Survey: University of Iowa, ISU faculty work longer hours than national average

University of Iowa and Iowa State University faculty reported working more hours per week than the national average, while University of Northern Iowa faculty worked slightly less than their peers, the Iowa Board of Regents reported.

A survey of faculty at the three schools showed ISU faculty worked the longest hours, with an average of 58 hours a week. UI faculty worked 57.2 hours a week. This is compared to the national average of 55.5 hours a week for faculty at public research institutions.

UNI faculty worked an average of 53 hours a week, just below the average 53.3 hours per week clocked by public comprehensive university faculty across the country.

The emailed surveys, sent for first time last spring, had a 65 percent response rate at UI, and 85 percent at ISU and UNI.

Just under half of UI student credit hours taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty, the regents reported. This is compared to 58 percent of student credit hours taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty at ISU and a whopping 78 percent of student credit hours taught by these most experienced faculty at UNI.

The regents will receive the report at a meeting next week in Cedar Falls.