Low Faculty Pay Causing ISU to Lose Top Talent?

[cigaretteman]

Low ISU teacher pay stirs fears of losing top talent | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

[sodakjoe]

I'm in the AeroE department right now. I can't speak for their reasons, but we've lost what many students deemed to be two of our better instructors in the last three years.

[LindenCy]

In engineering I think this may be a concern, but in other fields, I am guessing less so. The academic job market in many fields is HORRIBLE right now.

[Clonehomer]

I've had some associate profs/grad students that I wouldn't mind leaving. Some of the ME faculty are great at teaching the subjects and some are just terrible.

[Cyclonepride]

This may be true, and that would suck, but the reality is that you can only pay for what you can afford. Beyond that, all you can do is try to make your intagibles more attractive than the next school's.

[bugs4cy]

On the ag side of campus I know of quite a few faculty that bailed to other schools with better start up packages, internal support and less micromanaging. And of course, they've moved to the corporate world too. Administration is tying much of their future to commodity groups - pleasing them is priority number one. So, those groups have the thumb's up/down power over aspiring faculty's research, outreach and teaching activities. If you're not marching to their beat, soon you won't be marching. The ability to speak one's mind is disintegrating. ISU really isn't hiring anyone just to teach (or extension) anymore - it's all about research money.

[BryceC]

On the ag side of campus I know of quite a few faculty that bailed to other schools with better start up packages, internal support and less micromanaging. And of course, they've moved to the corporate world too. Administration is tying much of their future to commodity groups - pleasing them is priority number one. So, those groups have the thumb's up/down power over aspiring faculty's research, outreach and teaching activities. If you're not marching to their beat, soon you won't be marching. The ability to speak one's mind is disintegrating. ISU really isn't hiring anyone just to teach (or extension) anymore - it's all about research money.

Doesn't really bother me. They need that money somehow and it seems like it's always taken from the backs of young students.

[ZCyclone]

I'm in the AeroE department right now. I can't speak for their reasons, but we've lost what many students deemed to be two of our better instructors in the last three years.

As another aero I agree. Also never a good sign when you lose the head of your department moving to another school to take the head of the aero/astro department there...

[kilgore_trout]

Next prof in, then.

[bugs4cy]

Doesn't really bother me. They need that money somehow and it seems like it's always taken from the backs of young students.

Gee, and all along I thought it caused someone from ISU to call my house about three times a day, seeking cash to give to students, whereas when I was a student, was expected to pay for myself.

You want a good education? Then pay for it. You get what you pay for. I don't go to a doctor that earned their medical degree via a Jamaican-based mail-order diploma course. You want cheap, go to a community college or maybe become a bricklayer apprentice.

It's not an American right to finish college with zero debt. I just paid my off - now, go to work and pay yours off.

[alarson]

Unfortunately, as costs have gone up, the return on investment has gone down.

Do i regret going to ISU, absolutely not. However, the more prices go up to go to school, the less that ROI is.

[Kitkat]

This is a response to both Kilgore and Alarson. It is fine to say "next man in" theoretically, but unfortunately when a faculty member, especially a good one, leaves today, there is sometimes no next man or woman because since the start of this decade, the University has not been adding new hires at the rate they are losing old ones. That may not be true for a few depts., but I will bet it is true for the majority.
Alarson questions the value of a degree these days, and I believe s/he is right. In fact, there are some critics of higher ed who are saying that the BS/BA degrees are not worth much anymore and think more folks should be going for the master's degree. Finally, on a thread that appeared here just a few days ago, people questioned the amount of support that the state gives ISU and noted that the % of state support versus total U. need has been going down for a number of years. That is true, and it is also part of the problems Kilgore and Alarson deal with. But we are not as bad off as some public schools. At the U. of Michigan, for instance, the amount of state support is only 7%!! And this is no directional institution but one of the best public universities in the country.

[CyAggie]

Bottom line, ISU did not get the first choice in dean of the Engineering College because the pay was not there.

[kilgore_trout]

next dean in, then.

wake up.

Bottom line, ISU did not get the first choice in dean of the Engineering College because the pay was not there.

[kilgore_trout]

"There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it." - Marge G.

Some faculty do know that:

http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum/...essor-isu.html (ISU Alums - Your favorite professor at ISU)