Fear and hopelessness': one in four professors in the US south are leaving

"Many professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors. Of those interviewed in the survey, roughly a quarter of respondents said they applied for a job in higher education in another state since the start of 2023."

"Heather Houser worked as a professor in the English department, teaching American literature and environmental humanities, at the University of Texas at Austin for 14 years. Like the growing number of professors in the stronghold Republican state, she found the increasing government oversight on higher education alarming. Houser left Texas earlier this year for a new teaching position at The University of Antwerp in Belgium."

"The survey received responses from approximately 4,000 faculty members across the south and included other states, such as Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky, in its findings. About 25% of the professors in Texas who responded said they have applied for teaching roles in other states in the last two years, with another 25% saying they intend to start a search. Last year, salary was the top reason as to why educators across the south were seeking employment elsewhere. In this year's findings, however, broad political climate was the top motivator."

Faculty across the US South, especially in Texas, Florida and South Carolina, are increasingly considering leaving their states because of the political climate's effects on higher education. A survey by the American Association of Professors collected responses from roughly 4,000 Southern faculty, with about a quarter saying they applied for out-of-state academic jobs since early 2023 and another quarter planning searches. Reasons shifted from salary concerns last year to broad political climate this year. Individual cases include professors leaving over growing government oversight and concerns about the ability to teach environmental and social topics.

Read at www.theguardian.com