Securing An Excellent Faculty

Goal: $40,500,000

At Westminster, faculty members assume multiple roles in addition to the formidable teaching responsibilities.  They serve as coaches, advisors, extracurricular program coordinators, mentors and in many other capacities that enrich the Westminster experience for all students.  Quite simple, Westminster would not be Westminster were it not for the devoted and motivated men and women who serve on our faculty. 

Over the next several years, the school must replace 40 to 50 percent of current faculty members, including those experienced, exceptionally competent teachers who are always difficult to recruit.  At the same time, we must make every effort to retain our promising mid-career teachers who are increasingly sought out by other schools.  We must also offer all members of our faculty opportunities that promote their continuing professional development.  This often means supporting gifted young teachers in attaining advanced degrees, or providing more experienced faculty members with funds to develop new courses and teaching materials, to pursue individual research projects, or to participate in academic conferences with their peers from other schools.

To meet these goals, our compensation and other forms of support for our teachers must be competitive with schools not only in Atlanta but also across the Southeast and, indeed, the entire country.  Westminster currently compares well with its peers in terms of overall faculty compensation, but sustaining that position will place increasing strain on the school’s resources in the years ahead, particularly as other top schools move to raise salaries as aggressively as possible.

Tuition revenues now underwrite nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of faculty salaries, while endowment income provides only 10 percent.  As a result, increases in faculty compensation are largely dependent on increases in tuition charges.  This dependency on tuition risks compromising Westminster’s ability to maintain its competitive position with the best schools both regionally and nationally.  The prudent – and most effective – solution is to increase endowment designated for faculty support.