Faculty resignations decreased at the University of Iowa in fiscal year 2017, dropping from 4 percent to 3.1 percent, according to an annual report submitted to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

Medical faculty continue to comprise the largest portion of resignations, and most resigning faculty accepted a position at another educational institution.

“A large number of our faculty have appointments in the College of Medicine, so it makes sense that a large percentage of our resigning faculty are from that college,” says Kevin Kregel, associate provost for faculty. “In addition, faculty in the College of Medicine are extremely well-trained and work in highly sought-after clinical areas, and those faculty have more opportunities to enter higher paying, private-practice jobs.”

From July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, 73 faculty (3.1 percent) resigned from the UI. Of those, 64 percent were assistant professors and 40 percent were tenured or tenure track. The majority of faculty resigning, 71.2 percent, held positions in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Faculty there comprise about 48 percent of the university’s faculty.

In nine of the last 10 years, the primary reason given for a faculty member’s resignation has been to accept a position at another university. This year, 49 faculty (67 percent) indicated they did so to accept a position at another university, 10 were entering private practice, and 10 were relocating for personal reasons.

On a faculty resignation survey, those leaving the UI reported the highest average scores for satisfaction with the university’s general atmosphere and the lowest average scores for satisfaction with compensation. UI President J. Bruce Harreld has consistently emphasized the need to increase faculty compensation to maintain the university’s quality and competitiveness.

Since 1998, enrollment at the UI has grown by more than 5,000 and the state budget has grown by nearly $3 billion; however, state funding for the UI has decreased by $7 million.

In addition to striving for competitive compensation, the UI, through the Office of the Provost, offers numerous faculty development programs and initiatives to recruit and retain a high-quality and diverse faculty. Recent initiatives include supporting the retention and promotion of associate professors and expanding leadership development opportunities for department chairs.

In the last five years, faculty resignations have ranged from 2.3 percent to 4 percent and the number of faculty has increased by 140 to 2,359.