The NEA 2005 Almanac of Higher Education

Full contents are available as individual downloads from the National Education Association.

1. Overview by Harold S. Wechsler
2. Faculty Salaries: 2003-2004 by Suzanne B. Clery and Amelia M. Topper
3. Higher Education's Fiscal Fortunes Some Light in the Tunnel at Last :by William Zumeta
4. The Higher Education Act Reauthorization Issues and Prospects :by Thomas R. Wolanin
5. Saving Public Colleges and Universities: An Urgent Call to Political Action by William Dale Crist
6. Globalization and the University: Myths and Realities in an Unequal World by Philip G. Altbach
7. Bargaining for Contingent Faculty (supplemental table) by Christine Maitland and Gary Rhoades
8. Higher Education Support Professionals: Trends in Demographics and Worklife Perceptions by Linda K. Johnsrud and Jocelyn Surla Banaria
9. Appendix: NEA Higher Education Bargaining Units

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Country Analysis Brief: United Arab Emirates

"The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is important to world energy markets because it contains 98 billion barrels, or nearly 10 percent, of the world's proven oil reserves. The UAE also holds the world's fifth-largest natural gas reserves and exports significant amounts of liquefied natural gas." Newly updated April 2005 Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration

Link to Report

Public Perceptions of the Pay Gap

"Women working full time earn about 75 percent of what men working full time earn. Even after considering job tenure, years in the labor market, occupation, education, and other factors usually associated with pay, about 20 percent of the gap remains unexplained. Do Americans know about this disparity? Why do they think there is a pay gap? In March 2005, the AAUW Educational Foundation commissioned a nationally representative poll conducted by Lake, Snell, Perry, Mermin and Associates to learn about common perceptions of the pay gap." Source: American Association of University Women (AAUW)

Link to Research Highlights | Link to poll data

New U.S. Census Bureau State Population Projections

From Press Release : "Three states -- Florida, California and Texas -- would account for nearly one-half (46 percent) of total U.S. population growth between 2000 and 2030, according to Census Bureau state population projections released today. Consequently, Florida, now the fourth most populous state, would edge past New York into third place in total population by 2011; California and Texas would continue to rank first and second, respectively, in 2030. These three states would each gain more than 12 million people between 2000 and 2030. Arizona, projected to add 5.6 million people, and North Carolina, with 4.2 million, would round out the top five numerical gainers. As a result, Arizona and North Carolina would move into the top 10 in total population by 2030 — Arizona rising from 20th place in 2000 to 10th place in 2030 and North Carolina from 11th place to seventh place. Michigan and New Jersey are projected to drop out of the top 10." Source: U.S. Census

Link to Tables - Table data is downloadable in Exel, PDF, and CSV formats

Medieval studies: Gateways, subject guides, and more

Compiled by John Jaeger, a librarian at Dallas Baptist University and Paul Victor Jr., a librarian at the University of Florida, this online article links to authoritative online guides to Medieval Studies. Sources include Georgetown University, College of Staten Island: SUNY, Stanford, and Yale.

The article "attempts to introduce the reader to some of the excellent sites available on the Internet that relate to medieval studies. Some of these sites are gateways that link to a broad range of online resources. Other sites are large subject guides provided from large universities that have medieval studies programs. Additionally, there are subject-specific sites that focus on particular aspects of medieval study, such as history, literature, philosophy, or religion. These resources can be particularly helpful in locating precise information. Also, there are subscription databases, such as the International Medieval Bibliography, that give researchers access to a large collection of resources not freely available on the Web."

Link to site

U.S. Sees First Double Digit Growth in International Visitation Since 1992

"The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that more than 46 million international visitors traveled to the United States in 2004, an increase of 12 percent from 2003. This marks the first year of double-digit growth since 1992. The United States experienced growth in visitation for 15 consecutive months through December 2004." Source: U.S. Department of Commerce

Link to Press Release and data

Country Analysis Briefs: Nigeria

"An OPEC member, Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the eleventh largest in the world. The country is a major oil supplier to both Western Europe and the United States." Newly updated April 2005. Source: United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration

Link to Report

Inequities Persist for Women and Non-Tenure-Track Faculty: The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession 2004-05

"Following the pattern of recent years, this annual report first examines the economic situation of full-time faculty at different types of institutions, after which it considers longer-term trends affecting higher education and faculty status. Highlights include a comparison of the salaries of university and college presidents to those of faculty and a discussion of probably the single most significant trend for higher education faculty: the growing predominance of contingent positions. For the first time, this year's report touches on the pay of contingent professors relative to that of tenure-track faculty, an issue on which sufficient data unfortunately do not yet exist. The report concludes with a matter of abiding concern: the question whether women faculty are making progress toward equity with men." Source: American Association of University Professors

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"I can but I don't want to": The Impact of Parents, Interests, and Activities on Gender Differences in Math

"The general conclusion that we draw from our work is that, although girls' performance and self-perceptions of ability suggest that they feel competent in math, they are less likely than boys to find it intrinsically interesting and their parents are less likely to create math-supportive or math-promotive environments for them. It appears, instead, that the achievement environment in many homes is a gendered environment and that messages from parents about achievement continue to be sent through gender-typed filters." Source: Gender Differences in Mathematics (Cambridge University Press) by Ann M. Gallagher (Editor), James C. Kaufman (Editor) ISBN: 0521533449

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Contacts between Police and the Public: Findings from the 2002 National Survey

"Presents data on the nature and characteristics of contacts between residents of the U.S. and the police over a 12-month period. Findings are provided from a nationally representative survey of nearly 80,000 residents age 16 or older. Detailed information is presented on face-to-face contacts with the police, including the reason for and outcome of the contact, resident opinion on police behavior during the contact, and whether police used or threatened to use force during the contact. The report provides demographic characteristics of residents involved in traffic stops and use-of-force encounters and discusses the relevance of the survey findings to the issue of racial profiling." Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics

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Family-Friendly Policies: Boosting Mothers' Wages

"Family-friendly policies allow workers to meet their family responsibilities, along with their work responsibilities. Family-friendly policies often entail a 'flexible workplace,' where the workday or workplace can be altered according to the family and caring responsibilities of the worker. This report looks at two types of flexible workplace policies—scheduling flexibility and access to leave for the birth of a child (a form of anticipated leave)— and finds that they have either positive effects or little to no effect on wages." Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research [via DocuTicker]

Link to PDF Report

Measuring Child Well-being: Reducing Risky Behavior

"The panel will focus on two important issues: teen pregnancy and violent crime committed by, and against, youth. Levels of teen pregnancy and violent crime have been substantially reduced from their mid-1990s peak and speakers will offer insights on specific programs and policies that could help these trends continue in the right direction." Source: Brookings Welfare Reform & Beyond Initiative Public Forum

Download Event Transcript (PDF) | Download "Child Well-Being Index (PDF)

Firearm Storage Patterns in US Homes With Children

"This study determined the prevalence and storage patterns of firearms in US homes with children. Methods: We analyzed data from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey and Year 2000 objectives supplement. A multistage sample design was used to represent the civilian noninstitutionalized US population. Results: Respondents from 35% of the homes with children younger than 18 years (representing more than 22 million children in more than 11 million homes) reported having at least 1 firearm. Among homes with children and firearms, 43% had at least 1 unlocked firearm...." Source: RAND Corporation

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Remembering Saul Bellow : 1915-2005

From the Guardian: "With his death, says John Burnside, Saul Bellow has joined the pantheon of writers whose greatness rests not on vogue but on what they say about being human" Link to article

also...
Bellow's Nobel Prize Lecture: December 12, 1976
Full text and sound recording.
Link to site

What Do Wage Differentials Tell Us about Labor Market Discrimination?

Abstract : "We examine the extent to which non-discriminatory factors can explain observed wage gaps between racial and ethnic minorities and whites, and between women and men. In general we find that differences in productivity-related factors account for most of the between group wage differences in the year 2000. Determinants of wage gaps differ by group. Differences in schooling and in skills developed in the home and in school, as measured by test scores, are of central importance in explaining black/white and Hispanic/white wage gaps among both women and men. Immigrant assimilation is an additional factor for Asians and workers from Central and South America. The sources of the gender gap are quite different, however. Gender differences in schooling and cognitive skills as measured by the AFQT are quite small and explain little of the pay gap. Instead the gender gap largely stems from choices made by women and men concerning the amount of time and energy devoted to a career, as reflected in years of work experience, utilization of part-time work, and other workplace and job characteristics." Source: NBER

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Bargaining Power in Marriage: Earnings, Wage Rates and Household Production

From the abstract : "What determines bargaining power in marriage? This paper argues that wage rates, not earnings, determine well-being at the threat point
and, hence, determine bargaining power. Observed earnings at the bargaining equilibrium may differ from earnings at the threat point because hours allocated to market work at the bargaining solution may differ from hours allocated to market work at the threat point. In the divorce threat model, for example, a wife who does not work for pay while married might do so following a divorce; hence, her bargaining power would be related to her wage rate, not to her earnings while married. More generally, a spouse whose earnings are high because he or she chooses to allocate more hours to market work, and correspondingly less to household production and leisure, does not have more bargaining power. But a spouse whose earnings are high because of a high wage rate does have more bargaining power." Source: NBER

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Choosing Electoral Rules: Theory and Evidence from US Cities

Abstract: This paper studies the choice of electoral rules, in particular, the question of minority representation. Majorities tend to disenfranchise minorities through strategic manipulation of electoral rules. With the aim of explaining changes in electoral rules adopted by US cities (particularly in the South), we show why majorities tend to adopt "winner-take-all" city-wide rules (at-large elections) in response to an increase in the size of the minority when the minority
they are facing is relatively small. In this case, for the majority it is more effective to leverage on its sheer size instead of risking to concede representation to voters from minority-elected districts. However, as the minority becomes larger (closer to a fifty-fifty split), the possibility of losing the whole city induces the majority to prefer minority votes to be confined in minority-packed districts. Single-member district rules serve this purpose. We show empirical results consistent with these implications of the model. Source: NBER

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September 11: Recent Estimates of Fiscal Impact of 2001 Terrorist Attack on New York

"While the attack's fiscal impact on New York from 2002 through 2003 appears to be less sever than initially expected, ascertaining its long-term impact is difficult, because other events also affected New York's economy and tax revenues." Source: U.S. General Accountability Office

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Postsecondary Participation Rates by Sex and Race/Ethnicity: 1974-2003

"This Issue Brief examines participation in postsecondary education among women and men and among different racial/ethnic groups, from 1974 to 2003. Participation rates are defined here as the proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds who are enrolled in or have completed postsecondary education. Over this time period, the participation rates of young women and of young Whites outpaced that of their male and minority counterparts, so that by 2003 young women had a higher participation rate than young men (reversing the pattern in 1974) and the 1974 gaps in participation rates favoring young Whites over Hispanics grew larger." Source: National Center for Education Statistics

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National Faculty Salary Survey by Discipline and Rank in Four-Year Colleges and Universities

"This year's report contains salary comparisons for 244 disciplines at colleges and universities nationwide. Salaries within each discipline are reported separately for the ranks of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, New Assistant Professor, and Instructor." This is a 24-page executive summary of the full report, which is available for purchase. Source: College and University Professional Association for Human Resources

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An order form, plus executive summaries of compensation reports for academic administration and mid-level executives, is available : Link to site

Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: 2004 Preview

"Giving by the nation's more than 66,000 grantmaking foundations increased to a new high of $32.4 billion in 2004, according to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: 2004 Preview, a new report from the New York-based Foundation Center. This estimated 6.9 percent rise reversed two years of modest reductions. The beginning of a stock market recovery and higher levels of new gifts into existing foundations in 2003 were the primary factors driving up 2004 giving. Newly established foundations also contributed to the growth." Source: Foundation Center

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Election Maps of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

"This site is designed to help the understanding of the electoral geography of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." Kable's Government Computing adds, "Each of the 646 constituencies can be viewed and the interactive service allows users to switch between boundaries of all local authorities, wards, electoral divisions and parishes. Users can also chose between a range of views, from street level detail to a wider overview designed to help with larger rural constituencies." Source: Ordnance Survey

Link to site

PictureAustralia

"The images you will find in PictureAustralia relate to all things Australian. The service provides access to images from the 19th century to the present day and includes both local history and national events.... You will find black and white and colour photographs, of people, places, buildings and events, as well as drawings, sketches, paintings and some maps. You will also find images of three-dimensional items such as sculpture and costume." Source: National Library of Australia

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