This paper builds a model of human capital accumulation driven by increasing specialization of the workforce. Individuals increase the efficiency of time dedicated to human capital acquisition by focusing investments on narrower sets of skills. The evolution of secondary and post-secondary curricula in the United States from 1870-2000 confirms the…

The main objective of this study is to empirically test a number of theory-based models (i.e., fixed effects [FE], random effects [RE], and aggregated residuals [AR]) to measure the generic knowledge as well as the degree attainment rates and early labor outcomes gained by students in different programs and institutions in higher education. Our…

This report is first in a series of informational briefings developed as part of "The Guardians Initiative: Reclaiming the Public Trust," an effort to educate and engage trustees as advocates on key issues in higher education. While the tone of public criticism of higher education has sharpened, public understanding about the sector's…

Christine Ladd-Franklin spent the first forty years of her life becoming one of the best-educated women in nineteenth-century America. She spent the rest of her life devising fellowship programs designed to enable educated women to have the same opportunities as men in their academic careers. The difficulty women had in becoming professors had a…

The process of changing U.S. higher education institutions along a corporate model has been going on for several decades. It consists of changes, some open, some obscured, on various fronts: the erosion of tenure by attrition; the simultaneous increase in the use of contingent faculty; the rise in tuition; the dramatic decrease in federal and…

Examination of several methods of identifying faculty salary inversion (pay of some junior faculty exceeding that of senior faculty) found no single best method. However, applicability of certain models to different disciplines at different funding levels was demonstrated. (SK)

Discusses how the selection of variables used in the salary model, and the functional form of the salary model, can influence the findings from an institutional salary-equity study. Also demonstrates how an institution's salary model can be used to identify pay disparities for individual faculty members. (EV)

Proposes a measure of value added in (British) higher education, based on earning differentials between graduates and nongraduates. Calculates a monetary measurement of value for each different class of degree. This enables researchers to estimate the social-return rate of different degree classes and provides a performance indicator for resource…

Survey of 105 cooperative education graduates (56 percent) and 276 non-co-op graduates (52 percent) of Lehman College tested theoretical model that showed cooperative education is valuable program in terms of monetary rewards to students. Results showed that co-op students received relative increase in wage rates, indicating that co-op brings…

There have been numerous lawsuits within higher education brought by females over pay inequity and many articles have been written on the topic. Although not as prevalent, there have been some recent instances where male faculty have claimed--with some degree of success--that the process used by their institutions to make salary adjustments for…

Colleges and universities can employ several statutory defenses to alleged pay disparities and demonstrate that there are legitimate reasons for pay differentials. Several preventive strategies in response to the emerging legal terrain of equal pay litigation are suggested. (Author/MLW)

Using data from the manufacturing sector of Iran, examines the existence of hierarchical structure in data used and the advantages of employing multilevel modeling in human capital analysis of earnings differentials. Finds that (1) data used are dominated by a hierarchical structure and (2) the amount of education and experience is significantly…

The development and detail of a salary system at the University of South Carolina-Aiken that combines both merit and market inequity is described. Eleven principles of fairness are presented. (MLW)

U.S. college faculty salaries are based on merit and market factors, not a fixed scale. This article proposes a structural model for faculty performance evaluation that considers quality and quantity of output in teaching, scholarship, and service, awarding merit pay in proportion to an instructor's contribution to overall departmental…

The model estimated the influences of a comprehensive list of factors classified as rational or nonrational equity and parity (marketplace). It is recommended for studying year-to-year changes in salary policies and for checking the importance of each factor in salary increase deliberations. (Author/LBH)