Postsecondary institutions in the U. S. reported employing about 3.7 million individuals in fall 2008. The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2008, and Salaries of Full-Time Instructional Faculty, 2008-09."

This report presents data from the Winter 2008-09 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, including data on the number of staff employed in Title IV postsecondary institutions in fall 2008 by occupation, length of contract/teaching period, employment status, salary class, faculty and tenure status, academic rank, race/ethnicity, and gender. Other findings include:

• Of the 3.7 million individuals employed by postsecondary institutions, about 2.4 million were working full-time and about 1.3 million were employed part-time.

• Based on adjusted 9-month average salaries, Title IV degree-granting institutions reported that, on average, professors earned $101,658, associate professors earned $73,246, assistant professors earned $61,479, instructors earned $53,107, lecturers earned $53,472, and those with no academic rank earned $54,743.

• Of the 578,302 that reported full-time instructional staff at Title IV degree-granting institutions, 149,714 were professors, 124,653 were associate professors, 134,169 were assistant professors, 94,573 were instructors and 28,299 were lecturers. The remaining 46,894 instructional staff had no academic rank.

To view the report, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010165.

Changes in Postsecondary Awards Below the Bachelor’s Degree: 1997 to 2007

The total number of certificates and associate’s degrees -- postsecondary awards below the bachelor's degree -- increased 28 percent to a total of 1.5 million between 1997 and 2007. Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), this Statistics In Brief released by The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences describes changes in the number and types of awards conferred over the decade between 1997 and 2007. "Changes in Postsecondary Awards Below the Bachelor’s Degree: 1997 to 2007" reports on changes within fields of study, the types of institutions that confer subbaccalaureate awards, and differences in awards by gender and race/ethnicity. Other findings include:

• Certificates and associate's degrees constitute a large and growing segment of U.S. postsecondary credentials; in 2007, almost 40 percent of undergraduate credentials conferred in postsecondary institutions participating in federal financial aid programs (Title IV) were below the bachelor’s degree.

• While community colleges still account for the largest share of these credentials--58 percent conferred in 2007--the share conferred by private, for-profit institutions increased from 24 percent in 1997 to 29 percent in 2007.

• Health care is the most common field of study, accounting for 31 percent of all awards in 2007, and increasing 68 percent over the decade studied.

• Women earned a majority of all certificates and associate's degrees (62 percent in 2007); and the rate of increase in awards to women surpassed that for men.

• The rate of increase in subbaccalaureate awards conferred over the decade was highest for Hispanic students (74 percent), followed by Black students (54 percent); in contrast, awards to White students increased 11 percent.

To view the full report, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010167.

Academic Libraries: 2008 First Look

Academic libraries held approximately 102.5 million e-books and about 3.6 million electronic reference sources at the end of fiscal year 2008. The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Academic Libraries: 2008 First Look." This report summarizes services, staff, collections, and expenditures of academic libraries in two- and four-year, degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Findings include:

• During FY 2008, there were about 138.1 million circulation transactions from academic libraries' general collection.

• Academic libraries reported 93,438 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff working during the fall of 2008.

• Academic libraries spent about $6.8 billion during FY 2008.

To view the full report, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010348.