The number of full-time professors working off the tenure track in American colleges has steadily increased over the past decade, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education.
The study, “Background Characteristics, Work Activities and Compensation of Instructional Faculty and Staff: Fall 2003,” also reports that the number of part-time instructors has remained stagnant over the past 10 years.
The number of full-time instructors working off the tenure track reached 21 percent in 2003, up from 18 percent in 1998 and 11 percent in 1992.
In addition, the percentage of full-time faculty working as assistant, associate or full professors, instead of lecturers or instructors, dropped to 82 percent in 2003, a decrease from 84 percent in 1998.