Why do we underpay our educators?

For decades, a trend has been growing within academia. Top-tier universities have enticed the greatest young minds to obtain advanced degrees. Many new graduates have chosen that path, as it allows them to study what they enjoy and become an expert in their field.

The Changing Environment

As these young students earn their advanced degrees, they’re met by a harsh reality. Tenure-track positions at universities have been shrinking. In 1969, 78.3% of teaching positions at universities were tenure-track. Now, it’s only 33.5%. That’s a 45% swing over the last 47 years.

This is a very big problem. College isn’t getting any cheaper, so why are there fewer secure and well-paid teaching positions than ever before? It’s a complicated answer (and there are many who can answer it better than I), but the main culprits seem to be: a bloat of administration and campus beautification.

The Educators

Young students still walk into classrooms every single day and are taught by some of the most qualified people on the planet. Their eductors are hard-working and driven to succeed. Increasingly, though, they happen to be adjunct professors.

For those unaware of what an adjunct is, they’re an educator given a short-term contract with low wages (the average adjunct salary is $24,225). Today, 66.5% of US faculty members are adjunct professors. Nearly two-thirds of your college educators are working long hours and living close to the poverty line despite holding advanced degrees.

We can do better

Let me be clear, I’m not a disgruntled academic. Whatever awareness I’ve accumulated has come from being surrounded by academics my entire life. I’m a designer. I know there are many out there that have been thinking about this problem for longer than I have, but, to me, that doesn’t really matter. Solutions can come from anywhere.

We have a responsibility, as citizens that respect the many sacrifices their educators make, to provide better support systems and more financial support. A hard-working university professor should never have to struggle to pay their basic bills.

At Brilliant, we’re coming up with a way for talented and driven experts to put more money in their pockets while doing what many of them love: research.

We’re building a platform that helps academics leverage their research for more than prestige. Academics will be able to earn good money working on subjects they love and know deeply.

Brilliant supports those that support our university system. If that sounds like a mission you want to be a part of, sign up for more details about our platform as we develop it.

We want your input because, ultimately, we’re building this for you.