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Inside Higher Ed’s ninth annual survey of college and university provosts and chief academic officers (CAOs) seeks to understand how these leaders perceive and address the challenges facing higher education institutions in the U.S.
Among the questions explored in this study:
This report presents findings from a quantitative survey research study that Gallup conducted on behalf of Inside Higher Ed. The objective of the study was to learn the practices and perceptions of college and university chief academic officers and provosts related to finances, academics, strategies and policies.
Gallup sent invitations via email to 3,715 chief academic officers, with regular reminders sent throughout the Nov. 4-Dec. 1, 2019, field period. Gallup collected 597 fully or partially completed web surveys, yielding a 16 percent response rate. Respondents represented 329 public institutions, 259 private institutions and nine institutions from the for-profit sector.
Total Participation, by Sector
*Data not reported for these groups due to small sample size
Note: System offices and specialized institutions are categorized by sector but not by highest degree offering. Consequently, in some tables, percentages for subgroups (e.g., private doctoral/master’s and private baccalaureate) may appear inconsistent with the total for the entire group (e.g., all private institutions).
Some sectors do not have data reported due to low sample sizes. Sector groupings are determined based on the 2018 Carnegie Classification for the institution.
Gallup education consultants developed the questionnaire in collaboration with Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman from Inside Higher Ed. Specialty colleges — namely, Bible colleges and seminaries with a Carnegie Classification of 24 — and institutions with an enrollment of fewer than 500 students were excluded from the sample.
The survey is an attempted census of all provosts or chief academic officers using the most comprehensive
sample information available. Each responding institution is represented only once in the results. If multiple respondents from the same institution completed the survey, the highest-ranking official’s survey was retained.
Gallup statistically weighted data to correct for nonresponse, matching the obtained sample to targets for all U.S. colleges and universities from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database. Gallup weighted the sample based on institutional control (public or private/nonprofit), four-year or two-year degree offerings, student enrollment and geographical region. Therefore, the weighted sample results can be considered representative of the views of chief academic officers at colleges nationwide.
The following sections present the findings of the survey. In some cases, reported frequencies may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding. “Don’t know” and “Refused” responses are excluded from the results unless otherwise indicated.
Eighty-seven percent of chief academic officers (CAOs) evaluate the academic health of their institution positively, including 29 percent who say it is “excellent” and 58 percent “good.” Academic health ratings have generally been stable over time, with no less than 84 percent assessing their institution positively. In the last two years, however, less than 30 percent have rated their college’s academic health as excellent.
Very few CAOs assess their college’s academic health negatively — only 1 percent say it is “poor,” and none describe it as “failing.” Twelve percent believe their college is in “fair” academic health.
At least 8 in 10 CAOs at all types of colleges say their institution’s academic health is either excellent or good. Academic leaders at public doctoral universities tend to be more positive than those at other types of institutions, and this year 40 percent of those at public doctoral institutions rate their college’s academic health as excellent. Public master’s and baccalaureate college CAOs are least likely to give an excellent rating to their college, with 18 percent doing so.
CAOs’ generally positive evaluations of their institution’s performance extend to many areas. Chief among these is providing a quality undergraduate education — 57 percent say their college is “very effective” and 42 percent “somewhat effective” in doing so.
However, academic officers are not quite as positive as they were in the past, with more shifting in the past two years to saying their college is somewhat effective rather than very effective. In 2017, 69 percent thought their college was very effective in providing a quality undergraduate education, and the percentage had never been lower than 65 percent before 2018, including a high of 75 percent in 2014.
More than 9 in 10 CAOs believe their college is effective in preparing students for the world of work and offering undergraduate support services, with 4 in 10 saying it is very effective at those tasks.
At least 8 in 10 CAOs regard their institution as being at least somewhat effective in controlling rising prices for students and their families, identifying and assessing student outcomes, using data to aid and inform campus decision-making, and recruiting and retaining talented faculty. Between 22 percent and 28 percent regard their college as being very effective in these areas.
Broadly speaking, the percentage of provosts rating their college as being effective in each of these areas has been stable over time, but in many cases, there has been at least a modest decline in the percentage rating it as very rather than somewhat effective. For offering undergraduate support services, preparing students for the world of work, and recruiting and retaining talented faculty members, the percentage of CAOs giving “very effective” ratings is the lowest measured to date.
Most notably, the percentage of chief academic officers who believe their institution is very effective at recruiting and retaining talented faculty (22 percent) is nearly half what it was earlier in the decade.
Private college academic leaders are more likely than their public institution peers to say their college is very effective in recruiting and retaining talented faculty, 30 percent to 17 percent. But since 2014, the decline in perceived effectiveness has been the same — 16 percentage points — among CAOs at both types of institutions.
Another notable public-private difference concerns college efforts to control rising prices for students and their families. Eighty-nine percent of public college academic officers, compared with 68 percent of those at private colleges, say their institution has been very or somewhat effective in addressing rising costs.
And while CAOs at all types of institutions are nearly unanimous in believing their institution is at least somewhat effective in providing a quality undergraduate education, roughly 7 in 10 public doctoral and private college CAOs regard their institution as being very effective in this area, compared with about half of public master’s/ baccalaureate and public associate college CAOs.
At a time when 77 percent of CAOs say their institution relies significantly on nontenure track faculty for instruction — an increase of 12 percentage points since 2013 — a new high of 81 percent of academic officers strongly agree or agree that tenure remains important and viable at their institution.
Compared with five years ago, both public and private college chief academic officers are more likely to believe that tenure remains viable at their institution. In 2014, 74 percent of public and 68 percent of private college CAOs strongly agreed or agreed. This year, the figures are 81 percent and 83 percent, respectively. This includes more than 9 in 10 of those at public doctoral and public master’s/baccalaureate institutions, as well as at private baccalaureate institutions.
Sixty-three percent of CAOs predict that in the future their institution will be “as reliant as it is today on nontenure track faculty members” for instruction, while 28 percent say they will be more reliant and 9 percent less so. The percentage of provostswho think their college will be more reliant on nontenure track faculty has ticked up slightly since 2014 (22 percent). Thirty-five percent of private institution academic leaders, compared with 23 percent of those at public institutions, think their college will increase its use of nontenure track faculty in the future.
A slim majority of CAOs, 51 percent, strongly agree or agree that graduate programs are admitting more Ph.D. students than they should, given the current job market; 21 percent strongly disagree or disagree. Last year, 45 percent strongly agreed or agreed.
Also, while still the minority, the percentage of academic leaders who strongly agree or agree that faculty members can earn tenure at their institution based on research success even if they are known to be ineffective teachers (15 percent) is the highest to date. Between 2013 and 2018, an average of 8 percent held this view, including 10 percent a year ago.
Provosts remain far more likely to say teaching (82 percent) is more important than research (5 percent) for faculty; 13 percent say they are equally important. Public doctoral institution CAOs are most distinct in their views, with 20 percent saying teaching is more important, 34 percent saying research is more important, and 46 percent saying they are equally important.
Asked about an alternative to the existing tenure system that would give professors a system of long-term
contracts, 62 percent of academic leaders say they are in favor, and 38 percent are opposed. The percentage in favor has typically been above 60 percent but dipped to 56 percent a year ago. Less than half of public doctoral and private baccalaureate college CAOs are in favor of replacing tenure with a system of long-term contracts.
Nontenure track instructors often are employed on annual contracts and have little job security or status at their college. Some colleges are exploring ways to address these issues.
As seen on the following page, 62 percent of provosts say their college has established voting rights for nontenure track instructors. A majority (53 percent) indicates their college has taken steps to better recognize the roles of faculty members who are teachers only. Slightly fewer, 48 percent, say their institution now offers multiple-year contracts, while 40 percent say their college has new job titles for nontenure track faculty. Many colleges that have not adopted these practices are considering doing so.
Private institutions have been more likely than public institutions to offer voting rights, multiple-year contracts, and new job titles, according to the reports of their provosts. But public doctoral institution CAOs have been at least as likely, if not more likely, than their peers at other institutions to say their college has adopted each of the four new faculty models asked about in the survey. This is especially apparent in giving new job titles to nontenure track professors, something 74 percent of public doctoral institution CAOs say their institution has done, compared with no more than 49 percent at any other type of institution.
Faculty members have extensive opportunities for professional development. At least 9 in 10 chief academic officers say their college currently offers professional development for teaching with technology (93 percent), promoting student success (91 percent) and promoting active teaching techniques (90 percent). Eighty-one percent say their institution offers professional development for using assessment systems. One type of professional development that is less common is measuring the effectiveness of digital tools — something 55 percent of CAOs say their institution offers. Most CAOs who say their institution does not currently offer these various professional development opportunities would like their institution to do so.
Consistent with their positive views of tenure, just 19 percent of chief academic officers expect their college to
increase its emphasis on altering the tenure policy in the next year. Slightly more than one in three, 36 percent, say their institution will do more to dismiss underperforming tenured faculty in the coming year. About half, 52 percent, will promote retirement of older professors.
While public college academic officers are more likely than those at private institutions to say their college will
increase its emphasis on dismissing underperforming tenured faculty members (41 percent to 29 percent), private college CAOs are more likely to say their college will do more to promote retirement of older professors (65 percent to 43 percent).
The areas in which provosts are most likely to expect their institution to increase its emphasis are increasing collaboration with other institutions (92 percent), funding programs based on alignment with the college’s mission (88 percent), expanding online programs and offerings (86 percent), and cutting underperforming academic programs (77 percent).
CAOs are least likely to believe their institution will cut athletic programs (6 percent), change the academic mission of the institution (7 percent) or outsource some instructional services (15 percent).
The rank order of these practices and the percentages of academic leaders who say they will increase their
emphasis on them have generally been stable over time. However, more provosts say their institution will increase efforts to dismiss underperforming tenured faculty members than in any previous survey. Last year, 31 percent said so, and in 2013, 25 percent did.
The percentage of CAOs who indicate their college will expand online programs and offerings (86 percent) is also the highest to date. It compares with 83 percent in 2018 and an average of 81 percent from 2012 through 2018.
Academic officers believe that the concept of a liberal arts education is not well understood in the U.S., with 84 percent strongly agreeing or agreeing with this view. But they personally place great value on liberal arts education, with 87 percent agreeing — 62 percent strongly — it is central to an undergraduate education, even in professional programs.
In addition to a lack of public understanding of liberal arts education, CAOs see other challenges to liberal arts education. For example, 60 percent strongly agree or agree that politicians, presidents and boards are increasingly unsympathetic to liberal arts education. The same percentage of CAOs indicate they feel pressure from their president, board or donors to focus on academic programs that have a clear career orientation.
CAOs are evenly divided as to whether liberal arts education has become too divorced from the career needs of students and graduates — 37 percent agree it has, while 36 percent disagree. They are also roughly split in their views of the idea that liberal arts faculty members are not sufficiently interested in the desire of parents and students for career preparation — 41 percent agree, and 36 percent disagree.
Provosts’ assessments of the future of liberal arts education are becoming more pessimistic. Currently, 50 percent strongly agree or agree that liberal arts education is in decline — an increase from 36 percent a year ago and a reversal of the trend toward less pessimistic views seen over the previous three years.
Both public and private college CAOs are more likely now than a year ago to believe liberal arts education is in decline, with 46 percent of provosts at public institutions holding this view up from 32 percent, and 55 percent of private college CAOs who believe this up from 43 percent.
Additionally, 60 percent of all CAOs expect to see the number of liberal arts colleges in the U.S. decline significantly over the next five years; just 9 percent disagree. The percentage predicting a decline is up slightly from 55 percent a year ago but had been stable since 2015.
Public and private college academic officers generally hold similar views about liberal arts education, but those at private colleges are much more likely than their public institution peers to strongly agree it is central to an undergraduate education, primarily because less than half of community college academic leaders believe this. Public associate college CAOs are also largely responsible for public-private CAO differences in beliefs that liberal arts education has become too divorced from career needs.
The vast majority of CAOs, 91 percent, strongly agree or agree that general education is a crucial part of any college degree. More than 6 in 10 strongly agree this is the case, with private college CAOs more likely than public college provosts to agree at that level.
By 45 percent to 36 percent, academic leaders are more likely to disagree than agree that general education
requirements have become too expansive. However, CAOs at public four-year institutions are more inclined to agree than disagree with that idea.
CAOs express some skepticism as to whether students at their college understand the purpose of their general education requirements — just 25 percent agree that students understand, while 36 percent disagree, and 38 percent are neutral. Private baccalaureate CAOs are most likely to agree that their students understand, but only 34 percent hold this view.
Roughly twice as many provosts agree (43 percent) as disagree (22 percent) that students at their college emerge from general education courses with sufficient writing skills. A majority of CAOs at private baccalaureate colleges believe this.
Most chief academic officers, 63 percent, believe that faculty members at their college are enthusiastic about teaching general education courses. These attitudes vary from a high of 76 percent among public associate college CAOs to a low of 44 percent among public doctoral college CAOs.
There has been modest movement on some of these measures in the past year, including a five-point increase in the percentage of academic officers who strongly agree or agree that general education requirements have become too expansive, and decreases in the percentages agreeing that students understand the purpose of general education requirements (down six points) and that faculty members are enthusiastic about teaching those courses (down five points).
Regarding the situation at their own college, 71 percent of CAOs say they are very (15 percent) or somewhat (56 percent) satisfied with their institution’s general education program and requirements. Last year, 15 percent were very satisfied, and 60 percent were somewhat satisfied.
Like last year, community college academic officers are most likely to say they are satisfied with their college’s general education program, with 87 percent expressing satisfaction. Between 56 percent and 64 percent of CAOs at other types of colleges are satisfied.
Sixty-two percent of provosts strongly agree or agree their college has recently evaluated the effectiveness of its general education requirements; 21 percent strongly disagree or disagree. The results are broadly similar by institution type.
Sixty-nine percent of CAOs who are satisfied with their college’s general education program and requirements strongly agree or agree that they have recently evaluated their effectiveness, compared with 47 percent who are dissatisfied with their general education program.
Trends in college student choices of major have contributed to a decline in certain courses and majors, especially in the humanities. Some colleges no longer have majors or departments in fields like history or language arts. Threequarters of academic leaders say they are very or somewhat concerned about the cuts in majors and departments in higher education.
Thirty-seven percent of CAOs report that their college has cut majors or departments in the past two years, and half of those say they are concerned about those cuts. Reports of cuts in majors or departments are more common among provosts at private doctoral or master’s colleges than among those at other types of institutions.
*Asked of those whose institution has cut majors or departments in the last two years (n=192) n/a=Not reported due to small sample size
CAOs are divided as to whether the number of students majoring in a program is an appropriate way to determine which programs to cut — 33 percent strongly agree or agree, and 36 percent strongly disagree or disagree. Last year, they were more inclined to disagree (41 percent) than to agree (29 percent).
Eighty-nine percent of CAOs agree with the idea that high-quality undergraduate education requires healthy departments in liberal arts fields such as English, history and political science. Sixty percent agree strongly, including 75 percent of those at public doctoral institutions and 52 percent of those at community colleges.
Academic officers also widely agree that politicians and board members are prioritizing STEM and professional programs over those that support general education — 79 percent agree, while only 6 percent disagree.
Likely reflecting the trends in student majors, CAOs expect that there will be major allocation of funds to STEM fields and professional or preprofessional programs. More than 6 in 10 believe those fields will get major funding at their college in the next budget year.
In contrast, just 31 percent strongly agree or agree that arts and sciences programs will get major allocation of funds in the coming year. Thirty-eight percent disagree this will occur.
A majority of CAOs, 52 percent, anticipate that online programs will get significant funding in the coming year. Seventy-six percent of public doctoral university provosts say this, compared with just 34 percent of private baccalaureate college CAOs.
The percentage of academic leaders who expect a major allocation of funds for arts and sciences is lower this year than in 2017 (35 percent) and 2018 (38 percent) but is similar to the percentages between 27 percent and 33 percent from 2013 through 2016.
Hundreds of cases of sexual misconduct involving higher education faculty and administrators have been documented. Seventy-two percent of provosts strongly agree or agree that higher education has tolerated sexual harassment by faculty members for too long. Many more disagree (47 percent) than agree (28 percent) that they are surprised by the number of cases of allegations or actual sexual harassment that have emerged in the past year.
CAOs are in favor of policies that may deter sexual harassment. Seventy-nine percent strongly agree or agree that colleges should bar all romantic relationships between faculty members and students. Eighty-nine percent strongly agree or agree that a finding of sexual harassment against a tenured faculty member is grounds for dismissal. Majorities of academic officers agree strongly with those proposals.
CAOs have mixed views on whether findings of sexual harassment should be made public — 34 percent agree and 36 percent disagree that they should.
The majority of CAOs are not concerned that there will be a backlash against colleges’ efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment — 40 percent say they are either very or somewhat concerned, while 60 percent are not very concerned or not concerned at all. Forty-two percent of male CAOs and 37 percent of female CAOs are very or somewhat concerned about such a backlash.
Forty-nine percent of CAOs say there have been allegations of sexual harassment against members of their
college’s faculty in the past year. This includes majorities of academic leaders at public four-year colleges.
In contrast to their feelings about the tolerance of sexual harassment in higher education generally, CAOs are more positive about the situation at their own institution — 69 percent disagree, while just 15 percent agree, that their institution has tolerated sexual harassment by faculty members for too long.
Eighty-eight percent agree their college has clear policies in place to prevent sexual harassment by faculty members, and 87 percent believe their college responds effectively and fairly to allegations of sexual harassment. Sixty-three percent say their college bars all romantic relationships between faculty and students.
Provosts at private and public institutions generally have similar attitudes about how their college responds to sexual misconduct. One notable difference is that private college CAOs (79 percent) are much more likely than those at public institutions (53 percent) to agree their college bars romantic relationships between faculty and students.
For the most part, CAOs who report that there have been allegations of faculty sexual misconduct in the past year hold similar attitudes about their college’s responsiveness to sexual harassment as those who have had no such reports. The one area in which the two groups differ concerns whether their college has tolerated sexual harassment for too long. Twenty-four percent of academic leaders at institutions who have had allegations of sexual harassment at their college agree that their college has tolerated sexual harassment for too long, compared with 7 percent of those whose college has not had allegations.
Most chief academic officers do not believe graduate students should have the right to unionize — 33 percent
support such a right, while 67 percent are opposed. CAOs who are opposed to graduate student unions are nearly unanimous in saying the principle that graduate students are students first, and employees second, is the reason behind their opposition, rather than the cost to the institution of having a graduate student union.
Six percent of CAOs report that their college has a graduate student union, with these most common at public institutions. Seventeen percent of public doctoral institution CAOs and 11 percent of public master’s/baccalaureate college academic officials say their college has a graduate student union.
*Asked of those who do not think graduate students should have the right to unionize (n=251)
CAOs continue to endorse competency-based education, with 79 percent indicating they are in favor of it, similar to what it has been for the six years the question has been asked. Private baccalaureate college CAOs are alone in expressing more opposition than support for competency-based education.
About half of provosts, 52 percent, say their college awards academic credit based on demonstrated competence, roughly the same proportion as in recent years and remaining up from 44 percent in 2014. The practice is much more common at public institutions, with about twice as many public institution CAOs (65 percent) as private institution CAOs (33 percent) indicating their college awards credit based on demonstrated competence. More than 7 in 10 community college academic officers, 72 percent, say their college does.
Among CAOs at institutions that do not offer a competency-based education approach, 34 percent say their
institution is exploring doing so for some programs, including 64 percent of those at community colleges. Of the CAOs whose institution is considering implementing competency-based programs, 74 percent say their college is likely to adopt the approach for some programs in the near future, including 20 percent who say it is very likely.
*Asked of those whose institution does not award credit for demonstrated competence (n=258)
**Asked of those whose institution does not award credit for demonstrated competence but is exploring doing so (n=82) n/a=Not reported due to small sample size
The majority of CAOs, 62 percent, strongly agree or agree that it should be easier for students to earn credits and degrees based on what they have learned, not just time spent in the classroom. These attitudes have been highly stable in recent years. Seventy-eight percent of community college CAOs, but only 37 percent of their private baccalaureate college counterparts, hold this view.
Most CAOs, 61 percent, also strongly agree or agree that competency-based education can save students
considerable money. Last year, 53 percent agreed, but in most years the figure has been around 60 percent.
Seventy-three percent of community college provosts and 44 perpcent of those at private baccalaureate
institutions believe competency-based education can save students money.
Asked whether competency-based education may be damaging to general education, 36 percent of CAOs agree, and 37 percent disagree. In recent years, more have disagreed than agreed, including a 41 percent to 33 percent division last year.
Colleges rely on measures to assess how well students are learning while attending college and how graduates fare after leaving college. Seventy-three percent of CAOs say their institution makes effective use of data to measure student outcomes, similar to results from the previous three years. Academic leaders at public doctoral institutions have consistently been more likely to say their college makes effective use of assessment data, and 88 percent do so this year.
Assessment efforts have been controversial, and the survey asked about some of the issues surrounding
assessment. More CAOs disagree (42 percent) than agree (29 percent) that their college’s assessment efforts are more about keeping accreditors and politicians happy than about improving teaching and learning at their college.
Indeed, by 46 percent to 19 percent, CAOs agree rather than disagree that the growth of assessment systems has improved the quality of teaching and learning at their college. The percentage agreeing is down slightly from the 2016 and 2017 surveys (51 percent for each) and similar to the 48 percent measured last year.
A slim majority of chief academic officers, 51 percent, say their college regularly makes changes to curriculum, teaching practices or student services based on what it finds through assessment. Eighteen percent disagree this is the case. The current percentage of CAOs who agree assessment leads to changes in curriculum remains down from 59 percent the first year the question was asked in 2016.
Additionally, 40 percent agree that assessment efforts have led to better use of technology in teaching and learning, while 23 percent disagree. Fifty-one percent of public doctoral college CAOs indicate this has occurred at their institution.
Asked to report on faculty attitudes about assessment, 38 percent of provosts strongly agree or agree, while
23 percentstrongly disagree or disagree, that faculty members value assessment efforts at their college. CAOs perceive that faculty members think of assessment efforts as being burdensome, with 79 percent agreeing that faculty members at their college view assessment efforts as requiring a lot of work on their parts.
The price of textbooks and other course materials added an average of more than $1,000 to students’ cost of attendance in the 2018-19 academic year. Forty-three percent of CAOs strongly agree or agree that colleges should be open to changing textbooks or other course materials to save students money, even if the alternatives are of lesser quality. Thirty-five percent strongly disagree or disagree with the idea.
Since the question was first asked, CAOs have become more open to the idea of changing textbooks. In 2017, more disagreed than agreed. Last year, their opinions were evenly divided.
Also, by 47 percent to 31 percent, CAOs agree rather than disagree that saving students money justifies some loss of faculty member control in choosing textbooks and materials for their courses. Public associate college academic leaders are especially likely to agree, with 61 percent doing so.
The majority of CAOs, 55 percent, also agree that open educational resources are of sufficiently high quality that they should be used in most general education courses. That is up from 49 percent in last year’s survey.
There remains a gap in views of open educational resources between CAOs at public institutions and private institutions. Sixty-three percent of public college CAOs believe open educational resources are appropriate for use in general education courses, but only 42 percent of private college CAOs share that view.
Most CAOs believe that faculty members who write textbooks should not be allowed to profit from sales of those books to students they teach — 63 percent agree it should never happen, while 19 percent disagree.
Six in 10 CAOs report that their college allows faculty members to earn profits from textbook sales to their
students. The practice is much more common at private institutions than public institutions, as 78 percent of private institution CAOs, compared with 49 percent of CAOs at public institutions, say faculty members at their college can receive profits from textbook sales.
CAOs’ opinions on textbooks are similar to those of presidents, but not faculty members. Two of the questions about textbooks in the CAO survey were also asked in the 2019 faculty and presidents surveys. Faculty members are more likely to disagree than to agree that instructors and institutions should be open to changing textbooks to save students money. A majority of faculty members also reject the idea that saving students money justifies some loss of faculty member control over selection of course materials. Like CAOs, presidents are more supportive than faculty members are of the idea of taking away some faculty discretion in choosing course readings to help students save money.
Since 2013, CAOs have tended to be divided in their opinions of whether their college’s financial situation has
improved, but in some years, opinions have tilted in a slightly more positive or a slightly more negative direction. This year, opinions tilt slightly more negatively, with 43 percent disagreeing and 37 percent agreeing their institution’s financial situation has improved in the last year. In the 2018 survey, CAOs were slightly more positive than negative.
Public doctoral university provosts are the only subgroup that is more positive than negative about their college’s financial situation over the past year.
Higher education is still feeling the effects of the 2008-9 Great Recession. By 50 percent to 33 percent, CAOs disagree rather than agree that the economic downturn that started in 2008 is effectively over at their institution. At no point since the question was first asked in 2012 have more CAOs agreed than disagreed that the effects of the downturn are no longer being felt. Last year’s 46 percent represents the low point in disagreement. Public and private CAOs have similar views on this matter.
Forty-one percent of academic leaders agree and 35 percent disagree that their institution used the economic downturn to make tough but necessary changes in their budgets. The percentage agreeing has dropped since peaking at 53 percent in 2016.
When it comes to making decisions about creating new academic programs, 70 percent of CAOs say that most new funds for academic programs will come from reallocation of existing funds rather than from new revenues. Additionally, the vast majority of provosts, 88 percent, agree that financial concerns are prevalent in their institution’s discussions about launching new academic programs.
CAOs are about twice as likely to disagree (53 percent) as to agree (27 percent) that their college needs to reduce the number of academic programs it offers by the end of the academic year. Sixty-one percent disagree and 21 percent agree that their college is likely to reduce the number of academic programs it offers by the end of the academic year.
Nearly as many CAOs agree (35 percent) as disagree (37 percent) their job is more focused on financial and
management issues than academic ones. Last year, more disagreed than agreed (42 percent to 27 percent), but in 2016 and 2017, the balance of opinion was more even. Public college academic officers are more likely to disagree their job is more focused on financial and management issues than academic ones, while private college CAOs are more likely to agree.
Similar to results from the past five years, 50 percent of provosts agree and 23 percent disagree there is a
fundamental difference in perspective between administrators and faculty members.
CAOs are generally glad they pursued administrative work — 83 percent agree this is the case — with a majority of 53 percent agreeing strongly
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