Do tenured and tenure-track faculty matter?

RG Ehrenberg, L Zhang - Journal of Human Resources, 2005 - jhr.uwpress.org
Journal of Human Resources, 2005jhr.uwpress.org
During the last two decades, there has been a significant growth in the share of faculty
members at American colleges and universities that are employed in part-time or full-time
nontenure-track positions. Our study is the first to address whether the increased usage of
such faculty adversely affects undergraduate students9 graduation rates. Using institutional
level panel data from the College Board and other sources, our econometric analyses
suggest that the increased usage of these faculty types does adversely affect graduation …
During the last two decades, there has been a significant growth in the share of faculty members at American colleges and universities that are employed in part-time or full-time nontenure-track positions. Our study is the first to address whether the increased usage of such faculty adversely affects undergraduate students9 graduation rates. Using institutional level panel data from the College Board and other sources, our econometric analyses suggest that the increased usage of these faculty types does adversely affect graduation rates at four-year colleges, with the largest impact on students being felt at the public master9s level institutions.
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