Data: 

The foundation for improving 

the excellence and diversity 

of our nation’s college and 

university faculty

Laura W. Perna, GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education 

Vice Provost for Faculty, University of Pennsylvania 

Paper presented at Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology 

(FCSM) Research & Policy Conference 

October 26, 2022 
An excellent and diversity 

faculty is important to 

our colleges and universities, 

and our world 

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
Females are underrepresented 

among the nation’s faculty relative 

to their representation among 

students

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (2021). Digest of Education Statistics, 

Tables 306.5 and 315.20

58%

53%

47%

35%

UNDERGRADS ASSISTANT PROFESSORS ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS PROFESSORS
Blacks and Hispanics are also 

underrepresented

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (2021). 

Digest of Education Statistics, Table 306.50 and Table 315.20

51%

62%

71% 77%

13%

7%

6% 4%

21% 5%

5% 4%

8%

12%

11% 12%

4%

1%

1% 1% 3% 12%

4% 3%

Undergrads Assistant Professors Associate Professors Professors

Non-resident/

Unknown

Two or more races

Other

Hispanic

Black

White
To improve faculty diversity, and

maximize the benefits of diversity,

leaders need data 
• Differences across groups should be 

probed

– How do racism and other bias influence 

observed patterns?

• Categories are socially constructed 

– There is nothing inherently inferior about 

members of any group

Using Quantitative Data to Advance 

Social Justice and Improve Equity
Institutional 

Data

• Demographic 

data

• Periodic 

surveys

National Data

• COACHE

• IPEDS

• NSOPF 

(1987, 1992, 

1998, 2003) 

State Data

• ?? 

We Lack Current, 

Nationally Representative 

Individual-Level Data 
What is the 

diversity of our 

faculty?

Is there equity 

among faculty?

What are the 

experiences and 

working conditions 

of diverse faculty?

Questions College and University 

Leaders Need Data to Address
What is the diversity of the 

nation’s faculty? 

Sexual 

orientation

Gender 

identity 

Race/

ethnicity

US 

citizenship

Language 

Fluency Age 

Marital and 

parental 

status

Disability 

status

Parents’ 

education
Percent of People With At 

Least One Parent with A PhD

55%

25%

6%

23%

14%

14%

15%

23%

10%

7%

26%

30%

1%

12%

22%

US POPULATION SURVEY OF EARNED DOCTORATES (NSF) FACULTY

Ph.D

Masters

College

Some

college

HS or

less

Source: Morgan et al. (2022). Socioeconomic roots of faculty. Nature 

Human Behaviour. (Survey of tenure track faculty in 8 disciplines)
NSOPF was used to examine equity in: 

• Employment characteristics 

• Salaries, rank, and tenure 

• Time on teaching and research 

• Satisfaction

• Intention to leave the institution

• Academic leadership roles

Is there equity in faculty outcomes 

and measures of success? 
• Time allocations and engagement in 

”invisible labor”

• Culture and climate of departments, 

institutions, academic disciplines 

• Availability and use of institutional 

practices and supports (e.g., dual career, 

wellness, inclusion of DEI measures in 

tenure)

What are the experiences and working 

conditions of diverse faculty? 
• Multiple and intersecting identities and 

background characteristics of faculty; 

• How characteristics, experiences, and measures 

of success vary across groups;

• How variation may reflect environments in 

which faculty work (e.g., discipline) and 

characteristics of employment (e.g., track); 

• How racism, sexism, and other bias contributes 

to observed differences;

• Supports and resources that can help diverse 

faculty thrive. 

Nationally-representative, individuallevel data are needed to identify: