The Faculty Lounge

Law School And University Faculty Salary Data: A Compensation Compendium

Updated with Florida and Illinois salaries on 6/25/09

This may be controversial, but I'm going to take the plunge.  As a unrepentant aggregator, I think that one goal of blogging is to bring together public information in a useful manner.  In this case, that useful data is (are?) salaries.  Several states make their state university faculty salaries public.  That doesn't mean they're easy to find.  At the University of Alabama, for example, you have to stroll to the main library and ask.  In many cases, the faculty compensation data is available on the web - but only to those with search savvy and some doggedness.   The links here are only the beginning of the search for those with serious interest. 

Still, this might be useful stuff.  Potential employers and employees can benefit from some transparency.  Both entry level and lateral candidates may gain leverage with this information.  (OK.  So might the institutions themselves.)  Of course, these numbers are far from definitive.   The data is sometimes old, you never know if summer money (or even private foundation money) is included, and significant non-salary benefits (such as retirement contributions) may be entirely invisible.

What is the downside to this aggregation?   Information that we treat as private is now more visible than it used to be.  But these salaries were already public, and based on my own experience at Alabama, I assume that most public university faculty have already absorbed that fact. 

So here goes...a list of links that can lead to faculty compensation information from sixteen different schools.  (We already posted the law faculty salaries from the University of Virginia here.)  This material has a way of disappearing from cyberspace -  so while it's here today...there are no guarantees it won't be gone tomorrow.

University of Michigan salaries here.
University of Iowa salaries here. 
Indiana University (both campuses) salaries  here.
University of South Carolina salaries here.
University of California salaries here (Hastings, Davis, Berkeley, and UCLA, for now).
University of Tennessee salaries here.
University of Kansas salaries here.
University of Colorado salaries here.
University of Georgia and Georgia State salaries here.
Rutgers University salaries here.
University of North Carolina, NC State, and North Carolina Central salaries here.
University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University, and SIU salaries here.
University of Florida salaries here.

Update: For those interested in faculty salaries outside of law, many of these links will provide far more data.  For example, the North Carolina site lists the salary of every faculty member at every campus of every NC state university. 

Welcome Guest Blogger Cassandra Robertson

We're very pleased to welcome Cassandra Burke Robertson to the Lounge.  Professor Robinson is a member of the Case Western Reserve School of Law faculty.  She is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.  Her recent publication, Judging Jury Verdicts, appeared in the Tulane Law Review.  Appellate Review of Discovery Orders in Federal Court: A Suggested Approach for Handling Privilege Claims was published by the Washington Law Review.  You guessed it: she's all about civil procedure!  Welcome to the Lounge, Cassandra!

University of Virginia Professor Salaries 2008 - Law Faculty Do Well

The Cavalier Daily is at it again, publishing the (presumably 9-month) salaries of every professor at the University of Virginia.  If you're interested in learning a ton about law faculty compensation, here is the complete chart of  University of Virginia Faculty Salaries.  It came out in April, 2008.  It appears that at least 41 current faculty are earning north of 200K. And to take a sample, one associate professor (with no doctorate) hired in 2006, was earning $159,000. (Given the timing of the publication, it seems likely that this was a 2006 starting salary.)  At the same time, a professor who'd joined UVa in 2001 was up to $216,000.

If you're a law professor earning less than $200,000, please stand up!  (Based on the 2009 SALT law faculty salary survey, almost all of us are standing right now.)   

But we're all just one Yale Law Journal placement away, right?

Free Sederware: A Modern Haggadah For The Facebook Generation

Thanks to David Bernstein, here's a Facebook retelling of the Jews' Exodus from Egypt.  This smart-ass story may even catch the ear of the "wicked" child (who is defined, according to aish.com as " the rebel who wants to succeed in his new life and take on Western values. Although he has grown up in a home full of Jewish values and an integrated Jewish life, he rejects this in favor of integrating into Western society and becoming accepted as the new American.")  My favorite entry: Hillel sent you Sandwich.

Of course, if you're old fashioned and want to download more traditional free Seder Haggadah (Haggada? Haggaddah? Hagaddah?) resources, try:

The Digital Haggadah (where you can actually hear the songs chanted)
The Jewish Federation Hagaddah
The Orthodox Chabad Lubbovitch Haggadah
A Cool Illustrated Haggadah called Telling the Story (by Barry and Sierra Polisar)
A Bunch of Other Seder Materials

Drucilla Stender Ramey Appointed Dean at Golden Gate

Drucilla Stender Ramey has been named the new Dean of Golden Gate University School of Law, following years of teaching,  lawyering and public service.  

In 2005, she was appointed Executive Director of the National Association of Women Judges, and previously Chaired both the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and the ACLU of Northern California.  She is also known for her work with MALDEF, the Open Society Institute, and the American College of Trial Lawyers. She was a faculty member at Golden Gate from 1978-1985.

Says University  President Dan Angel: "We are delighted that Drucilla is rejoining Golden Gate University . . .  She brings great experience, strong networking and fundraising skills, a national reputation and instant recognition in the Bay Area. Drucilla will take GGU's School of Law to the next level."

Congratulations Dean!!

-Kathlen Bergin

A Well-Paid Slave

I grew up in the (then) small town of Warrenton, Missouri, about 60 miles west of St. Louis.  So I’m a die-hard Cardinals baseball fan.  Some of my fondest childhood memories are listening to Jack Buck call the games on KMOX radio.

For Christmas 2006, my parents gave me the book A Well-Paid Slave, a story that recounts Cardinal outfielder Curt Flood’s epic legal challenge to baseball’s reserve clause and quest for free agency.  (Detroit fans will remember that it was Curt Flood’s miscue on a ball hit by Jim Northrup in the seventh game of the 1968 World Series that permitted Mickey Lolich to outduel Bob Gibson.)

Fast forward several months to September 2007.  I’m chairing our faculty appointments committee and reviewing a batch of FAR forms submitted by several of the 13,279 candidates interested in becoming law professors (only two of whom express an interest in teaching UCC courses, so I feel somewhat safe).  I come across a form submitted by candidate Brad Snyder.  I notice his publications include a book titled A Well-Paid Slave.  That night I run to my bookshelves and confirm that he indeed is the author of the book that has been sitting on my shelf (with at least another 100 awaiting my attention).

Our committee invites Brad to interview with us in DC, and he agrees.  And before the AALS Faculty Recruitment Conference I pull Brad’s book off the shelf and read it.  (Yes, I did bring the book with me to DC, and Brad was kind enough to autograph it for me!  And we had a great interview!!)

I greatly enjoyed the book, which I think should find an audience among readers of this blog for a variety of reasons.  Are you a baseball fan?  Have any interest in labor issues?  Consider yourself an antitrust expert?  Do you root for the underdog?  Want to know more “behind the scenes” details about a case that made its way to the Supreme Court?  Would you consider hiring a former Supreme Court justice to argue your case before the Court?  (Hint: might be a big mistake!)

Consider adding A Well-Paid Slave to your reading list this baseball season (which begins next week).  Additional information on the book can be found at several links, including here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

And did Brad’s trip to the “meat market” yield success?  Yes indeed.  Brad (pictured) is in his first year as an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he teaches civil procedure, constitutional law, and legal history.  A current piece of his scholarship, What Would Justice Holmes Do (WWJHD)?:  Rehnquist’s Plessy Memo, Majoritarianism, and Parents Involved, is available here.

Tomorrow's The Big Day - And No, Not U.S. News Rankings

When old folk like me applied to college, we waited to get the envelopes from our target schools - wondering whether they would be thin or thick, and what their particular dimensions might imply.  You didn't know what day it would arrive, exactly, and you didn't see it til you got home from school.

For today's nervous high school senior who has applied to one of the selective schools that admits on April 1, tomorrow is the big day.  On March 31, at 5pm - or whatever time you've been told by the relevant university or college - you are to log in to your account and retrieve your admissions decision.  It makes me tense even to think about this ritual.  Thousands upon thousands of anxious 17 and 18 year olds waiting around their laptops til the clock strikes 5.  Thousands of high schoolers descending on yale.edu, harvard.edu, and princeton.edu - to name only a few.  Thousands of teens discovering, all in the same minute, whether they will get that much coveted admission prize.

I wish everyone luck.  Especially the migrained parents who will no doubt place themselves strategically close to their kids' rooms, awaiting the news. 

March Madness From A Different Perspective

Why Colleges Become More Dangerous Places for Female Students During “March Madness”

Via Katherine Franke at Gender and Sexuality Law Blog 

                                            

Last Friday night, the Syracuse men’s basketball team was routed by Oklahoma, losing 84-71 - in no small measure because of the shooting collapse of Syracuse’s star guard Eric Devendorf, who finished the game with only 8 points.

Why should readers of a Gender and Sexuality Law blog care about the Syracuse men’s basketball team?  Well, the Syracuse team got as far as they did because Devendorf escaped any meaningful punishment from the University after he punched Kimberly Smith, an SU junior, in the face last November.  In fact, almost the entire men’s basketball team was involved in this attack - they surrounded her car, kicked and dented the car, yelled at her, and when she got out Devendorf punched her.  She asked the Syracuse Police to initiate criminal proceedings against him but they preferred to refer the case over to  SU’s  Office of Judicial Affairs - a student-run group that weighs minor cases on campus.  At the hearing on the incident, 6′ 4″ Devendorf claimed that he had been defending himself when he hit Smith.

The Office of Judical Affairs recommended that in light of the fact that Devendorf was already on probation for hitting another student the previous spring, Devendorf be suspended for the remainder of the year - meaning that he couldn’t play, go to classes or set foot on campus for the remainder of the academic year.  This might have been the end of his NCAA and professional basketball career.  Devendorf appealed the ruling, and the punishment was reduced to 40 hours of community service, and he would be allowed to return to school in the spring ‘09 semester.   He did all this, missed 2 games and all was forgiven.  Syracuse was ranked third in the Southern regional conference when the bracket was announced and they did well until they ran into the Sooners last Friday night.  While the Orangemen were winning TV commentators highlighted Devendorf’s athletic ability and coolness under pressure - he was a team leader and a charismatic player.

Devendorf’s lenient treatment from the Syracuse Police and the University’s disciplinary board is, of course, not unusual for a top collegiate athlete who gets into trouble.  Examples abound of charges of sexual misconduct or violence being swept under the rug when taking them seriously might jeopardize a college or university’s athletic program.

Phoebe Haddon To Become Next Dean At Maryland Law

Phoebe Haddon, a professor at Temple Law, has been named the new dean at The University of Maryland School of Law. Haddon has been at Temple since 1981 and is very involved in ABA activities around legal education.  She is currently a member of the Council of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar. She has also been a leader in SALT - the Society of American Law Teachers.  Congratulations to both Haddon and Maryland.

Litchfiled Law School

    Mary Bilder mentioned that there are some other antebellum law school buildings--beyond Princeton Law School's--that have survived into the twentieth century.  She mentioned Litchfield Law School's building in particular.  

Thanks to the Library of Congress' website on the Historic Building Survey, here's a New Deal-era picture of Litchfield.  I have to say it's a rather different building from Ivy Hall (but then again it's a couple decades older).

Next up?  Well, maybe I'll be able to scare up a picture of Lumpkin Law School in Athens, Georgia--though I seem to recall that it might have met in a building that's no longer in existence.  I'll be on the case, anyway.  Other possibilities--Winchester Law School; the University of Virginia and William and Mary, of course; Timothy Walker's Cincinnati Law School; Transylvania....  The possibilities are, even if not endless, at least great.

Al Brophy

Submitting Essays, not Articles

 What is the difference between an Article and an Essay?  The distinction is fine.  Both have solid arguments, researched premises, and most importantly, footnotes.  Each are posted on Lexis and Westlaw, and come out in printed form.  However, they often have different editors.  So what continues to drive this distinction? Length.

Harvard Law Review surveyed 800 faculty in 2004 to assess their opinions on legal scholarship.  Ninety percent of the participants expressed that articles in law reviews were simply too long.   As a result, eleven journals signed a joint statement to announce an ideal article length of 40-70 pages.

A number of these journals have instituted submission guidelines for essays: scholarly pieces from 10,000-25,000 words.  This is separate from the very short electronic publications or newer publications that supplement larger journals, such as Yale Pocket Parts or the PENNnumbra.  Rather, essays are published in the main section of print law reviews, and the only difference from articles is the length. 

UVA's definition: The Law Review typically treats any submission of 15,000 or fewer words (including footnotes) as an Essay, but this is only a general rule of thumb. Length is not necessarily the defining characteristic of an Essay. Essays often are "thought pieces" that advance something approximating an idea rather than an argument, or they involve more offbeat topics than Articles. Responses to previous articles are treated as Essays, as well. The Law Review's annual Ola B. Smith Lecture also is published as an Essay.

I have started a list of law journals that accept Essay submissions.  This post may also benefit from reader opinions on Essays.  Do they merit the same attention as Articles?  Would they "count" the same as an Article for promotion and tenure?  This dialogue focuses on essays only. Thanks.

Law reviews that specifically accept and separately acknowledge Essay submissions: (Please add to the list in the comments section)

Columbia Law Review

UC Davis Law Review

Yale Law Journal

Michigan Law Review

NYU Law Review

Virginia Law Review

Northwestern Law Review

Bud Selig, Someone Wants Your Job!

He has been a partner at a prestigious law firm, a justice on a state supreme court, legal counsel to the President, and Attorney General of the United States. 

But his dream job?   MLB commissioner!

Catch up with Alberto Gonzales in this article from today's Houston Chronicle.

The Birth of March Madness

On this date in history, the NCAA concluded its first-ever men's basketball tournament, and the phrase "March Madness" took on a whole new meaning (separate and apart from any reference to the law review submission season).  So here are some trivia questions.

1.  In what year was the first tournament held?
2.  How many teams were invited to the first tournament?
3.  Who won and lost the first championship game?
4.  UCLA holds the record for winning the most tournaments.  Which two schools are in second and third place on the list?
5.  Which player won the championship MVP trophy three times?
6.  In what year did the NCAA host its first women's basketball tournament?
7.  Which school has won the most women's tournaments?

Answers can be found here.

And a big shout-out to the Missouri Tigers (my sentimental choice) for last night's win!  Maybe this is the year Mizzou finally makes it to the Final Four!

Newly Liberal Orrin Hatch Seeks Federal Regulation Of BCS College Football Playoffs

It seems like Orrin Hatch and Barack Obama have some common ground: they both believe that college football should have a playoff system.  We don't know whether the President believes we should make a federal case out of it, but Republican Orrin Hatch has pushed the Democratically controlled  Senate Judiciary subcommittee to hold hearings on the dastardly BCS system.   And when those hearings are done - since hearings are, after all, a mere formality - Hatch will propose new federal laws to "rectify the situation."

I'm sure these concerns about the NCAA's selection of a champion are deeply held by the Senator, and have long been part of his limited-government agenda, though I suppose he'll have to expect snarky comments like this suggesting that Hatch's anger is simply sour grapes: undefeated Utah didn't get to play in the 2009 BCS Championship game, despite being undefeated.  In any case, it's great to see that bipartisan spirit grow in Washington. 

Offshore Tax Evaders: You Deserve A Break Today!

Leave it to the IRS to offer a creative incentive plan aimed at putting more money in the federal collection plate.

Individuals with offshore accounts must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts with the IRS if the aggregate balance in those accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the year.  Believe it or not, some of our wealthy citizens apparently hide money in secret accounts maintained with foreign banks and fail to file the form.  Noncompliance can trigger a steep penalty.  But in an effort to induce these scofflaws to declare their offshore accounts, the IRS is proposing to significantly reduce the penalty (which also may reduce the risk of prosecution).  Story here.

All of this comes while the Justice Department is demanding that banking giant UBS disclose the names of approximately 50,000 Americans with secret accounts in Switzerland, and wealth magnet Liechtenstein considers relaxing its bank secrecy laws.

Stay strong, Andorra!

The Law Faculty Hiring Process: Does The Rise Of VAPs Hurt Women?

There is an interesting dialogue going on at the Volokh Conspiracy over the value, and costs, of new hiring norms in law schools.  By way of background, Corey Yung at Co-Op pointed out that law school hiring has radically tilted away from what he terms "naked JD candidates" - folks hitting the market with only a JD, a clerkship, and a job - to people who have completed fellowships or served as Visiting Assistant Professors.  This led Orin Kerr at the Conspiracy to comment that he sees this as a good change overall, producing stronger entry-level candidates.  But he also worried that it is causing schools to tilt too far toward entry hiring, and away from laterals, because the new entry-level candidates are so damn polished that they're likely to make laterals look a bit scruffy: 

Laterals candidates may be sitting at their office one day, get a call, and then may be giving a job talk in a few weeks that they have never given before or really thought through. It may be a decade or more since they went on the market or worried about these sorts of presentations. As a result, they'll tend to give much less polished presentations than entry-levels with VAP experience.

But the real meat of the dialogue surfaces in the comments.  Suzannah Sherry argues that the VAP trend hurts women in the market:

One problem with the VAP/fellowship route is that it tends to disadvantage women. It requires two changes in location rather than one, and in my experience more men than women are willing or able to make that double move. Some men, but few women, have stay-at-home or working but non-career spouses who can move easily; even if both spouse have careers, women seem more willing to sacrifice for their spouse's academic career than men are. If kids are involved, women -- again in my experience -- are less likely than men to disrupt their children's lives for their own careers. 

R.B. Bernstein and Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh's been talking about R.B. Bernstein's biography of Jefferson.  Here's R.B.'s response--now this is a mighty interesting story.  I'd like to hear R.B. and Rush talk to one another--now that would would be real entertainment!  In the meantime, we can all look forward to Bernstein's The Founding Fathers Reconsidered.

Rockefeller Drug Laws Repealed!

As of yesterday, the NYTimes has reported, the punitive Rockefeller Drug Laws have finally gotten the requisite votes to be repealed:

The deal would repeal many of the mandatory minimum prison sentences now in place for lower-level drug felons, giving judges the authority to send first-time nonviolent offenders to treatment instead of prison.

The plan would also expand drug treatment programs and widen the reach of drug courts at a cost of at least $50 million.

New York’s drug sentencing laws, imposed during a heroin epidemic that was devastating urban areas nearly four decades ago, helped spur a nationwide trend toward mandatory sentences in drug crimes. But as many other states moved to roll back the mandatory minimum sentences in recent years, New York kept its laws on the books, leaving prosecutors with the sole discretion of whether offenders could be sent to treatment.

This is great news for New York, particularly the move to expand drug treatment programs and widen the reach of drug courts.  Although there will be some up-front costs, the savings to the court system, the prisons and the community will be immeasurable. 

Disaster Law Reader: Call for Papers

Editors: Kathleen A. Bergin and Tracy L. McGaugh

Hurricane Katrina was unlike any other weather disaster to hit the United States in the way it exposed deficiencies in federal, state, and local disaster planning and management. It was also unique in the way it exposed entrenched views of race, class, and poverty, and forced the migration of thousands of Gulf Coast residents on whose shoulders fell our collective failure to plan.

Nearly five years have passed since Katrina wreaked havoc on the Gulf, and since that time, we’ve seen families reunited, schools rebuilt, and neighborhoods repaired. Yet for thousands of residents, legal issues remain unresolved and individual needs remain unmet. For these reasons, the five year anniversary of Katrina provides aspiring lawyers an opportunity to examine the legal and social implications of disaster by considering how the law could have been used to mitigate the impact and aftermath of the storm.

This notice calls for papers to be included in an edited collection on legal issues related to disaster preparation, management, and recovery. The editors will be seeking publication with an appropriate academic publisher.

Both completed articles (previously published or unpublished) and abstracts of works in progress will be considered. Papers with a multi-disciplinary or extra-legal focus are welcome.

Topics might include, but are by no means limited, to the following:

• The application of international law in times of disaster in the United States and/or comparative perspectives on disaster management in other countries

• Legal issues raised by families in distress post-disaster

• The special impact of disasters on those without full legal rights, such as children and pets

• Social and legal forces that impact individual or community decisions to evacuate

• Legal issues related to the diaspora following a mass disaster

• Disaster law from a critical perspective, addressing issues of race, sex, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc.

Completed articles or essays must be submitted no later than August 1, 2009. If you wish to have a piece considered prior to completion, please submit an abstract of no more than two pages no later than May 1, 2009. You will receive a provisional acceptance by June 1 and be asked to submit a completed piece by August 1. A final decision on acceptance of a completed work will be made on or about September 1, 2009.  Please also include a CV and full contact information.

Proposals and papers should be sent electronically to both editors. Please feel free to contact one or both to talk over your ideas or for more information: Kathleen A. Bergin (kbergin@stcl.edu) or Tracy L. McGaugh (tmcgaugh@tourolaw.edu).

-Kathleen A. Bergin    

Lupinus Texensis

The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.   Probably the most popular species is the lupinus texensis.  Blossoms are deep blue, and often hundreds or even thousands bloom next to each other to form a beautiful tapestry of color.  This is the time of year when the bluebonnets are most picturesque, and photographers -- professional and amateur alike -- often use the flowers as a backdrop for capturing family memories.  Two recent examples are below the fold.