Institutional Policies and Practices Regarding Postsecondary Faculty: Fall 2003

This report describes recent hiring and retirement patterns as well as tenure-related changes and actions taken by public and private not-for-profit postsecondary institutions that offered an associate's or higher degree in fall 2003 and participated in federal Title IV student aid programs. The 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04) sampled such institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia both to obtain lists of faculty and instructional staff to be surveyed and also to collect data on the institution's policies and environment for such staff. About 920 institutions completed the survey, resulting in a weighted response rate of 84 percent.