A Closer Look at Fringe Benefits for Faculty

Despite the magnitude and variety of benefits paid to faculty, there has been little attention given to these benefits. It is important to evaluate how and why faculty benefits vary by institution. In this study, I focused on the levels of benefits provided by four-year institutions to faculty. The study relied on institution-level data from NCES and the AAUP on faculty salaries and benefits spanning the period from 1980 to 2021. Separate analyses were conducted for retirement benefits, health benefits, and total benefits, with the time periods for specific analyses depending on data availability which varied over this time frame. Overall, the study documents how faculty benefits have changed over time, and whether benefits in dollar and percentage terms were related to selected characteristics of the faculty and the institutions where they work