UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Affairs, Research and Student Life explored the future of the faculty labor market and the effects of the labor trend referred to as “the great resignation” in its latest meeting on Oct. 20.
Justin Schwartz, Penn State’s interim executive vice president and provost, shared an overview of data on Penn State faculty retirement and resignations compiled by the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and the Office of Planning, Assessment and Institutional Research. While the data does show slight increases in retirements and resignations in recent years, Schwartz said the data also found Penn State is still below national averages for faculty departures, indicating that the University is not feeling the effects of the great resignation to the same extent as other institutions and organizations across the nation.
Three leaders from across the University — Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend; Clarence Lang, the Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts; and Tracy Langkilde, the Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science — added perspective from their respective areas. These leaders discussed several issues and concerns, including levels of diversity in local communities surrounding Penn State campuses and building greater town-gown relationships; the ability for faculty, especially faculty from underrepresented backgrounds, to find a sense of belonging within their local community; the need to support faculty spouses and provide flexibility for faculty, especially international faculty, to travel and remain connected with their families; the need to provide advancement opportunities and competitive salaries; and the need to be mindful of service burdens on faculty as important factors for University leadership to incorporate in ongoing planning and future initiatives.
A panel of faculty members also shared insights, including Chris Dancy, the Harold and Inge Marcus Industrial and Manufacturing Career Development Associate Professor; Brian Gardner, lecturer and cybersecurity analytics and operations program coordinator at Penn State Schuylkill; Ying Ling Jao, associate professor of nursing; Ashley Patterson, associate professor of education; Mari Pierce, associate professor of criminal justice; and Michele Stine, teaching professor of biobehavioral health and chair of the Penn State Faculty Senate.
Panel members said while Penn State may not currently feel the effects of the great resignation to the same degree as other institutions, the University must be strategic and proactive to recruit and retain a high-quality and diverse faculty into the future. The importance of a sense of community and belonging, especially for faculty from underrepresented groups, was a consistent theme, as was the need to attract and retain staff to support faculty and students.
These faculty members also echoed the importance of diversity within local communities, flexibility for faculty to stay connected with geographically dispersed family, and competitive salaries as important considerations for attracting and retaining faculty.
Trustee Brandon Short thanked the panelists for sharing their insight and affirmed that Penn State is committed to creating resources to support faculty and building greater town-gown relationships to foster more diverse and inclusive communities.
Penn State Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Michael Wade Smith also affirmed Penn State’s commitment to local community building, and identified diversifying Penn State’s faculty, supporting students and closing graduation rate gaps across different identity groups, while also creating pipelines for staff advancement to help attract and retain more diverse staff members as focuses of the University in the coming years.