2006 - 2007 new faculty reflect excellence, diversity

ASU’s faculty has grown rapidly since President Michael Crow arrived in fall 2002, and the new faculty members reflect the values of excellence and diversity that are hallmarks of his presidency.

As the data in this article and the biographies of newly hired faculty demonstrate, this pattern is especially evident among tenured and tenure-track faculty and is also reflected among the newly hired lecturers, instructors, research professors, clinical professors and professors of practice.

The university’s new faculty members include senior professors with numerous books, performances, patents, major grants, and center directorships to their names, as well as colleagues who are beginning their careers following doctoral and postdoctoral studies at prestigious universities throughout the world. Their contributions to the development and dissemination of knowledge within and beyond their disciplines are exciting – and, in many cases, transformative.

One indicator of excellence is the growth in the number of faculty who are members of the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Society of London, in addition to Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winners. Between 2002 and 2006, these numbers increased from six to 25, with five of the new faculty appointed to two or more of these prestigious societies.

The number of ASU faculty has grown from 2,449 in fall 2002 to 2,862 in fall 2006. Excluding faculty associates from this count, there were 2,081 faculty members in fall 2002, of whom 1,671 were tenured or tenure-track. By fall 2006, this figure had grown to 2,525 faculty excluding faculty associates, of whom 1,808 are tenured or tenure-track. This represents a 16.9 percent increase overall, a 21.3 percent increase in faculty excluding faculty associates, and an 8.2 percent increase in the number of tenured-track faculty.

The growth in the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty is particularly notable in light of the Voluntary Separation and Retirement Incentive Program, which was in effect in 2003-2004. This program was designed to encourage retirements, and it resulted in 140 tenured and tenure-track faculty retiring or resigning their positions in 2003-2004, about double the typical number of faculty that leave each year.

In part as a result of this successful retirement incentive program, and in part because of the new funds directed to faculty growth, the number of new tenured and tenure-track faculty hired during each of the past three years has averaged 160 per year, an increase from the baseline of 90 new tenured and tenure-track faculty hired in fall 2002 and the 73 tenured and tenure-track faculty hired during Crow’s first year in office.

In addition to growth in the tenured and tenure-track faculty ranks, ASU also has experienced a strategic increase in the number of full-time contract faculty (research professors, clinical professors, professors of practice, lecturers and instructors) under Crow’s leadership. The number of full-time contract faculty has almost doubled, from 410 in fall 2002 to 717 in fall 2006, greatly enhancing the university’s ability to further our research and teaching missions. This has had a stabilizing effect on the faculty, with the number of faculty associates, who are paid by the course and are not full-time employees, decreasing over time (from 368 in fall 2002 to 337 in fall 2006).

The percentage of faculty employed at 76 percent to 100 percent full-time employment (FTE) is another indicator of stability of the teaching faculty, and this measure also demonstrates an increase, from 84.6 percent in fall 2002 to 87.3 percent in fall 2006. This trend is of critical importance, for while many universities are increasing the use of such faculty to meet student demand, ASU is instead relying on a more stable, full-time work force. As a result, 63.2 percent of ASU’s faculty as of fall 2006 are tenured or tenure track, 25 percent are full-time contract faculty, and 11.8 percent are faculty associates.

Consistent with Crow’s emphasis on inclusivity, the diversity of the faculty has substantially increased under his leadership. The percentage of tenured and tenure-track faculty who self-identify as members of racial and ethnic minority groups has increased 34 percent, from 309 in fall 2002 to 414 in fall 2006. Stated differently, the percentage of the tenured and tenure-track faculty who are members of racial and ethnic minorities has increased from 18.5 percent in fall 2002 to 22.9 percent in fall 2006.

This increase is even more notable when looking at each racial and ethnic group separately, again considering only tenured and tenure-track faculty. The increases include:

• A 43.2 percent increase in the number of Asian American/Pacific Islander faculty.

• A 24.1 percent increase in the number of Hispanic faculty.

• A 20 percent increase in the number of African American faculty

• A 68.8 percent increase in the number of Native American faculty

The number of tenured and tenure-track faculty members who are female also has increased during this period, from 529 (31.7 percent) to 608 (33.6 percent), reflecting a 14.9 percent increase in the percentage.

When including lecturers, instructors, research professors, clinical professors and professors of practice, the percentage minority decreases slightly, to 21.4 percent, while the percentage of women increases to 38.4 percent.

Another way of assessing faculty diversity is to examine the new hires each year. The information indicates that the university’s success rate in hiring a diverse faculty has grown each year.

Considering only tenured and tenure-track faculty, the percentage of newly hired faculty who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups has increased steadily, from 18 percent in fall 2002 to 36 percent in fall 2006. In addition, the percentage of newly hired tenured and tenure-track faculty who are female has stabilized at about 40 percent. The numbers include:

• In fall 2002, there were 90 tenured and tenure-track hires, of whom 18 percent were minority and 51 percent were female.

• In fall 2003, there were 73 tenured and tenure-track hires, of whom 29 percent were minority and 40 percent were female.

• In fall 2004, there were 153 tenured and tenure-track hires, of whom 29 percent were minority and 35 percent were female.

• In fall 2005, there were 164 tenured and tenure-track hires, of whom 30 percent were minority and 44 percent were female.

• In fall 2006, there were 160 tenured and tenure-track hires, of whom 36 percent were minority and 39 percent were female.

Faculty of color and female faculty not only are being hired as assistant professors, but they also are being hired in the most senior ranks. Of the 173 racial and ethnic minority faculty members hired into tenured or tenure-track lines under Crow’s tenure (beginning with the hires in the fall of 2003), 26.6 percent are associate or full professors. Similarly, 27.6 percent of the 217 female tenured and tenure-track faculty hired during this period are associate or full professors.