The percentage of the academic staff to the administrative staff can be a measure of the efficiency and the effectiveness of the university management.
Madras University status is similar to any other university in a developing country.
In the segment of Higher Education the quantity of faculty staff is less than 8-10% of the permanent teaching staff are professors, indicates an appalling shortage of mentors and teachers for junior staff . This is besides the fact that all staff, inclusive of professors, require rejuvenated staff development programs.
http://www.hrmars.com/admin/pics/1422.pdf
I believe 1 to 1 is an efficient ratio of academic staff to administrative staff. Most universities are avove this ratio.
In Greece, due to the economic crisis, both percentages continuo to fall down! Undr these circumstances I think Universities can hardly work, and cover the basics.
Our ratio of academic staff to administrative staff is 3: 2. But as always there is a lot of difference in the quality of each person, and the amount of service that each person is willing to contribute. I value everyone's contribution (including the IT staff and drivers). Everyone is needed in an organization, and everyone is learning.
http://portal.kms.matrik.edu.my/
A recent study (in Greek) for Greece by P. Petrakis:
http://indeepanalysis.gr/?q=o-arithmos-dioikhtikwn-ypallhlwn-twn-idrymatwn-tritovathmias-ekpaideyshs
It seems that we have a ratio:
academic/administrative=1.5 = 3/2
The problem in Greece is not numbers, but quality of every employee.
But, that's another story...
Dear All,
There is a general tendency that the rate of administrative staff increases continually and these people think they have right to influence decisions on scientific and educational questions. In many cases task of some administrative staff is but an apparent one and academicians should deal a lot with administrative and organisation work.
As Miranda and Demetris put it administrative staff quality is a crucial question. Here in Hungary, I have never met a member of administrative staff who would have had some special training and qualification except people dealing with finances.
Universities are primarily meant for students' welfare wherein the academic staff plays a pivotal role in shaping their welfare and the non-academic staff act as facilitators. But it has been observed that now-a-days many universities concentrates on appointing the non-academic staff on regular basis sometimes even at the cost academic staff while appointing them on temporary/part-time basis. In such situations welfare of students is affected adversely. In the quality management it has remained a rule of 80:20 which seems to be appropriate in present day IT driven era. Hence even if non-academic staff is just 20% but effective and the academic staff is 80% , the 20% can definitely cater to institutional needs of diverse nature expected of non-academic staff.
We have a ratio of 1: 2; but still it is not enough. Besides, we also have a lot of contract employees in security, garden maintenance; mess; computer maintenance, etc. But I think we need a permanent assistant for each faculty member to do all ancillary work. A lot of time goes in doing non-academic work. We have a variety of activities in our institute, including training, MDPs, research, teaching consulting.
In our university, anyone who does not teach (gives lectures or practical courses) is counted within the administrative staff. For this reason, the ratio of administrative to academic staff is nearly 1:1. The administrative staff are characterized by sitting behind desks most of the time & of exercising stronger power. The administrative staff have unconditional annual increases in salaries while the academic staff do not have that. Some academic scholars did not receive annual pay increases since 1991. The ratio is important but the rights of employees are much more important.
Dear BK Punia,
“In the quality management it has remained a rule of 80:20 which seems to be appropriate in present day IT driven era. Hence even if non-academic staff is just 20% but effective and the academic staff is 80%, the 20% can definitely cater to institutional needs of diverse nature expected of non-academic staff”.
I believe these ratios are very ideal. The ratio of academic to non-academic staff 80% to 20% i.e. 4 to 1, can be an excellent ratio.
Thank you, Prof. Mahfuz. I am not satisfied with the ratio of academic staff to students in my university. It does not serve the academic policy that provides good support to the enrolled students. Regarding the ratio of academic to administrative staff, I think there is a surplus of the latter.
Kind regards,
Rashad
Dear Debi,
Congratulations! Your university must operate excellently according to your lines.
Dear PK Punia,
I thought that universities should serve the society and the humanity and not the students. I feel students should study and work hard in order to be able to maintain and develop the society in the noblest meaning of the word.
I have observed that research staff is more or less a minority in a typical University personnel count. The professorships are few, which to some extent is reasonable. Then there is seasonal or part time research staff, it is often difficult to count of seasonal resources as an intellectual capital. As a general trend, number of students/scholars per year is on rise, creating a certain sort of disproportion in opportunities for personal mentoring. On the contrary, administration unit is a rather stable in terms of count and authority and often on influence in academic activities.
In my opinion, the relationship between academic and administrative staff in an university will depends of the interaction of the university with the society, with the industry and research institutes and the number of students, among others elements. Without any doubt, an university with high level of research activities, a strong relationship with the industry and a great number of students will have more academics than an university with low level of research activities, a weak relationship with the industry and a low level of students. The support of the government and the private sector and the level of economic and technological development of the country are elements that could have an impact in the relationship between academic and administrative staff.
Hi,
I quite agree with Prof Judeh.the 80:20 is quite logical.
We have a ratio of 1.08 (400 academic and 376 administrative) and I am quite satisfied with the numbers. Everything goes well and there is a good relationship among all staff.
Dear Dr Nizar, your observation is right. 'The administrative staff are characterized by sitting behind desks most of the time & of exercising stronger power.' They sit, and seem to have a lot more time than the teaching staff. The teaching staff who don't do research have a lot more time than me. Their chats center on holiday plans, travel and food. Sometimes, I think that quality including character, aptitude, and willingness to serve are just as important, if not more so.
In Algeria, administrative staffs are more focused bureaucratic decision makers despite of theirs low skills or academic degrees. They are the ones who are dictate to carry the political decisions rules from governments in universities and research centers. Academic and research staffs are totally disregarded and most time obliged to follow incompetent, irregular and improper directives. In my research institute, the administrative staff is increasing despite of its non utility, the research staffs are mainly students under supervision of universities despite of the independence of management of my research center from universities, the few senior researchers are turn down
Dear Mahfuz,
The ratio has dropped from around 1.2 in 1979 to 0.9 in 2010 in Canadian universities.
If there’s one common complaint among academic staff it’s that non-academic staff… administrators… are multiplying like weeds, and taking over the university. Of course, no one can tell if this is actually happening because Canadian universities have never bothered to put together any common statistics on non-academic staff.
What we do have, though, is data on non-academic staff compensation – that is, we can see how much non-academic staff were paid in any given year, and track that over time. We can then compare that to how much money was spent on academics. These changes in compensation ratios are a reasonable indicator of changes in staffing levels, even if we don’t know exactly how many people are employed in these positions.
Going back to 1979, the ratio of academic to non-academic staff compensation looks like this:
http://higheredstrategy.com/administrative-bloat/
I think my previous post was wrongly said. What I said "I believe these ratios are very ideal. The ratio of academic to non-academic staff 80% to 20% i.e. 4 to 1, can be an excellent ratio." I meant that these ratios are fictional and not practical.
Dear Behrouz,
Thank you for the valuable information you post in the form of graph and tables. It is very important and I believe every body should have a look on them and make use of them.
I don´t know the general situation. But I´ve recognized an increasing trend to enlarge the administrative teams, very often with people without the necessary competence and abilities. That is seen in universities, hospitals, law courts and even in trading or production companies.
In my country research activity has turned to an administrative option as any administrative public function of any municipality, and is currently ruled by the general direction of the public function. This directory who has no scientific and research skills and composed mainly by administrators 'not scientists', has the role of top control of research centers activity.
Dear All,
It would be interesting to calculate the correlation between the number of administrative staff and the performance of a university. I have heard about a so called Parkinson law…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law
I endorse Mirendas' answer and like Behrouz's figures. To me the ratio is not important if people are not contributing to the mission. I also believe administrator should guide all to accomplish the task in the university.
Not sure about that. However, I came across this McGil University staffing report from 2009, which measures the changes in various staffing statistics over a 6-year period from 2004 to 2009.
http://www.mcgill.ca/files/senate/D0972StaffingReport.pdf
@ Dear Andras,
“I thought that universities should serve the society and the humanity and not the students. I feel students should study and work hard in order to be able to maintain and develop the society in the noblest meaning of the word”. I think students also need the services to be rendered by admission department, buses, recreation halls, cafeterias, and non-curriculum activities.
The percentage of the academic staff to the administrative staff in my University is about than 1:4; small ratio. one day I saw 3 persons watching over one person who was working on the garden...
they are recruiting a large number of local community because the university is almost the only big organization in the area and we feel responsible for the society over here.
Dear Mahfuz,
Thanks for your comment. I would answer that all the services – certainly important - you have listed have nothing to do with the power and opportunity of a teacher. These are but collateral necessities of higher education. I feel often people cannot see the wood for the trees. There are objectives, facilities, staff and performance. One should find the ideal rate of staffs and the optimal performance.
Dear Andras,
Yes, what I have listed are collateral necessities of higher education. Thank you for your valuable post.
Dear Ahmad,
I believe that all universities should follow the principles of span of supervision. The ideal number of direct subordinates who can be managed effectively should be studied scientifically and objectively.
In higher education, the academic and research staff should be the more important in number and qualifications according to the number of students needs in courses and supervision.In research institutions the research and technical staff should be sufficient according to research projects number their needs and their challenge. Administrative staff should be in service of the academic and research needs. E-technologies help to decrease the bureaucratic needs and as most of the management decisions are directed by the scientific and academic staff and committees and many maintenance services could be allowed to specialized enterprises, i think that the administrative staff should be limited to the supervision of the maintenance services from enterprises and their bill, and the finance and human resources sevices
Dear Fairouz,
you have pointed it out perfectly with your statement "Administrative staff should be in service of the academic and research needs." This demand often is forgotten, the administrations tends to live a life of their own and forget the original task.
Dear Dr. Miranda,
You are absolutely correct. In 1991, an unfair decision was taken by the administration of that time which said "an assistant prof. who has not become associated prof., within 6 years of appointment, will be deprived of annual pay increase on monthly salary". The decision came from "sitting" administrative staff & a stop of their( the administrative) annual pay increase has never been implemented. As years passed, we have this "funny" picture: an administrative person with B.Sc. has a higher salary than an academic person with Ph.D whatever years the academic has served.
From the comfort of their armchairs, they took a decision which was & still is an insult to the whole process of high education. Mind you, the university's president (then) has died long time ago but successive administrations have clinged to his decision because it hits the envied academics & does not cause any harm to them.
Yes dear Hanno the problem of the administration in service of the academic and research staff is still open; They think the reverse ie. researchers are in their service!!!!
This morning a simple doorkeeper do not allows me to park my car in my institute beside the sufficient and large parking surface. This man decides 'loudly speaking' that i should put my car in the road. The administrative direction has decided that a large area of the parking should be for the administrative staff, the other surface for researchers and technicians (smallest, bad managed and with many free places) should be allowed to the firsts in. This surface has been divided for a certain numbers of cars, the others must search outside where to put their cars. And it is a decision of the administration that do not allows any discussion!!! just accept and execute!!! What is the benefit of such administration for research and science ???
Dear Fairouz,
I know the benefit. You had to walk some minutes to improve your health. You see what a wonderful service for you from the administration!
Oh it is not a healthy service, it is an added stress to ones health. Outside is a mess and trying to have a place is a challenge added to the payment due to the improvised parking keepers!!
In my country, top administrative staff in academia and research are allowed free service cars 'from top constructors' with free oil coupons. These people are not from the top scientists or successful researchers, some of them have no thing to do with science and research and do not understand anything in science
Dear Fairouz,
You said that "top administrative staff in academia and research are allowed free service cars 'from top constructors' with free oil coupons". That will increase the cost of non-academic staff, which also should be taken into consideration.
This oil bonus behaviour certainly is a factor of costs for the administrative staff, but in first of all it´s a clear sign for the totally self orientated behaviour of these "administration". It´s a shame and induces a feeling of worthlessness to the scientific crews.
Dear Palani,
I fully agree that the ratio of academic staff to the administrative staff in government universities is usually different from the ratio in private universities. In genera,l the ratio in private univesities is less than in govermental universities.
Dear Mahfuz,
The cost of the non academic staff is not really a problem for the government, the cost of the academic staff is really their problem!! Administrative staff has automatic career promotion than the academic staff who with expertise and publications is frequently held down. Administrative staff (among them some scientists (true or false???)) are chosen on non scientific and professional features, they are the ones who should obey the verbal (or telephonic) instructions from the governmental institutions, so they are paid consequently for gaining their obeisance ( free prestigious cars and oil bonus are some of sympathetic gifts!!). It is one of the disastrous consequences of joining research institutes to the general direction of the public function who is itself under tutorship of the presidency and the government so directly involved to the political action and decision of the government without any real scientific and research committees, The scientific committees of these institutes are not controlled and their decisions or recommendations are not reviewed by any mean (they are automatically approved even with many scientific errors and/or errors of official regulation ). Any researcher who needs official scientific report from the committee couldn't obtain it, any recourse is not possible in absence of an independent recourse scientific committee ' even in the ministry of higher education' . Research has turned to an administrative action were decisions 'scientific or individual' are automatically archived. Cheating, predations, political deprivation of research becomes a norm unfortunately!!
For example in my institute, people who are nominated to head departments, services, divisions, committees, etc.. are at 95% ancient subaltern and students of a colleague who directed a research division, at least 99% of the people of this research division are now at different levels of responsibilities of the institute. This colleague is not officially the director of the institute but non officially he is the one who really controls the institute functioning and decisions!!! however he has no visible official cars or other bonus!!!!
Dear Fairouz,
"The scientific committees of these institutes are not controlled and their decisions or recommendations are not reviewed by any mean (they are automatically approved even with many scientific errors and/or errors of official regulation ".Ii is difficult to accept that scientific committees of these institutes are not controlled.
Unfortunately Dear Mahfuz; There is no real top committee or department for approval/disapproval. For example in my institute I've asked several times for the scientific report of the committee, the sole report available is a P.V of decisions not followed by any scientific reviewing and research protocols, and even not close to some official regulation rules.The same response at the higher education ministry services and at the office of the general direction of the public function. The decisions are approved and archived automatically without even reading them by any officer !!! no control on the committees, their decisions are irreversible and executable even with mistakes, unfairness, cheating, etc....it looks like the committees are there just for fun, may be the decisions are dictate from somewhere!! in my institute the head of the scientific committee is the same person from more than 20years from 1993 or 94 up now
Universities are facing complex performance challenges, such as, efficiency and effectiveness. In this question, we focus on the effectiveness of the university management.
Academic staff and non-academic staff should be greatest assets and their development is a top priority. To reinforce this commitment, the university should offer to provide staff with the knowledge and resources they need to make teaching more effective.
Teaching Effectiveness is an important index to measure the extent to which the teaching process succeeds in its mission.
"The term “teaching effectiveness” had its heyday in the 80s and early 90s during that period when so much work on student ratings was being done. Its connection to evaluation activities remains and even end-of-course ratings are often thought of as measures of teaching effectiveness".
http://www.facultyfocus.com/tag/effective-university-teaching/
Dear Kamal,
901 administrator staff (including lab supervisors and lab technicians) compare to 700 teaching staff is GREAT. I believe this ratio will increase the university effectiveness.
The percentage of Mix is managed by Role Enlargement
n the framework of University policies and regulations.
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/hrm/internal/contracts/ACA_CEA.pdf
I salute you Professor Kamal on what you said & did (Actually I did not appoint any administrator since I became a president for the university). More administrative staff leads to less efficiency. I have many stories but I'll just give one: I once went to the administration building to get health insurance card but the office's door was closed & I heared the voices inside thinking that there is a serious meeting. I waited about half an hour but my lecture time got closer. So I did what I normally do not do: I knocked the door & openned it. They were indulging in eating so I said "bon apetit" & then asked about the card. I saw a "labaneh" plate covered with olive oil & black powder. I asked about the powder & they answered "dry mint". Since then, most of the labaneh I eat is sprinkled with dry mint !!
May be when Academicians become Administrators, they can empathize the academic requirements and also feelings. Alternatively there can also be a career option to Swap roles, when all the other requirements are met.
Example: The Registrar shall be the Chief Administrative Officer of the university. He shall be a full-time salaried officer and shall work directly under the superintendence, direction and control of the Vice-Chancellor.
http://www.ggu.ac.in/download/Recruitment/Eligibility04.01.13.pdf
Dear Krishnan,
Yes, there are Academicians become Administrators, As you said that they can empathize the academic requirements and also feelings. This point can be taken into consideration.
In our universities in the Arab world, as I believe; there are:
1. 25% working hardly
2. 75 % "work" in the working 25%!
Dear Aiman,
very hard analysis! But shows the trend. The question is, what is work.
Dear Hanno
The 75% spend the time talking about the 25%!, try to put obstacles to stop their success.
@ Dear Dr. Nizar. As you said that "More administrative staff leads to less efficiency". That is true. In universities, the less ratio of academic staff to the administrative staff, the more effective the university would be.
Every Role is important
Many faculty members regard university administration as a nuisance, or worse. Many dismiss administrators as paper pushers, failed academics, or bureaucratic drones.
But higher education would not function without committed, hardworking administrators who take a broad view of the institution’s and the students’ interests.
ADMINISTRATOR ?
1. Administrators are managers.- An administrator manages budgets, personnel, and policy.
2. Administrators shape institutional priorities and practices.
3. Administration coordinate and communicate
WORK NATURE ?
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/tat/pdfs/academic%20administration.pdf
Dear Krishnan,
I fully agree with you that higher education would not function without committed, hardworking administrators who take a broad view of the institution’s and the students’ interests.
Dear All,
I know this is not an argument but administrative staff is called also bureaucracy!
University administrators affect enrollment supply and faculty demand, implying that institutions have enough market power to permit the preferences of administrators to influence these variables. This included political constraints on administrators’ behavior and add data from public higher education.
Dennis Coates (2004), More evidence that university administrators are utility maximizing bureaucrats, Economics of Governance.
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Faculty participation positively affects student enrollment and investments in academic quality. Without faculty involvement in decision making, universities may choose to over invest in non-academic quality (e.g. athletics, recreational activities) relative to academic quality. If academic quality provides positive externalities as the economic literature indicates, then faculty involvement in decision-making is socially preferred to having decisions made only by university administrators
Kathleen Carroll et all (2013), Do Faculty Matter? Effects of Faculty Participation in University Decisions, UMBC Department of Economics
@ Dear Krishnan,
I appreciate what you have said about the administrators and the faculty staff. University administrators affect enrollment supply and faculty demand, implying that institutions have enough market power to permit the preferences of administrators to influence these variables. While faculty participation positively affects student enrollment and investments in academic quality.
Each of the administrators and the academic staff has an important role in student enrollment and in the education process.
Our ratio of academic staff to administrative staff is appropriate. But what are the acceptable percentage?
@ Marcelo
As a thumb-rule, I have seen 5:1 (Teaching : Admin) staff . However to find a rationale enclosing , One of the best Role descriptions i have ever seen has been carried out from page 20 onwards, which defines the scope of work/ activities by individual role holders in 2011 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) for Letterkenny Army Depot.
Keeping this as a template and superimposing the work loads of administrative staff in the educational institution / university can help in arriving a clarity to Ratios
http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=67&ved=0CEAQFjAGODw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gsa.gov%2Fportal%2FgetMediaData%3FmediaId%3D144227&ei=w32rVPvUE46iugTB0ILYCQ&usg=AFQjCNHYsuYkUey0I8NL9sUxDw7MK_EGug&sig2=rzyDDqDE4yvR3YZdI5epcw&cad=rja
I adore my administration.They are humane,highly professional(have gone through a lot of stages),experienced,influential in our city.They support new projects,encourage the staff,make a note one-on-one.They are not afraid of showing their love and admiration to the staff.
Dear Mahfuz Huded Could you share with me your paper ?
Best regards,
Alenka
The percentage of academic people or researchers should always higher than administrative staff.
It is not so much the ratio between academic and non- academic staff; it is the constantly increasing burden of administrative work on academic staff. I wonder why?
I am not satisfied with the percentage of academic staff in terms of administrative staff. I am no longer satisfied with the way in which administrative personnel are transformed into academic staff.
I am generally satisfied. But I believe can be much improved
No. The UAM's administrative staff is the double of professors. Besides they work according to a Labor Contract signed 40 years ago and the low wages. Therefore they reject all the time to do new activities.
It is necessary to change the Labor Contract including the activities linked to the ICT and all the innovations which could improve their work and their wages, with a positive impact on academic and scientific research.
I am not satisfied. I wish the ratio of academic staff to administrative staff be improved from the current 1:3 to 3:2.
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