Professor Morale?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make six figure salaries, get summers off and fall and spring breaks, and BS “sabbaticals all for teaching two one hour classes. Boo freaking hoo.

Who is making six figures? And summer is full of school commitments and assessments and course planning and and…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make six figure salaries, get summers off and fall and spring breaks, and BS “sabbaticals all for teaching two one hour classes. Boo freaking hoo.

I made $2,000 a class at George Washington University.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make six figure salaries, get summers off and fall and spring breaks, and BS “sabbaticals all for teaching two one hour classes. Boo freaking hoo.

You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, but you probably already knew that and just like to spew stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really depends.

I am a tenure track professor (I should get tenure next year, it's not difficult at my university). I love my work. Genuinely love what I do, my students, my colleagues, the way my work is conducted, the creativity and research, and the flexibility of my schedule (not a straight 9-5, I've generally always been able to avoid aftercare for my kids especially now with a spouse who WFH, slower summers and breaks, etc...). My school is not a top school by any means but I feel proud and accomplished and purposeful and mostly appreciated.

The things that get me down are:
- how little I'm paid (I couldn't afford to do this without a high earning spouse)
- the trend toward professors providing a service rather than being educators and the nasty students and sometimes parents that you rarely encounter
- the drudgery and slowness and inability to get things done in academia (administration mostly)
- the weird butt kissing in academia
- I hate to say this but the quality of students I teach has gone way downhill and each year the number of students I have who do not seem cut out for college increases, which feels icky and is challenging in a way that is not fun or motivating

I'm not old, but I would say my retirement-age colleagues are over it, mostly. Their morale has declined, sometimes precipitously, since I began teaching about 10 years ago.

If you are not on a tenure track (and trying to be) I would imagine your morale is very low.

I'm a tenured professor and this is exactly right.

[Anonymous]

Many students are disinterested in learning. They show up late to class and come and go during a lecture to the bathroom. The students have a sense of entitlement that has only increased in the last 20 years. Since textbooks are on line, they skim readings and do not bother to take notes. They come into college ill-prepared on how to study for a test. They ask for study guides and extra credit. There is a general lack of respect. Instead of listening and being attentive, very few eyes are up and focused. They are all on their various devices and few know how to take notes. If the class is recorded, they skip classes often because they can watch it later. This brings the learning down in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really depends.

I am a tenure track professor (I should get tenure next year, it's not difficult at my university). I love my work. Genuinely love what I do, my students, my colleagues, the way my work is conducted, the creativity and research, and the flexibility of my schedule (not a straight 9-5, I've generally always been able to avoid aftercare for my kids especially now with a spouse who WFH, slower summers and breaks, etc...). My school is not a top school by any means but I feel proud and accomplished and purposeful and mostly appreciated.

The things that get me down are:
- how little I'm paid (I couldn't afford to do this without a high earning spouse)
- the trend toward professors providing a service rather than being educators and the nasty students and sometimes parents that you rarely encounter
- the drudgery and slowness and inability to get things done in academia (administration mostly)
- the weird butt kissing in academia
- I hate to say this but the quality of students I teach has gone way downhill and each year the number of students I have who do not seem cut out for college increases, which feels icky and is challenging in a way that is not fun or motivating

I'm not old, but I would say my retirement-age colleagues are over it, mostly. Their morale has declined, sometimes precipitously, since I began teaching about 10 years ago.

If you are not on a tenure track (and trying to be) I would imagine your morale is very low.

I'm a tenured professor and this is exactly right.

I am also a tenured professor, in a STEM field. I also co-sign this post, though I am fortunate in that I do make 6 figures.

What may be more relevant to the OP- who is likely thinking about their child’s experience- is that even though morale may be low, I always turn it up for the students. My students are so impressive and inspirational (I’m at an HBCU). even if I’m feeling run down, I try to always be positive and come to class with high energy and be as supportive as I can in advising. What I’m trying to say, is that an undergrad may be protected from some of the bigger issues. However, I think faculty compensation is an important factor. If I were a poorly paid adjunct, I would likely find it much harder to always stay positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make six figure salaries, get summers off and fall and spring breaks, and BS “sabbaticals all for teaching two one hour classes. Boo freaking hoo.

The few who do earn six-figure salaries, don’t start earning that until they’re 30. Horrible ROI if money is what you’re concerned about.

30? That's optimistic! In the humanities, most aren't even finished their PhDs at 30. And salary compression is a huge issue: you may get what feels like an ok salary coming in, compared to grad school stipends, but it will go years at a time without going up.

I left a few years ago after 12 full-time teaching on the tenure track and tenured and my highest salary was $65k, at an ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make six figure salaries, get summers off and fall and spring breaks, and BS “sabbaticals all for teaching two one hour classes. Boo freaking hoo.

The few who do earn six-figure salaries, don’t start earning that until they’re 30. Horrible ROI if money is what you’re concerned about.

30? That's optimistic! In the humanities, most aren't even finished their PhDs at 30. And salary compression is a huge issue: you may get what feels like an ok salary coming in, compared to grad school stipends, but it will go years at a time without going up.

I left a few years ago after 12 full-time teaching on the tenure track and tenured and my highest salary was $65k, at an ivy.

$65k is too low for tenured professor at Ivy. It’s surprising given how much tuition we pay for kids at Ivy.. over 80k per year now

[Anonymous]

all the extra money is going towards making the facilities fancier to attract more students I guess. I would rather have my tuition money go towards professors and research funds than fancy cafeteria

[Anonymous]

Profs in many academic areas are living the life! Pre-tenure is pressure packed but you have academic freedom, schedule flexibility, and summers that are focused on research (hopefully with a little relaxation).
Depending on your area, there are opportunities to consult or speak for a fee too.

[Anonymous]

UVA's salaries: https://www.cavalierdaily.com/page/faculty-salary-2022

[Anonymous]

Me when I hear that professors are stressed out and have low morale:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They previously were happier, but in the 2000s that started to change. My dh and I left and our friends at small or medium sized universities tell us that we got out of academe at the right time. Like K-12 the issues are mostly with bloated administration, entitled students who aren't there to learn, and demanding parents who believe the lies their adult kids tell them.

The mental health issues were increasing in the 2000s, but assume they are more prevalent now. Those issues were less problematic for me than the entitlement and lack of interest in learning.

Between posts like yours and the school shootings, I’m really losing faith in the future of America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think morale is back to where it was pre-Covid. For one, we are dealing with the blow that Covid dealt to student learning. Many students have entered college in the past couple of years not having learned what they should have in high school. Moreover, they have gotten used to being given accommodations at the drop of a hat.

I find I have to go slower in lectures than I used, covering less material, often having to teach more students basic algebra (this is in a "STEM-light" field). The end result is that my tests are easier than they used to be and I don't get to cover the material I should in my courses.

Quite a few colleagues remark that teaching takes much more time and energy than it used to (yes, we have duties other than teaching!). In a sense, we (professors) are trying to compensate for the time and effort that students seem less willing to put in and the lower level of knowledge that they have come out of high school with thanks to Covid.

This is terrible for the future professions they will enter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many students are disinterested in learning. They show up late to class and come and go during a lecture to the bathroom. The students have a sense of entitlement that has only increased in the last 20 years. Since textbooks are on line, they skim readings and do not bother to take notes. They come into college ill-prepared on how to study for a test. They ask for study guides and extra credit. There is a general lack of respect. Instead of listening and being attentive, very few eyes are up and focused. They are all on their various devices and few know how to take notes. If the class is recorded, they skip classes often because they can watch it later. This brings the learning down in the class.

Do these kids end up staying all four years and graduating?