Proportion of Female Faculty Continues to Increase While Proportion of Underrepresented Minority Faculty Remains Almost Unchanged

Proportion of Female Faculty Continues to Increase While Proportion of Underrepresented Minority Faculty Remains Almost Unchanged

Female faculty comprise 59.3% of total faculty at the U.S. schools and colleges of optometry in 2020-21, according to ASCO’s 2020-21 Annual Faculty Data Report, rising from 57.8% last year and 53.6% five years ago. At the same time, the percentage of full-time Black or African American faculty moved from 3.8% to 3.6% in the last year; the percentage of full-time Hispanic or Latino faculty increased from 5.1% to 5.7%. Five years ago, 2.9% of faculty were Black or African American and 5.3% were Hispanic or Latino.

In addition, over the past year:

• The total number of full-time faculty increased 1.9%, from 789 to 804. Five years ago there were 716 full-time faculty.
• Residency programs continue to be the primary source of new faculty, providing 38.8% of the new full-time faculty in the past year. The other major feeders continue to be optometry practices and other academic institutions.
• The downward trend of full-time faculty with PhD and other non-OD doctoral degrees continues, falling from 25.7% last year to 24.8% currently. Five years ago it was 28.5%.
  
  

The report also shows:

• 31.9% of full-time faculty have tenure and 16.3% are on a tenure track at the 19 institutions offering tenure.
• The average age of didactic full-time professors is 59.6 years of age; 55.7 years for clinical full-time professors.
• The average full-time didactic professor has been with the school for 21.5 years; the average full-time clinical professor for 22.1 years.

For more information, contact Joanne Zuckerman, ASCO’s Manager, Data Services and Special Projects, at jzuckerman@opted.org.