Agronomy Professors' Average Pay Was Static In 1991-92

The range of average salaries paid to agronomy professors with Ph.D.'s at government-funded schools, including land-grant colleges, was stagnant in the 1991-92 academic year, a recent survey has found. The static salaries for these researchers, who study soil management and field-crop production, are a reflection of the downturn in the economy, according to officials at the Madison, Wis.-based American Society of Agronomy. The society co- sponsored the survey with the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America, both also based in Madison. Agronomy department administrators were similarly affected by recession woes, according to the study. The society sent questionnaires to 200 of its member departments at colleges and universities across the United States; it received 53 responses. The survey was last completed for the 1989-90 school year. Among the 1991-92 findings was that the range of average salaries paid to professors with Ph.D.'s at each school in the North Central region was $41,043 to $75,400 in 1991-92, compared with $40,094 to $71,533 two years earlier. At schools in the South, the range of average salaries paid to associate professors with Ph.D.'s was $28,992 to $52,100, compared with $30,000 to $51,181 two years earlier. For both of these categories in these regions, though, most schools paid an average of about $40,000. The salaries of department administrators similarly showed little upward movement. In Western states, for instance, the range of average salaries was $34,911 to $106,000 in 1991-92, compared with $49,000 to $110,000 in 1989-90. The depression in average pay was most likely due to cutbacks and retirement of higher-paid faculty, according to the society. "The bottom line is, it's a reflection of the federal and state governments, which are hard-pressed for money," says David Kral, associate executive vice president of the American Society of Agronomy. "There have been very few increases. Some haven't had increases at all, while others had very little, maybe 2 to 3 percent," Kral says. "We're now facing a situation where schools are laying off faculty, even some who are tenured." At some institutions, the recession has been so severe that job vacancies are going unfilled. "It's an indication of just how serious the situation is," says David Kissel, who is head of the agronomy department at the University of Georgia. In fact, about 35 research positions have been eliminated from experiment stations at Kissel's school, where he estimates the size of the agricultural research program has been cut by 18 percent to 20 percent. "In tough budget times," he says, "it's likely we'll see zero salary increases rather than salary cuts. Tightening expenses is handled by downsizing. There's concern that there'll be more budget cuts this fiscal year." Here and there, however, increases were given, albeit small ones. Kral explains that some administrations pushed to play catch-up for faculty who endured a year or two of salary freezes. The University of Georgia, for example, boosted pay by 3 percent. At Iowa State University, the need to compensate for freezes helped increase salaries by a healthy 6.5 percent and fill faculty slots that were vacant two years. Five professors were hired at Iowa State, says Ronald Cantrell, who heads the agronomy department there. Shrinking budgets have meant that many professors are turning increasingly toward grant money to fund their work, say Kral and Cantrell. What's more, some faculty are also re-orienting their research and careers to take advantage of grant dollars available in related, but slightly different, fields, Kral says. "Say you've worked 20 years in oats and had success, but can't get money," he says. "But there's money available to do related research, maybe using oats as a crop cover to prevent erosion. People are being redirected." "You could wish it was the olden times," says Iowa State's Cantrell, "when faculty were provided a high level of support with appropriated funds, not grants." Faculty looking toward industry for salvation may find job opportunities limited, but options do exist, some experts say. Among them: grain and seed companies and environmental consulting firms. The positions likely to be open include plant breeders, crop management specialists, and soil specialists, says Kissel. But, he cautions, "the recession is affecting everything, not just governments and universities." Still, some optimism exists. Although the sour economy is likely to keep increases at rather negligible levels for the near term, a huge number of faculty is projected to retire over the next few years, providing new jobs, according to Kral. Ironically, that eventuality may lower the range of average salaries, because newcomers will be paid less than senior faculty who retire. But the actual pay scale for new professors isn't expected to be affected, says Kral. Edward R. Silverman is a freelance writer based in Hoboken, N.J.

Agronomy Professors' Average Pay Was Static In 1991-92

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