Now we have evidence that universities are hiring more part time faculty. I would guess that the changing external environment (more competition in higher education) is behind the change. Part-time faculty are cheaper, it is easier to align their incentives and, at least in MBA programs, the "clinical" faculty have the practical knowledge that students crave. [Click here for a bigger graph.]
The AAUP, the closest thing faculty have to a union, is objecting
We have warned repeatedly that the excessive employment of faculty without job security would eventually undermine both academic freedom and shared governance. That time has arrived. When most faculty are at risk of summary dismissal, the freedom for faculty to speak forthrightly is diminished. And faculty control over the curriculum is also undercut.
In class, we discussed incentives and how it drives production. A university, like all businesses, aims to control its expenses and increase its revenures/endowment. So, by cutting back tentured tracked professors, aren't they just looking out for their own interest?
ReplyDeleteI was taught that wages are equal to the marginal revenue product of labor. Clearly the marginal product of business school faculty is nowhere near their salary. What market imperfection accounts for this? Do you view the move to clinicals as an attempt to move to a market that actually equates marginal benefit and marginal cost?
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