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CACE / ACCUTE Hiring Survey, 2009-10

Prepared by Mary O'Connor, McMaster University

July 2010

Forty-eight institutions completed their CACE Hiring Survey (compared to 32 in 2008-9, 27 in 2007-08, and 22 in 2006-07). A few departments are still in the process of completing their tenure-stream and limited-term hiring. Most of the surveys were completed by chairs whose departments had advertised positions, since the primary aim of the survey was to collect information about hiring. With a total of 79 departments of English in colleges and universities in the country, the department statistics offer more of a snapshot of selected universities rather than an accurate survey of all institutions in Canada. It is also true that not all departments that were hiring have completed the survey.

Department Statistics:

Of the 48 institutions that responded, 23 (48%) reported stable full-time faculty numbers as compared to 62% last year; 5 (10.4%) reported an increase, compared with 19% last year; while 20 (41.6%), as opposed to 19% in 2008-09, reported shrinking numbers in their full-time faculty. The 48 institutions reported a total of 27 retirements, deaths or resignations. Approximately six of these losses are expected to be replaced. The number of sessional faculty (hired by the course) varies considerably from one institution to the next, with the highest number in two institutions reporting 55 sessional instructors and fifteen institutions reporting five or fewer sessional hires.

Hiring:

Tenure Track Positions:

Of 24 tenure track positions reported in our survey (compared to 34 in 2008-09, and 29 in 2007-08), 19 indicated completed searches (compared to 26 in 2008-09), 2 are still in progress, 2 did not hire, and 1 was cancelled. Of the 19 completed searches, 17 (89.5%, versus 67% in 2008-09) hired Canadians or permanent residents, and 2 (10.5%) hired Americans (one being Navajo). Of the 17 Canadians hired, 4 had degrees from American or European universities. Eleven (57.9%) females and eight (42.1%) males were appointed. Two positions were offered to person from under-represented groups. Of the 19 completed hires, five were not advertised, four being conversions from CLTAs and one being a spousal hire. Advertised tenure-track positions received anywhere from 9 to 104 applications, with Anglophone World Literature/Postcolonial Literature receiving the most applications. The average number of applications was 43; however, factors such as the field of expertise, location and size of the university greatly determine the number of applicants. Of the 19 candidates appointed to TT positions, one (5.3%) had been tenured elsewhere, 4 (21.05%) held tenure-track appointments previously, 5 (26.3%) held CLTAs, 5 (26.3%) held postdoctoral fellowships, 4 (21.05%) held sessional positions.

Limited Term Appointments:

Of the 42 limited term appointments reported, two are still in process and 40 were filled. The 40 appointments ranged in duration from eight to twelve months, except for one visiting summer appointment of 3.5 months. Four (10.5%) of the LTAs hired were American, one having a doctoral degree from a Canadian University; 36 (89.5%) were Canadians, seven of them having received degrees from American and European universities. The number of applicants to each position ranged from four to 32, with an average of 15.6 applicants per job. Of the 40 positions appointed, 16 (40%) were renewals or conversions, 2 (5%) were spousal hires; 22 (55%) held LTAs previously, 10 (25%) held sessional/ part-time positions, one (2.5%) held a postdoctoral fellowship, three (7.9%) held a tenure-track position, one (2.5%) was ABD, and three (7.5%) did not have their previous positions recorded. Of the 40 positions, 23 (57.5%) were given to females, and 17 (42.5%) to males. There were no positions offered to individuals from under-represented groups as reported.

PhD Programs

Twenty-one institutions reported some information about PhD programs. 152 PhD students were admitted, and 82 graduated between May 2009 and April 2010.

Placement Summary*

2010 Reported Placement of those who graduated in May 2007-April 2009*

* Missing placement data from one large univeristy in Canada.
** The size of the cohort is the reported rather than the actual number of graduates.