ERIC Number: EJ1461457
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Feb
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-1560
EISSN: EISSN-1573-174X
Available Date: 2024-05-07
Counteroffers for Faculty at Research Universities: Who Gets Them, Who Doesn't, and What Factors Produce Them?
Damani K. White-Lewis1; KerryAnn O'Meara2; Kiernan Mathews3; Nicholas Havey4
Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research, v89 n2 p535-552 2025
In US higher education, faculty members may receive an outside offer of employment from an external organization, and then receive a corresponding counteroffer from their current institution. Counteroffers are written contracts made to individuals -- either prematurely in anticipation of an outside offer, but most often after an outside offer -- that outline improved salary, benefits, and/or other employment conditions with the hopes of retaining them. Though the norm of the "retention offer" is pervasive in the academy, in practice it can be much more nebulous, inefficient, discretionary, and inequitable. Few studies, however, empirically examine this process. In this study, we analyze quantitative institutional and survey data collected from 650 faculty by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) to explore whether certain populations of faculty are more likely to receive counteroffers, and why. We found that women and racially minoritized scholars were less likely to receive counteroffers, and identified other factors that impact reception of counteroffers like faculty members' desire to leave and their notification of leadership. We conclude by situating findings within extant research and offering implications for future research on counteroffers and their practice in faculty retention.
Descriptors: Research Universities, Faculty, Personnel Selection, Competitive Selection, Employment Opportunities, Salary Wage Differentials, Comparable Worth, Faculty Recruitment, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Persistence, Teacher Supply and Demand, Employer Employee Relationship
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, Philadelphia, USA; 2Columbia University, Teachers College, New York, USA; 3University of Chicago, Faculty Advancement Network, Chicago, USA; 4American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Washington, USA