AAS Astronomy Chairs Meeting--Dallas Sept. 2000

These statistics were gathered at the 2000 meeting. For the 2002
meeting we plan to gather similar statistics and distribute the
results before the meeting.

Please look through the material below to see if there are items you
would like to add to a brief questionaire or items you would
delete. Send suggestions to rtr@virginia.edu.

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Statistics and Data on Departmental Resources

	Those present began the meeting by sharing information on a number
of matters of interest to department chairs, such as starting salaries,
startup funds, fringe benefit packages for postdocs, arrangements for
graduate students, resources devoted to Astronomy 101, enrollment figures
and many others. 

	Statistics gathered in Dallas by Dick Crutcher follow:-

		Survey Results from Astronomy Chairs Meeting
		     (All dollar figures in $1,000's)

	1. Starting academic year salary of assistant professors

		Salary		41-45	46-50	51-55	56-60
		Responses	 11	  8	  6	  7

	2. Number of applicants for assistant professor positions

		Number		51-75	76-100	101-125	126-10	>150
		Responses	  5	  4	   7	  3	 3

	3. Hard cash start-up funding

	   A. Instrument builders

		Amount		<200	201-300	301-400	401-500
		Responses	 1	   4	   0	   4

	   B. Everyone else

		Amount		<50	51-100	101-150	151-200	201-250
		Responses	 4	  12	   3	   4	   1

	4. Years of service as department chair

		Years		<1	1-3	4-6	7-10	>10
		Responses	4	11	 7	 2	 2

	5. Postdoc salaries

		Amount		<31	31-35	36-40	>40
		Responses	 0	  3	 19	 5

	6. Benefits for postdocs

				Yes	No	Maybe

		Health		Most	3	  1
		Retirement	 13	8

	7. May "limited-term" postdocs serve as grant P.I.'s?

		Yes	No
		 6	15

	8. Amount postdocs paid to teach one class

	 	Amount	    <3	  3-4	 4-5	 5-6	 7-8	  >8
	 	Responses    1	   2	  7	  9	  2	  2

	9. Academic year (excluding summer) TA/RA salaries, with
tuition/fees paid from other funds.

		Amount		<10	10-12	12-14	14-16	>16
		Responses	 1	  3	 11	 10	 0

	10. Health insurance for TA/RA appointments as part of appointment.

		Yes	No
 		19	3

	11. Median years to complete Ph.D.

		Years		4	5	6	7	>7

		Responses	1	3	17	2	0

	12. Are foreign applicants for grad school using astronomy as entry
to something else (e.g., computer science) to the extent that it is a
problem?

		Yes	No
		 5	18