Are University Professors overpaid?

[enlightenment]

25. This needs more information.

University, four-year, two-year?
Private or public?
Tenured or not tenure track?
If tenured, what rank - assistant; associate; full?
Course load?
Research/publication requirements?

Just tossing out a question like that is meaningless - as meaningless as the criticisms that lumps all higher ed together.

Off the top of my head, I'd say the answer to your question is a resounding 'no', but that's because of the way you phrased it.

"Professor" is a courtesy title, not a degree - so your question includes all who teach in higher ed. Given that between close to 70% of all faculty teaching in higher ed are contingent/adjunct instructors who work on semester-to-semester contract and average less than $30,000 annually (in a majority of cases, less than $20,000), there can be no other answer than 'no'.


And before anyone says "they don't have to do it" - reread what I wrote. If contingent faculty all walked out tomorrow (for those non-existent better jobs the economy is offering), they would shut down the system. No, they don't have to do it - but the system is entrenched, so it's kind of like saying that medical residents don't "have to" work 72 hour shifts. They don't have to, but the system depends on them doing it to continue operating.