Is the political climate in southern states driving a faculty exodus?

Higher Ed Dive

Laura Spitalniak

September 8, 2023

One-third of faculty in Florida, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina said they would pursue out-of-state jobs in the coming year, AAUP found.

Political interference in higher education and changes to tenure are significantly affecting faculty morale and retention in a handful of southern states, new survey findings from the American Association of University Professors suggest.

The association, working with state faculty groups, surveyed more than 4,250 faculty members in Florida, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina from Aug. 14 to Sept. 1. Two-thirds of participants hold tenure.

Overall, two-thirds of surveyed faculty said they would not recommend their state to colleagues as a desirable place to work. One-third are actively seeking academic employment elsewhere, the survey found. Meanwhile, 1 in 5 have already interviewed for jobs in other states since 2021.

Florida professors were highly likely to seek jobs elsewhere. Of 642 surveyed faculty members, almost 300 said they will seek employment outside of the state in the next year, according to the United Faculty of Florida. A fifth, 20%, said they had already begun interviewing for those jobs since 2021.

Additionally, over a quarter of both University System of Georgia and Texas faculty plan to apply for out-of-state jobs.

“These findings serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and administrators, emphasizing the urgent need to address the concerns raised by faculty members,” the groups said. “Failure to do so may result in a significant brain drain and a decline in the quality of higher education in these states.”

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