COPING WITH FACULTY TURNOVER

INTRODUCTION

Turnover of construction faculty is a concern at many universities. Economic concerns, performance requirements, job pressure and other factors contribute to this problem. A variety of measures are available to cope with faculty turnover. Each of these has positive and negative features. Over a period of years, North Dakota State University (NDSU) has been faced with faculty departures and necessary staffing decisions. The institutional research section at NDSU maintains files and evaluates data related to faculty departures. This data served as one source of information for this paper.

REASONS FOR FACULTY TURNOVER

There are many factors which contribute to faculty turnover. Typically, one or two reasons dominate in a decision to leave but others contribute to the decision. North Dakota State University has had the following reasons cited as the major factors leading to resignation of a faculty member.

Alternative Opportunities

Faculty members have left to pursue opportunities outside of the educational system. One faculty member, well-educated but with limited construction experience, left his teaching position to start a construction company. He is successful---focusing on governmental construction projects such as Veteran's Administration and Postal Service work. He suggests that his work in education gives him the thoroughness and patience to tolerate the paperwork required for governmental projects.

Two other faculty members at NDSU stepped in and out of teaching in less than one year. Both were well­educated, experienced individuals who were seeking a career change from construction work. The demands of the educational sector, however, were more than they anticipated. Both have returned to construction work.

Another faculty member left his teaching position to return to graduate school in pursuit of a Ph.D. His goal is to return to higher education once he has his terminal degree, but with no commitment to return to NDSU.

Excessive Workload

The two faculty members mentioned above who taught less than a year had only a brief encounter with the workload in education before deciding to leave the profession. Having spent many years in an occupation other than education, the authors too underestimated the demands of a career in higher education. The work demands go well beyond the classroom contact hours. As Evers suggests, teaching does require a great deal of "industriousness and dedication." [1]

Teaching courses is not the entire makeup of the workload or the total measure of successful work in a teaching career. Faculty must recognize that "to be successful in the university. you must do more than just teach your specialty .... you would be expected to prepare research proposals and to obtain research grants (hard cash) from outside funding sources." [3] Effective teaching, adequate student advising, efforts to publish and conduct research, committee assignments and other obligations are time consuming. For some, the demands are greater than the rewards.

Economic Considerations

One recently-departed faculty member cited economic considerations as his primary reason for leaving. He found it difficult to support a wife and three children with his salary. Additionally, he was expected to pursue graduate work, making it difficult to take on part time work. The NDSU data file on faculty turnover includes terms such as increased salary, market conditions and financial rewards as economic-related reasons for leaving the university.

Morale

Low morale is identified as a major contributor in a decision to leave NDSU by some faculty members. Feedback to the university cites a lack of legislative support, lack of incentives to stay, poor academic quality and minimal administrative support as factors leading to poor morale.

Opportunities for Advancement

Faculty move to other institutions which offer higher rank, responsibilities or other opportunities. Pursuit of opportunities for professional advancement is a common reason for leaving NDSU. Faculty also move because they envision little opportunity for advancement or growth at their current institution. The relocation may initially be a lateral move but offers better opportunities for advancement.

General Frustration With Higher Education

There are many positive aspects of ,a career in higher education but also many negative ones. Opsata states that "college teaching, like any job, is not perfect." [2] A few specific negatives are highlighted above. Others can best be grouped as a general frustration with higher education. Among these frustrations are large class sizes, inadequate teaching resources, and excessive advising loads. Another is that of a concern for an overall shortage of faculty. Still another is a lack of positive reinforcement for work well done. Finally, lack of institutional research support is cited as a frustration with higher education.

Opsata explores in detail some negatives of college teaching. One is faculty uncertainty of whether tenure will be given. Another is the politics in a university setting. Still another is the amount of time spent in faculty meetings. A final one is the intense competition for obtaining research funds. These, she states, are "a fact of faculty life." [2]

MEASURES TO COPE WITH TURNOVER

NDSU has a variety of measures to cope with faculty turnover. Some are of a permanent nature and others of a temporary nature. The circumstances leading to the use of a specific measure has also varied. For example, replacement with permanent, full-time faculty requires many months of lead time to complete the search process.

Permanent, Full-time Faculty

Replacement of departing faculty with permanent, full-time faculty is often the first choice of the strategies available. Time, economics, qualified candidates and other factors often overrule this choice. Since this measure to cope with faculty turnover is the standard procedure in job vacancy situations, it is used as a benchmark for comparison to other measures.

Part-time Faculty

Part-time faculty have been used to provide interim teaching capabilities during a permanent position vacancy period. They have also been used to obtain expertise in a specific area. For example, NDSU has contracted with industry personnel to teach courses specializing in soil-mechanics, labor law and quality control. Current knowledge of work in these fields is brought into the classroom.

Joint Appointments

A member of the civil engineering faculty currently holds a joint appointment with the construction management/engineering department. He teaches design-related courses in both programs and advises construction engineering students. NDSU has an ABET-accredited program for which the design-content of courses is a major issue. This faculty member has been helpful in formulating design problems for the courses.

Faculty Reductions

Economic constraints can dictate that authorized faculty positions which become vacant are left unfilled. NDSU, currently experiencing financial difficulties, has kept a number of positions vacant for the current year. Some of these positions will be permanently eliminated.

Research Appointments

An ever-increasing effort to obtain research support has been moderately successful. As a result, the potential now exists to support faculty by partial or total soft money. Faculty members are, however, hesitant to accept a position where long term salary support is uncertain.

Graduate Assistants

Graduate assistants, or sometimes undergraduate help, are increasingly used as a means to get work done. They have been most commonly used to conduct lab sessions, grade homework and to conduct research.

Reduced Class Sections

In an effort to limit the course load for faculty, fewer sections of courses are being offered. This practice, however, leads to larger class sizes and invites scheduling conflicts.

Eliminated Courses

Some courses are being eliminated or offered less frequently. The impact on class scheduling and program fact sheets must be carefully considered when following this course of action.

Shared Courses

Courses are being taught on a shared basis with other departments. At NUSU, a course in construction codes and specifications is attended by the construction management/engineering students and the civil engineering students. A course on the impact of technology on society is a service course for the entire college of engineering and architecture at NDSU.

RESULTS OF MEASURES

The specific measures employed by NDSU to cope with faculty turnover have met with varying degrees of success. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Because of time constraints, economic considerations or other factors, the alternatives are sometimes limited. The following discussion assesses the effect of the various measures.

Contribution To Teaching

The use of part-time faculty and joint-appointed faculty have enhanced teaching in the construction program. Both of these options have provided a source of faculty to teach courses in technical areas where regular faculty lack experience or knowledge.

The other measures to cope with faculty turnover have had a negative contribution to teaching. Staff reductions, combined or eliminated class sections and graduate assistants have lowered the quality of the construction program. Shared courses often become too general, attempting to meet the objectives of two or more departments.

Contribution To Research

Use of graduate assistants and research appointments can provide a positive contribution to the process involved with seeking and conducting research. The primary benefits are the time and experience gained. Resources are available to assist other faculty in proposal preparation and in conducting research on successful proposals. A research appointment often has a track record of research work which provides a pathway to more.

Contribution To Advising

Advising suffers under most of the options for coping with faculty turnover. A survey of students indicated that they desire advisors who are experienced, full-time faculty. The students look for a sense of continuity and confidence throughout their academic career. Students are also concerned about the availability of advisors.

Contribution To Service/Consulting

Interaction with student chapters is strongest when permanent, full-time faculty are involved. Full-time faculty are more likely to know the student chapter members, be familiar with service projects and be committed to long term success of the chapters.

Participation in university committees requires a knowledge of overall operation of the educational system. As with student chapters, committee membership is best served by permanent, full-time faculty who have a long term commitment to the university.

Consulting work by faculty can enhance classroom activities. Real-world applications serve as useful teaching tools. Any measures to cope with faculty turnover which provide time or experience leading to consulting opportunities can aid in this effort.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper discusses reasons for faculty turnover. It also considers a variety of measures to cope with faculty turnover. Finally, it concentrates on the results of the measures to cope with turnover. This paper does not provide any optimal solutions for coping with faculty turnover. It does, however, suggest that there are key issues which are important in the retention and replacement of faculty. A career in education has unique characteristics which impact

faculty retention and replacement. Opsata explains that "the career rewards in a university are somewhat different from those you would find in industry..." [2]

Among the key issues highlighted in this paper related to faculty retention and replacement are:

The educational process includes an interaction among students, faculty and industry. All are vital to shaping young minds in order that they may make a genuine contribution in their careers. Coping with faculty turnover does not suggest a quick-fix solution but a consideration of many important factors---keeping the capabilities of the students, the interests of industry and the demands on faculty in perspective.

A career in education is challenging and the impact is important. Evers highlights the importance of teaching. She writes "teaching is a demanding, stressful job, but also rewarding, and those who have the patience and commitment to do it well deserve every American's respect and gratitude for their contribution to our future." [1] Whatever measures are followed regarding faculty retention or faculty replacement should be done with these thoughts in mind.

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