The Next Generation of Faculty

Abstract

The years 1963 through 1978 were a time of expansion in Canadian universities. Researchers in higher education have predicted that another major transition point will occur in the early years of the 21st century when the large number of the faculty hired during the expansion period are expected to retire. Data from the Statistics Canada academic staff survey for 1993 was used to provided a reference point for a descriptive faculty demographic analysis. This date was far enough past the previous transition point for retrospective observations on whether the trends predicted then had actually materialized, yet close enough to the next transition point to prospectively anticipate the future. The age distribution reflected an aging professorate. Yet, recent appointments constituted 33% of all faculty positions, suggesting that higher education is on the threshold of a new era. However, the characteristics of these recently appointed faculty show that over two-thirds of them received their PhD before 1986 and are middle aged. Only about one third of the recent appointees have recently earned their PhD, and two thirds of those are mature scholars who are also middle-aged. A controversial point for discussion raised by these findings is whether the faculty positions that have opened up, and will continue to do so at an increasing rate, should go to those who are middle-aged and received their degrees many years ago, to mature new graduates, or to younger PhD graduates, many of whom are women.