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. In fall 2003, some 8 percent of all full-time faculty were hired the previous year from outside the institution, while 7 percent had left their institutions during the previous year. Of those who left, 36 percent retired. At least 90 percent of all doctoral or master's institutions had tenure systems, but even among public associate's institutions, the majority (64 percent) had a tenure system. About 64 percent of institutions with a tenure system limit time on tenure track to 6 or 7 years. One-half (52 percent) of institutions with a tenure system offered early or phased retirement to tenured faculty members between 1998 and 2003.
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