#  Findings from the First Ever Multi-Institutional Survey of Faculty Retention & Exit \[Infographic\] 

 





March 26, 2018

 

 

- [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog)
 
 

 

   ![An infographic with statistics on faculty turnover](/sites/g/files/omnuum6791/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/gse-coache/files/faculty_turnover.jpg?itok=CJxU00D6) 

 

In 2017, after a successful pilot with several campuses of a large public university system, we launched our [Faculty Retention and Exit Survey](/faculty-retention-and-exit-survey) nationwide.

This study represents the first multi-institutional survey of faculty retentions (among those with outside offers) and departures. Until now, there was no coordinated effort for universities to develop a common understanding of the causes, costs, and conduct of faculty mobility. Below are several key findings from the pilot study for practitioners.

## Some takeaways:

**Salary doesn’t matter as much as you probably think; colleagues matter more.** More than half of faculty (57%) ranked **salary** as a *secondary factor* *or not at all* in their decision to stay or leave. Yet 67% selected **quality of colleagues** as a compelling factor.

   ![COACHE Faculty Retention and Exit Survey Infographic](/sites/g/files/omnuum6791/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/exit_infographic_09.15.17_v6-01.png?itok=G4TovBK8) 

 

Further, the study’s insights into the negotiation process are suggesting **some troubling gender bias**. For example, among those who didn’t ask for a counteroffer, *men are more likely than women to receive one, anyway*; among those who do ask for a counteroffer, *women are more likely to be denied*.

**Higher education's “counteroffer culture” has real costs.** Faculty are expected to cultivate outside offers before they can ask for a better deal at home. This requirement pushes them out the door: we are finding that nearly 1 in 3 faculty who left had originally sought the offer only to renegotiate the terms of their employment.

**Universities have a “home-field advantage” in retaining dual-career couples.** Retentions were *nearly twice as likely* as departures to have a spouse employed at the same institution. The implications for women are particularly acute: 48% of women versus 21% of men ranked **spousal employment** as a *primary factor* in their decision to stay or leave.

Continue reading for a breakdown of our findings, as well as recommended practices for improving faculty retention, negotiation processes, and overall satisfaction with their institutions as places to work:

To request a copy of the full pilot study briefing, email <coache@gse.harvard.edu>.

### Recommended for Additional Reading:

- [When Perceptions of Diversity Don't Match Progress: New Analysis from the Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey](/blog/when-perceptions-diversity-don%E2%80%99t-match-progress-new-analysis-faculty-job)
- [Recognizing Faculty with Disabilities: Data and Considerations from the Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey \[Infographic\]](/blog/recognizing-faculty-disabilities-data-and-considerations-faculty-job-satisfaction)
- [Adapting in Times of Crisis: Navigating Tenure Clock Stoppage](/blog/adapting-times-crisis-navigating-tenure-clock-stoppage)



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ COACHE Data ](/post-topics/coache-data)
 
 

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