Highlights of the 2001
ALISE Statistical Report
with a Five and Ten Year Comparison of Key Data Elements[1]
by
Evelyn H. Daniel and Jerry D. Saye
The overall condition of
library and information science education for the ALISE schools seems
healthy. No reports of impending
closures have been received, more students are enrolling, faculty numbers are
increasing gradually, and school are expanding their curricula and offering
additional programs. Undergraduate programs
continue to grow as do offerings (and sometimes whole programs) via distance
education.
Below are a few key data and
comparisons for each of the chapter areas.
In
interpreting the data is should be noted that the schools submitting data have
changed in each of the report periods.
In 1990 (data reported in the 1991 Report) there were 59 schools
with master's degrees accredited by the American Library Association. By 1995 that number had been reduced to 56
by the discontinuation of the accredited programs at Brigham Young, California -
Berkeley, Columbia, and Northern Illinois and the addition of the program at
Long Island. That number and the
schools with ALA-accredited programs remained unchanged in 2000.
Although comparison data is all
taken from the 1991 Report and the 1996 Report, it should be
noted that the data in different chapters may reflect different reporting
intervals. For example, the faculty
data is taken from the previous year, the student data comes from October of
the report year, financial data come from the previous full year. The comparison data is to be taken as
indicator data only.
The average faculty size seems to be increasing, although slowly. The table below compares average faculty size, total number of faculty, number and FTE of adjunct and part-time faculty, and estimated total number (FTE and actual).
Faculty Size Comparisons
Year of Report |
No. of schools |
Average Faculty Size |
No. of Tenure-Track Faculty |
# of Part-time Faculty FTE
(actual) |
Total no. of faculty FTE
(actual) |
% of Part-time Faculty
(actual) |
1990-1991 |
57 |
10.8 |
631 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
1995-1996 |
55 |
10.9 |
601 |
153 (414) |
744 (1004) |
41.2% |
2000-2001 |
56 |
12.6 |
708 |
164 (516) |
872 (1224 |
42.1% |
The Report tracks the male to
female ratio on the faculty. This year
it is 50:50 after slowly changing from 51:49 five years ago and 53:48 ten years
ago. Of the new assistant professors
appointed this past year in the 56 reporting schools, 30 are female and 26
male. For U.S. appointments, 24 were
white and 19 were either Black, Asian, Hispanic or Pacific Islander. Some comparisons on age of the faculty and
percent tenured appear in the table below.
Age and Tenure Status of
Faculty
Year of Report |
Age of Faculty |
Percent of Faculty Tenured |
||
Percent 45 or younger |
Percent 45-54 |
Percent 55 or older |
||
1990-1991 |
23% |
46% |
31% |
63% |
1995-1996 |
28% |
38% |
34% |
64% |
2000-2001 |
23% |
46% |
31% |
56% |
Changes in the leadership of
LIS schools continues – six new deans or directors were appointed this year
compared to eight both five and ten years ago.
Salaries for deans and directors ranged from $50,364 to $210,000 for
fiscal year appointments and between $50,481 and $128,388 for academic year
appointments. The mean salary for U.S.
deans was $106,172 and the median $95,000; for Canadian deans the mean was $95,118
and the median $90,082.
For the 56 new assistant professor
appointments, the average salary was $49,798 with a range from $37,740 to
$68,250. Below is a table comparing
average faculty (and dean) salaries for the past year with those of five and ten
years previously. Of interest is the
fact that the dean’s average salary has increased 38% over the ten year period
while assistant professors’ average salary has increased 2%, associate
professors’ by 22% and professors’ by the same amount.
Average Salaries for Faculty
(Fiscal Year)
Faculty Ranks |
1990-1991 |
1995-1996 |
2000-2001 |
Assistant
Professor |
$48,804 |
$51,254 |
$49,798 |
Associate
Professor |
$59,591 |
$62,305 |
$76,383 |
Professor |
$75,269 |
$73,166 |
$96,133 |
Dean/Director |
$76,532 |
$89,405 |
$106,172 |
The number of unfilled positions, the number of new positions and the number of lost positions is of interest. The comparative numbers below suggest a healthy trend.
Table H-4
Unfilled, New,
and Lost Faculty Positions
Year of Report
|
Unfilled Positions |
New Positions |
Lost Positions |
1990-1991
|
34.5 at 26 schools |
16 at 12 schools |
3 at 3 schools |
1995-1996
|
30.5 at 22 schools |
12.5 at 9 schools |
2.5 at 3 schools |
2000-2001
|
54 at 27 schools |
37 at 20 schools |
3 at 3 schools |
Overall school enrollment
for the five degree programs (bachelors, ALA-accredited master’s, other
Master’s, post master’s, and doctoral) has shown a notable 44.6 percent
increase since 1990.
Table H-5
Enrollment (Number)
Year of Report |
Reporting Date |
Enrollment |
Increase over 1990
|
1990-1991 |
Fall 1990 |
12,291 |
|
1095-1996 |
Fall 1995 |
14,173 |
15.3% |
2000-2001 |
Fall 2000 |
17,773 |
44.6% |
Some of the increase can be accounted for by the addition, after 1990, of bachelor’s degree enrollments into the total figures. This does not, however, account for all of the increase. Even when bachelor’s degree enrollments are discounted in the calculation of percentage increases for 1995 and 2000, the increases remain a very good 10.2 and 25.6 percent respectively.
Table H-6
Enrollment (Number) by Program
Program |
1990
|
1995 |
2000 |
||
Number |
Number |
Increase over 1990 |
Number |
Increase over 1990 |
|
Bachelor's |
|
626 |
|
2,330 |
|
ALA-Accredited
Master’s |
11,020 |
11,746 |
6.9% |
13,127 |
19.1% |
Other Master's |
639 |
992 |
52.9% |
1,343 |
110.2% |
Post-Master's |
163 |
200 |
14.1% |
238 |
46.0% |
Doctoral |
469 |
608 |
29.6% |
735 |
56.7% |
While
all five programs shown above have had growth over the decade, the
ALA-accredited master’s program has witnessed the most anemic growth of all
(19.1 percent). By far the most dynamic
growth has occurred in Other Master’s programs (110.2 percent). This reflects the increased presence of
separate information science degree programs in schools. Although there are no comparative data for 1990,
bachelor’s degree enrollment has increased over 270 percent between 1995 and
2000. Doctoral program enrollments over
the past ten years have increased, on average, about 6 per cent per year.
Enrollment by ethnic
grouping is perhaps most revealing when viewed in terms of percentages rather
than numbers. All degree programs, except
for doctoral programs, have seen a decline in the percentages that White
students constitute of total enrollment and an increase in diversity. At the ALA-accredited master’s level, Whites
were a slowly declining percentage of enrollment throughout the decade. Although White students are the majority in
all degree programs, that majority is lowest for Other Master’s students (61.5
percent) in 2000.
Table H-7
Enrollment (Percentage) by Ethnic Group and Program
Fall 1990, 1995, and 2000
Program |
Year |
AI |
AP |
B |
H |
W |
Bachelor's |
1990 |
0.0% |
4.3% |
9.8% |
2.7% |
83.2% |
1995 |
0.0% |
3.0% |
6.1% |
0.6% |
9.03% |
|
2000 |
0.6% |
11.2% |
11.5% |
3.8% |
72.8% |
|
ALA-Accredited
Master’s |
1990 |
0.2% |
2.4% |
3.7% |
2.7% |
91.0% |
1995 |
0.5% |
3.0% |
4.4% |
3.3% |
88.8% |
|
2000 |
0.6% |
2.7% |
5.2% |
3.1% |
88.4% |
|
Other Master's |
1990 |
0.0% |
3.1% |
4.5% |
3.7% |
88.7% |
1995 |
0.5% |
5.1% |
5.0% |
1.2% |
88.3% |
|
2000 |
0.5% |
8.7% |
5.5% |
1.9% |
61.5% |
|
Doctoral |
1990 |
0.5% |
6.1% |
8.5% |
2.4% |
82.4% |
1995 |
0.6% |
3.9% |
7.4% |
4.1% |
84.0% |
|
2000 |
0.5% |
5.1% |
7.5% |
2.4% |
84.5% |
AI=American Indian or Alaskan Native; AP=Asian or Pacific Islander; B=Black, not of Hispanic origin; H=Hispanic; W=White; I=International student; NA= Not Available.
Blacks
as a percentage of total enrollment, perhaps the most sensitive topic for ALA
and our schools for the past four decades, have shown slow but steady
improvement over the decade. Except for
doctoral programs, Black enrollment percentages are higher at each program
level. The doctoral student enrollment
percentage decline of Black students from the 1990 level can be partially accounted
for by the larger impact that small changes in enrollment can have on
percentages given overall smaller doctoral enrollment. At the ALA-accredited master’s degree level,
there has been a steady, albeit very slow, increase in the percentage Blacks constitute
of that programs’ enrollment. The same
holds true for Other Master’s enrollment. Blacks represent 13 percent of the US population and come
closest to replicating this proportion in bachelor’s student enrollment with
11.5 percent in 2000.
Hispanic
student enrollment lags far behind the Hispanic presence in the US
population. This ethnic group suffers
the most from under representation in all degree programs. Hispanic enrollment has increased slowly
over the decade at the bachelor’s and ALA-accredited master’s level while
declining at the Other Master’s level and remaining stagnant at the doctoral
level.
Asian
or Pacific Islander enrollment over the past decade is increasing in the two
most technologically oriented of our programs -- bachelor’s and Other
Master’s. Their enrollment, however, in
ALA-accredited master’s programs remains virtually unchanged over the ten year
period and has declined throughout that period at the doctoral level.
Table H-8
International Student
Enrollment (Number) by Program
Program |
1990
|
1995 |
2000 |
||
Number |
Number |
Percent Increase over 1990 |
Number |
Percent Increase over 1990 |
|
Bachelor's |
7 |
13 |
85.7% |
60 |
757.1% |
ALA-Accredited
Master’s |
492 |
375 |
-23.8% |
416 |
-15.4% |
Other Master's |
58 |
52 |
-10.3% |
280 |
382.8% |
Doctoral |
104 |
104 |
0.0% |
220 |
111.5% |
Total |
|
554 |
-18.9 % |
1034 |
51.4% |
International students enrollment has increased remarkably throughout the decade for all degree programs except the ALA-accredited master’s. That program has actually witnessed a decline in international student presence. In comparison, international student enrollment at the doctoral level has doubled in the decade. The largest increase, however, occurred at the bachelor’s level with an over 700 percent increase. This is followed by a nearly 400 percent increase in Other Master’s international student enrollment. These two degree levels, our most technologically oriented, appear to be magnets for international students, particularly Asian students.
The big news in the curriculum area is the expansion of degree and certificate programs and the continued growth in distance education offerings. The growth in this area has led to the addition of several new data categories. As a result, some characteristics cannot be compared to earlier reports. It will be interesting to see how these two trends shape up in the future.
Degree program offerings by schools
are compared in the table below showing number of reporting schools offering
these programs.
Degree Program Offerings
Report Year
|
Undergraduate Major |
Undergraduate Minor |
Other Master’s |
Post-Master’s |
Doctoral |
1990-1991 |
8 |
10 |
4 |
28 |
24 |
1995-1996 |
9 |
11 |
8 |
32 |
22 |
2000-2001 |
11 |
13 |
11 |
32 |
26 |
In the past, distance education (DE) courses were usually offered at different physical locations. To some extent that continues to be the case but, an increasing number of off-campus courses are offered via some form of telecommunication and/or the Internet. The table below illustrates the changes.
Table H-10
Distance
Education Offerings
Report Year
|
No. of Schools offering DE |
No. of Courses offered via
DE |
No. of Schools Using
Internet or Telecommunications |
No. of Schools planning DE
change |
1990-1991 |
35 |
396 |
10 |
19 |
1995-1996 |
38 |
506 |
17 |
10 |
2000-2001 |
42 |
522 |
36 |
30 |
Cross-listed courses also reflect
the larger scope and more outward stance of LIS programs. The first column of the table below shows
the number of schools cross-listing courses where the LIS school has major
responsibility; the third column shows the number of schools where the other
unit has the major teaching responsibility.
In general, the LIS schools seem to be initiating the majority of
cross-listed courses.
Cross-Listed Courses and
Major Responsibility
Report Year
|
Schools with Major
Responsibility |
Number of Courses |
Another Unit with Major Responsibility |
Number of Courses |
1990-1991 |
26 |
88 |
19 |
52 |
1995-1996 |
28 |
85 |
23 |
64 |
2000-2001 |
31 |
101 |
26 |
70 |
Faculty may be becoming more open in
their curricular decision-making. In
2001, nine schools indicated that only faculty members served on curriculum
committees, while 43 schools reported that students and others also were
members. By contrast, 16 schools
reported having faculty only committees
in 1990.
The volatility of curriculum remains
at a relatively stable level as illustrated by the contrast in the reported
number of curriculum changes made during the previous year.
Curricular Changes
Report Year
|
New Courses Added |
New Programs Added |
Total Curriculum Revision |
Experimental Courses Taught |
1990-1991 |
29 |
6 |
5 |
24 |
1995-1996 |
28 |
4 |
8 |
23 |
2000-2001 |
30 |
5 |
11 |
39 |
In Table IV-1 of the Income and
Expenditures chapter a 10-year summary of funding levels is provided showing an
average income of $2,232,240 for the 1999-2000 year. This represents a 9.8% increase over the previous year.
The source of funds has been
changing over the past decade as the abbreviated table (from Table IV-4) also
shows:
Sources of Funding
Report Year |
Parent Institution |
Percent of Total |
Federal Funds |
Percent of Total |
Other Sources |
Percent of Total |
1990-1991 |
$1,021,075 |
82.9 |
$78,390 |
6.4 |
$132,172 |
10.7 |
1995-1996 |
$1,241,563 |
75.7 |
$199,446 |
12.2 |
$199,709 |
12.2 |
1999-2000 |
$1,614,206 |
72.3 |
$370,299 |
9.8 |
$247,735 |
17.9 |
Thirty-three schools reported
federal funding of some sort, a relatively constant number. The average amount for 1999-2000 was
$370,299 with a range from $3,000 to $2,283,511 and a median of $148,520.
Schools with doctoral programs, now
reaching nearly half of all the schools, enjoy the lion’s share of
funding. School with doctoral programs
reported average income over 3 million dollars in 1999-2000 compared to 1
million dollars average income for schools without a doctoral program.
The proportional expenditures for
various categories of spending show some interesting shifts over the past
decade. Due to an “Other” category (not
shown) , the numbers do not equal 100%.
Proportional Expenditures
for Major Expenses
Report Year |
Salaries & Wages |
Teaching & Admin. |
Library |
Computing Lab |
Research |
Student Aid |
Continuing Education |
1990-91 |
78.0 |
9.6 |
0.9 |
Data not collected |
3.5 |
5.4 |
1.4 |
1995-96 |
60.9 |
9.8 |
2.5 |
Data not collected |
14.2 |
6.4 |
1.6 |
1999-00 |
71.3 |
10.0 |
0.3 |
1.6 |
9.2 |
5.0 |
0.6 |
The amount of spending for computing
now eclipses the amount schools spend on their libraries. This may be a result of the fact that many
LIS libraries are a part of the main library and are at least partially funded
from that source. While 20 schools
report having a separate library, 53 schools report having a separate computing
lab. The major support for the latter
comes from the LIS programs.
Travel costs fluctuate a great deal
from school to school as well as over time as the following table shows.
Travel Expenditures per
School – Mean and Range
Report Year
|
Mean Travel Expenditures |
Range of Travel Expenditures |
1990-1991
|
$21,582 |
$300
- $112,802
|
1995-1996
|
$15,489 |
$1,697
- $122,776
|
2000-2001
|
$35,956 |
$1,247
- $293,268
|
Forty-six schools engaged in some
form of non-degree continuing education activity last year -- a relatively
consistent number over the years as shown in the table below.
Continuing Education Events
and Attendance
Report Year
|
No. of Schools |
No. of Events |
Total Attendance |
1990-1991 |
42 |
508 |
21,772 |
1995-1996 |
43 |
716 |
30,341 |
2000-2001 |
46 |
667 |
26,661 |
Schools that have engaged at high
levels of continuing education through the decade include South Carolina and
Wisconsin-Madison. Toronto reported
that it plans to greatly increase its offerings the next year.
Nine schools employ a coordinator
for continuing education activities.
These schools are among the most active in developing events and
programs. These schools also rely most
heavily on fees to support the activities.
Most of the more active schools award Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
to participants.
This analytical summary of the
highlights has concentrated on data taken from the Report with
comparisons to data reported in prior years.
As noted in the 1997 Report, this data “freely contributed by the
school, collected and analyzed by volunteers with the support of their
institutions, and then made available by ALISE to members schools as part of
their membership benefits … constitutes a remarkable accomplishment.”
Library
and Information Science Statistical Report, 1991. Timothy W. Sineath, ed.
Association
for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE): Sarasota, FL, 1991.
Library and Information Science Statistical Report,
1996. Timothy W. Sineath, ed. Association
for
Library and Information Science Education (ALISE): Raleigh, NC, 1996.
Library and Information Science Statistical Report,
2001. Evelyn H. Daniel and Jerry
D. Saye,
eds. Association for Library and Information
Science Education (ALISE): Reston, VA, 2001.
[1] The data in several of the tables in this chapter differ from the data
originally reported in the 1991 and 1996 Reports. This is particularly true in the discussion
of Students. In most cases the
difference is the result of a correction of a computational error of totals
reported in the original Reports.
[2] ALA-accredited master’s student data in 1990 are for 56 schools rather than the 59 offering that program. Two schools, Drexel and North Texas, did not report student data for that year. Those schools are included in 1995 and 2000 although the data for those years no longer includes those of California – Berkeley, Brigham Young, Columbia, and Northern Illinois. The data for those four schools are reported for 1990.