Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Does the environment matter? Faculty satisfaction at 4-year colleges and universities in the USA

Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Faculty members seek employment in an environment that offers good fit and work satisfaction. As in other countries, higher education institutions in the USA vary by size, disciplinary focus, and emphasis on research. This study examined faculty satisfaction by institution type (baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and research) for recent full-time faculty members in 100 US 4-year institutions. Findings showed that, overall, satisfaction was highest for respondents in baccalaureate colleges. Subsequent analyses to examine strength of difference across institutional type confirmed initial differences for some facets of satisfaction, but not for others. Although differences that contributed to satisfaction by type were limited, results showed that faculty perceptions of the institutional environment firmly contribute to their satisfaction. Additional findings as well as policy and program implications are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Although it is debated in the literature, some scholars (e.g., Jackson and Corr 2002; Scarpello and Campbell 1983) assert that a single-item global measure of satisfaction has greater content validity and temporal reliability than a composite measure. For example, Jackson and Corr (2002) found that measures of individual facets of satisfaction did not predict overall satisfaction well; they propose that individuals do not consider each facet and its level of importance as a moderator, but instead use cognitive heuristics to achieve a global measure. Thus, when faculty members are ask to respond to “overall” satisfaction, it seems plausible that faculty members can consider multiple facets and then in a balanced way, respond to a global value.

  2. The item wording If I had it to do all over, I would again choose to work at this institution positions satisfaction as a broad construct, prompting the respondent to consider the variety of roles and responsibilities each faculty member addresses in daily work. Similarly, the second dependent variable also seeks global satisfaction with one’s department, All things considered, your department is a good place to work.

  3. It is possible that a faculty member moved to a different institution in a subsequent year that also administered the COACHE survey, but it is highly unlikely.

References

  • Aarrevaara, T., & Dobson, I. (2013). Finland: Satisfaction guaranteed! The tale of two systems. In P. Bentley, H. Coates, I. Dobson, L. Goedegebuure, & L. Meek (Eds.), Job satisfaction around the academic world (pp. 103–124). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • AAUP (2018). Annual report of the economic status of the profession 2017–18. Retrieved at: https://www.aaup.org/report/annual-report-economic-status-profession-2017-18. Accessed 27 March 2018.

  • Andreoni, J., & Vesterlund, L. (2001). Which is the fair sex? Gender differences in altruism. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(1), 293–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arshadi, N. (2011). The relationships of perceived organizational support (POS) with organizational commitment, in-role performance, and turnover intention: Mediating role of felt obligation. Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 1103–1108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, A. E., & Gamson, Z. F. (1983). Academic workplace: New demands, heightened tensions. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Research Report No. 10, Washington, DC: Association for the Study of Higher Education.

  • Bachman, J. G. (1968). Faculty satisfaction and the dean’s influence: An organizational study of twelve liberal arts colleges. Journal of Applied Psychology, 52(1), 55–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benson, R. T., Mathews, K. R., & Trower, C. A. (2014). The collaborative on academic careers in higher education: Faculty job satisfaction survey, 2011–14 (research version) [data file and codebook]. Cambridge: Harvard University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentley, P., Coates, H., Dobson, I., Geodegebuure, L., & Meek, L. (2013). Introduction: Satisfaction around the world. In P. Bentley, H. Coates, I. Dobson, L. Goedegebuure, & L. Meek (Eds.), Job satisfaction around the academic world. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bexley, E., Arkoudis, S., & James, R. (2013). The motivations, value, and future plans of Australian academics. Higher Education, 65, 385–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birnbaum, R. (1983). Maintaining diversity of higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

  • Bowling, N. A. (2007). Is the job satisfaction-job performance relationship spurious? A meta-analytic examination. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 71, 167–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bretz, R. D., Jr., & Judge, T. A. (1994). Person-organization fit and the theory of work adjustment: Implications for satisfaction, tenure, and career success. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 44(1), 32–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brockner, J., & Adsit, L. (1986). The moderating impact of sex on the equity–satisfaction relationship: A field study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(4), 585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education. (2010). The experience of tenure-track faculty at research universities: Analysis of COACHE survey results by academic area and gender. Selected Results Report. Cambridge: COACHE, President & Fellows of Harvard College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, C. L., & Payne, R. (1978). Stress at work. New York: Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickens, C. S., & Sagaria, M. D. (1997). Feminist at work: Collaborative relationships among women. Review of Higher Education, 21(1), 79–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (2000). The iron cage revisited institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. In J. Baum & F. Dobbin (Eds.), Economics Meets Sociology in Strategic Management (pp. 143–166). Bingley, West Yorkshire: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

  • Eagen, K., Stolzenberg, B., Lozano, J., Aragon, M., Suchard, M., & Hurtado, S. (2014). Undergraduate teaching faculty: The 2013–14 HERI Faculty Survey. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberger, R., Karagonlar, G., Stinglhamber, F., Neves, P., Becker, T. E., Gonzalez-Morales, M. G., & Steiger-Mueller, M. (2010). Leader-member exchange and affective organizational commitment: The contribution of supervisor’s organizational embodiment. Journal of Applied Psychology.

  • Galaz-Fontes, J. F. (2002). Job satisfaction of Mexican faculty in a public state university: Institutional reality through the lens of the professoriate. Doctoral dissertation, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA.

  • Gormley, D. K. (2003). Factors affecting job satisfaction in nurse faculty: A meta-analysis. Journal of Nursing Education, 42(4), 174–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffeth, R. W., Hom, P. W., & Gaertner, S. (2000). A meta-analysis of absenteeism and correlates of employee turnover: Update, moderator tests, and research implications for the next millennium. Journal of Management, 26(3), 463–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, K. A., Bennett, J. C., & Harris, J. (2011). Analyzing gender differences in black faculty marginalization through a sequential mixed-methods design. New Directions for Institutional Research, 151, 45–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackett, R. D., & Guion, R. M. (1985). A re-evaluation of the absenteeism-job satisfaction relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 35(3), 340–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagedorn, L. S. (1996). Wage equity and female faculty job satisfaction: The role of wage differentials in a job satisfaction causal model. Research in Higher Education, 37(5), 569–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagedorn, L. S. (2000). Conceptualizing faculty job satisfaction: Components, theories and outcomes. New Directions for Institutional Research (Vol. 105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hazelkorn, E. (2015). Rankings and the reshaping of higher education. London: Palgrave.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hermanowicz, J. C. (Ed.). (2011). The American academic profession: Transformation in contemporary higher education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the nature of man. Cleveland: World Publishing Co..

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzberg, R., Mausner, B., Peterson, R. O., & Capwell, D. R. (1957). Job attitudes: Review of research and opinion. Pittsburgh: Psychological Services of Pittsburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzberg, R., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. (1959). The motivation to work (2nd rev ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Höhle, E. A., & Teichler, U. (2013). Determinants of academic job satisfaction in Germany. In P. Bentley, H. Coates, I. Dobson, L. Goedegebuure, & L. Meek (Eds.), Job satisfaction around the academic world. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howell, L. P., Joad, J. P., Callahan, E., Servis, G., & Bonham, A. C. (2009). Generational forecasting in academic medicine: A unique method of planning for success in the next two decades. Academic Medicine, 84, 985–993.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iaffaldano, S., & Muchinsky, P. (1985). Job satisfaction and job performance. A metaanalysis. Psychological Bulletin, 97, 251–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, C. J., & Corr, P. J. (2002). Global job satisfaction and facet description: The moderating role of facet importance. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 18(1), 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T., Piccolo, R., Podsakoff, N., Shaw, J., & Rich, B. (2010). The relationship between pay and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis of the literature. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77(2), 157–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keith, K., & McWilliams, A. (1995). The wage effects of cumulative job mobility. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 49(1), 121–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, B. T., & McCann, K. I. (2014). Women faculty of color: Stories behind the statistics. The Urban Review, 46(4), 681–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennerly, S. M. (1989). Leadership behavior and organizational characteristics: Implications for faculty satisfaction. Journal of Nursing Education, 28(5), 198–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, S., Spector, P., & Gavin, M. B. (2014). A critical look at ourselves: Do male and female professors respond the same to environment characteristics? Research in Higher Education, 55, 351–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, P., & Villeval, M. C. (2013). Are women more attracted to co-operation than men? The Economic Journal, 135, 115–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulis, S., Sicotte, D., & Collins, S. (2002). More than a pipeline problem: Labor supply constraints and gender stratification across academic science disciplines. Research in Higher Education, 43(6), 657–691.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kusku, F. (2003). Employee satisfaction in higher education: The case of academic and administrative staff in Turkey. Career Development International, 8(7), 347–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, J., Celis, S., & Ott, M. (2014). Is the tenure process fair? What faculty think. Journal of Higher Education, 85(2), 155–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindholm, J. A., & Szelényi, K. (2008). Faculty time stress: Correlates within and across academic disciplines. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 17(1–2), 19–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marginson, S. (2007). Global university rankings: Implications in general and for Australia. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 29(2), 131–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, M. A., & Goulden, M. (2002). Do babies matter? The effect of family formation on the lifelong careers of academic men and women. Academe, 88(6), 21–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohrman, K., Gong, Y., & Wang, Y. (2011). Faculty life in China. The NEA 2011 Almanac of higher education. Retrieved at: http://beta.nsea-nv.org/assets/docs/HE/H-Mohrman_28Feb11_p83-100.pdf. Accessed 16 December 2017

  • Morphew, C. (2009). Conceptualizing change in the institutional diversity of US colleges and universities. The Journal of Higher Education, 80(3), 243–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Musselin, C. (2005). European academic labor markets in transition. Higher Education, 49(1/2), 135–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Education Statistics (2013). Digest of education statistics, 2013. Retrieved at: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/. Accessed 29 July 2017

  • Olsen, D., Maple, S. A., & Stage, F. K. (1995). Women and minority faculty job satisfaction: Professional role, interests, professional satisfactions, and institutional fit. Journal of Higher Education, 1995, 66(3), 267–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Opbrisko, R., Dobbs, K., & DiGrazia, J. (2013). Pushing up ivies: Institutional prestige and the academic caste system. In Georgetown public policy review, august 21. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Retrieved at: http://gppreview.com/2013/08/21/pushing-up-ivies-institutional-prestige-and-the-academic-caste-system/. Accessed 2 December 2017

  • Organ, D. W., & Ryan, K. (1995). A meta-analytic review of attitudinal dispositional predictors of organizational citizenship behavior. Personnel Psychology, 48, 775–803.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oshagbemi, T. (1997). Job satisfaction profiles of university teachers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 12(1), 27–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostroff, C. (1992). The relationship between satisfaction, attitudes, and performance: An organizational level analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology., 77, 963–974.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeffer, J., & Langton, N. (1993). The effect of wage dispersion on satisfaction, productivity, and working collaboratively: Evidence from college and university faculty. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38, 382–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollicino, E.A. (1996). Faculty satisfaction with institutional support as a complex concept: Collegiality, workload, autonomy. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.

  • Rhoades, L., & Eisenberger, R. (2002). Perceived organizational support: A review of the literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(4), 898–712.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhoades, L., Eisenberger, R., & Armeli, S. (2001). Affective commitment to the organization: The contribution of perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(5), 825–836.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, R. E., & Austin, A. E. (1988). High faculty morale: What exemplary colleges do right. Change, 20(2), 50–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, R. E., & Austin, A. E. (1990). Organizational impacts on faculty morale and motivation to teach. In P. Seldin et al. (Eds.), How administrators can improve teaching: moving from talk to action in higher education (pp. 23–44). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice, R. E., Sorcinelli, M. D., & Austin, A. E. (2000). Heeding new voices: Academic careers for a new generation. Forum on Faculty Roles & Rewards, American Association for Higher Education.

  • Ropers-Huilman, B. (2000). Aren’t you satisfied yet? Women faculty members’ interpretations of their academic work. In L. S. Hagedorn (Ed.), What contributes to job satisfaction among faculty and staff. New directions for institutional research (Vol. 105, pp. 21–32). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosser, V. (2004). Faculty members’ intentions to leave: A national study on their worklife and satisfaction. Research in Higher Education, 45(7), 285–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumbley, L. E., Pacheco, I. F., & Altbach, P. G. (2008). International comparison of academic salaries. Boston: CIHE, Boston College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, J. F., Healy, R., & Sullivan, J. (2012). Oh, won’t you stay? Predictors of faculty intent to leave a public research university. Higher Education, 63, 421–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabharwal, M., & Corley, E. A. (2009). Faculty job satisfaction across gender and discipline. The Social Science Journal, 46539–46556.

  • Sanchez, J. I., & Brock, P. (1996). Outcomes of perceived discrimination among Hispanic employees: Is diversity management a luxury or a necessity? Academy of Management Journal, 39(3), 704–719.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scarpello, V., & Campbell, J. P. (1983). Job satisfaction: Are all the parts there? Personnel Psychology, 36, 577–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seifert, T., & Umbach, P. (2008). The effects of faculty demographic characteristics and disciplinary context on dimensions of job satisfaction. Research in Higher Education, 49, 357–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shin, J. C., & Jung, J. (2014). Academics job satisfaction and job stress across countries in the changing academic environments. Higher Education, 67, 603–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shinn, D.H. (2002). Reversing the brain drain in Ethiopia. Paper delivered to the Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association, Alexandria, VA.

  • Smart, J. C. (1991). Gender equity in academic rank and salary. Review of Higher Education, 14(4), 511–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes and consequences. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ssesanga, K., & Garrett, R. (2005). Job satisfaction of university academics: Perspectives from Uganda. Higher Education, 50(1), 33–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stadtman, V. A. (1980). Academic adaptations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teichler, U., Arimoto, A., & Cummings, W. (2013). The changing academic profession: Major findings of a comparative survey. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Terpstra, D. E., & Honoree, A. L. (2004). Job satisfaction and pay satisfaction levels of university faculty by discipline type and by geographic region. Education, 124(3), 528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toutkoushian, R., & Martin Conley, V. (2005). Progress for women in academe, yet inequities persist: Evidence from NSOPF:99. Research in Higher Education, 46(1), 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trower, C., & Bleak, J. (2004). The study of new scholars. Gender: Statistical report. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education. Cambridge: COACHE, President & Fellows of Harvard College.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2018). Labor Force Statistics. Retrieved from: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU04000000?periods=Annual+Data&periods_option=specific_periods&years_option=all_years. Accessed 2 January 2018

  • Van Anders, S. M. (2004). Why the academic pipeline leaks: Fewer men than women perceive barriers to becoming professors. Sex Roles, 51(9/10), 511–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, M. E., & Sloane, P. J. (2000). Non-pecuniary advantages versus pecuniary disadvantages: Job satisfaction among male and female academics in Scottish universities. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 47(3), 273–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, K., & Wolf Wendel, L. (2012). Academic motherhood. Rutgers: Rutgers Univ. Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webber, K.L. (2018). The working environment matters: Faculty member job satisfaction. In Research Report Submitted to TIAA Research Institute. TIAA.org Report found at: https://www.tiaainstitute.org/sites/default/files/presentations/2018-03/Faculty%20Job%20Satisfaction_Webber_rd142_March%202018.pdf

  • Webber, K. L., & González Canché, M. (2015). Not equal for all: Gender and race differences in salary for doctoral degree recipients. Research in Higher Education, 56(7), 645–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webber, K. L., & Rogers, S. (2018). Gender differences in faculty member job satisfaction: Equity forestalled? Research in Higher Education, 59, 1105-1132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9494-2.

  • Wilks, D., & Neto, F. (2013). Workplace well-being, gender and age: Examining the ‘double jeopardy’ effect. Social Indicators Research, 114(3), 875–890.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt, L. A., & Nye, L. G. (1992). Gender and the relationship between perceived fairness of pay or promotion and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(6), 910–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf-Wendel, L., & Ward, K. (2006). Academic life and motherhood: Variations by institutional type. Higher Education, 52, 487–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, L., & Shauman, K. (2003). Women in science. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This study was partially funded from the TIAA Institute. Findings and conclusions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent official views of the TIAA Institute or TIAA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen L. Webber.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 6 Factor loadings and reliabilities

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Webber, K.L. Does the environment matter? Faculty satisfaction at 4-year colleges and universities in the USA. High Educ 78, 323–343 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0345-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0345-z

Keywords

Navigation