Preventing Extra Costs: the Impact of Faculty Satisfaction and Morale

Faculty departure from their position or institution may result in negative consequences for both higher education institutions and the students they serve. Searches and training of new faculty can be costly and time consuming. Additionally, student persistence has been shown to be positively impacted by strong faculty student interactions, which is hard to achieve if faculty turnover is high. This study examines United States (US) full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty members' intent to leave one's position, institution, or academe. Utilizing the constructs of worklife, morale, and satisfaction as predictors, the findings suggest that morale is a stronger predictor for intent to leave one's position and institution, while satisfaction was a stronger predictor for intent to leave academe. Additionally, intent to leave one's position was a strong predictor of intent to leave one's institution, suggesting that faculty perceive a better chance for improved opportunities within a new environment and institution, over a change of scenery within their existing institution.