AVERAGE PROFESSOR PAY Penn State

Report: PSU salaries higher than other doctoral institutions

By Anne Danahy

Penn State professors’ salaries, on average, are higher than at other institutions that offer doctoral degrees, but well below average for such institutions in the mid-Atlantic region, according to a report from the American Association of University Professors.

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• PHASING OUT THE FRYER

According to the “Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession,” the average salary for a full professor at Penn State University Park is $131,100 in 2008-09, compared with an average of $123,785 at doctoral institutions nationally.

An assistant professor salary at University Park averages $72,400, compared with a national average of $70,613 at doctoral institutions.

Penn State has been working in recent years to boost faculty salaries in an effort to attract and retain top professors.

Spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the institutions included in the study aren’t all peer research institutions. She said Penn State considers the Big Ten its peer group, and the university runs about in the middle of that pack.

“We’re very cognizant of the fact that in some instances Penn State was having star faculty raided by private and some Ivy League institutions,” Powers said.

According to the report, the average salary for a professor at a doctoral institution in the mid-Atlantic region is $175,293. An associate professor on average earns $120,012 and an assistant professor makes $97,652 in the mid-Atlantic.

Those numbers are higher than the averages at public universities, where a full professor earns an average of $115,509.

The report also notes that the numbers don’t reflect the pay freezes and cuts at many institutions this year. Penn State employees, including faculty, are not receiving raises in the upcoming budget year, as part of the university’s effort to balance its budget.

Anne Danahy can be reached at 231-4648.

AVG. PROFESSOR PAY

Penn State:

Professor, $131,100

Associate professor, $87,700

Assistant professor, $72,400

Instructor, $47,500

All ranks, $87,500

Average doctoral institution:

Professor, $123,800

Associate professor, $83,700

Assistant professor, $70,600

Instructor, $47,700

All ranks, $90,100

Source: American Association of University Professors