Hunter
11/14/19
A new Board of Regents survey shows that students at state-run universities are being taught by more non-tenure track faculty.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that The University of Iowa has the highest percentage of non-tenure-track classroom instruction, with 54 percent. That’s up from 47 percent since 2016.
The survey shows faculty working hard for their money, putting in an average of 50 to 55 hours a week, although that’s down from the 53-58 hour workweek reported in the 2012-13 school year.
The share of University of Iowa faculty with tenure has been slowly declining over the last 20 years. Just 21 percent of instruction was done by non-tenure-track faculty in the fall of 2000, compared to 41 percent in the recent survey.
The Board of Regents reports that this is a national trend. Still, the Gazette reports UI policy values tenure as paramount in faculty recruiting and retention.