five CSUs most likely to make tenure-track appointments from its lecturer pool.
In terms of tenure-track faculty, there were only three and two non-reappointment or tenure denials in 2004/05 and 2005/06 out of 108 and 94 decisions respectively. However, there were five non-reappointments or tenure denials in 2006/07 out of 76 decisions and eight non-reappointments or tenure denials in 2007/08 out of 91 decisions. The increase may be either a statistical anomaly or a sign that CSULB is strengthening its criteria for tenure. Nonetheless, the vast majority of tenure candidates do receive it; thus, CSULB offers a good deal more security, upon initial appointment, than, for example, Research I institutions or selective liberal arts colleges.
The Faculty Center for Professional Development provides an extensive array of programs and services that support CSULB’s 2,183 faculty members in their multiple roles and responsibilities in the university's academic community. It offers a variety of teaching and learning workshops, technology/accessibility workshops, cultural diversity and civility workshops, and scholarly writing and grant writing workshops in face-to-face and online formats. Additionally, it partners with Academic Technology and University Research in providing services to support CSULB faculty members.
In the COACHE Survey, assistant professors identified academic freedom, “my sense of fit here,” and diversity as the three best aspects of working here. Sixteen percent of our faculty members indicate that diversity is an important factor that contributes to their workplace satisfaction. Comparatively, only 5% of the faculty in the peer institutions and 3% of the faculty in all universities participating in the COACHE Survey feel that diversity is one of the most important aspects of working at their respective institutions. Clearly, the Long Beach community and the greater Los Angeles area offer substantially more diversity than most areas of the nation. This attribute continues to provide a basis for recruiting a highly qualified and diverse pool of candidates.
The 2006 Affirmative Action Report (found in the Team Room) reveals that CSULB has done well in its efforts to achieve faculty diversity on the basis of both gender and race. In particular, 40% of our faculty members are women; that figure falls just below the 47% national availability of female Ph.D.s. With respect to ethnicity, we employ 31% faculty of color; this substantial percentage far exceeds the 16% national availability for that broad group of ‘minority’ Ph.Ds. Efforts to attract highly qualified female applicants have been heightened in recent years; as a consequence, the slight underutilization of women, based on national availability data, should be rectified in the foreseeable future. We are mindful of the diversity in our student population and our region, and the concomitant responsibility we have to increase the diversity among our faculty and staff at CSULB to reflect more closely our student diversity. We are investigating current practices across the University and reviewing effective strategies to improve.
We are also especially mindful that our university leadership is much less diverse than our students except in the area of gender. We recognize that we need to continue to examine and refine our efforts to recruit and retain leaders from diverse backgrounds.
