296 Journal of Dental Education ■ Volume 69, Number 2 Association Report Dental School Vacant Budgeted Faculty Positions: Academic Year 2003-04 Richard G. Weaver, D.D.S.; Jacqueline E. Chmar, B.A.; N. Karl Haden, Ph.D.; Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H. Abstract: The total number of vacant budgeted positions (296) fell by eleven positions between 2002-03 and 2003-04. However, the reported number of lost positions increased from thirty-nine to 147. The average number of vacancies per school was 5.3. The average number of vacancies reported to be usual and normal at any one time was 3.6 per school, the same as last year. Forty-three percent of the vacancies had been vacant less than seven months, a decline from 55 percent in 2002-03, indicating an increase in the number of positions vacant longer than six months. Meeting position requirements was the most frequently reported factor cited as influencing the ability to fill a position. This is a change from recent previous years when the most influencing factors were salary/budget limitations and lack of response to position announcements. While there was no indication expressed in the survey that vacancies were adversely affecting the quality of dental education, almost 50 percent of the deans reported faculty recruitment and retention was a problem at their school, and over 55 percent indicated that they anticipated it would become more difficult over the next five years to fill vacated positions. Faculty recruitment, development, and retention remain priority issues in meeting the teaching, research, patient care, and administrative needs of the dental education community. Dr. Weaver is Associate Director, Center for Educational Policy and Research; Ms. Chmar is Policy Analyst, Center for Educa- tional Policy and Research; Dr. Haden is Associate Executive Director and Director, Center for Educational Policy and Research; and Dr. Valachovic is Executive Director—all at the American Dental Education Association. Direct correspondence and requests for reprints to Dr. Richard Weaver, American Dental Education Association, 1400 K Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005; 202-289-7201 phone; 202-289-7204 fax; WeaverR@ADEA.org. Key words: dental faculty, recruitment, retention, academic careers, shortage D uring the 1990s, there was a continuing in- crease in the number of vacant budgeted faculty positions in U.S. dental schools, reaching 358 in 2000. The number began to decline in 2001, with the concern that the decline was due more to the loss of budgeted positions than a filling of vacant positions. While the average number of vacant budgeted positions per school was 5.7 in 2002, it was reported that, on average, it was usual and normal to the operation of a dental school to have 3.6 vacancies at any one time. It was concluded that, rather than a perceived shortage of faculty, it may be more of an endemic number of vacancies due to the amount of time needed to announce, interview for, and fill a position. While there was no indication expressed in the 2002-03 survey of vacant budgeted positions that the vacant positions reported at that time were adversely affecting the quality of dental education, there is need to continue monitoring the faculty vacancy situation. This report of the 2003-04 survey of vacant posi- tions updates the trend line for vacant positions and presents more current information regarding lost positions and factors influencing faculty separations and recruitment. Survey Methodology The 2003-04 survey instrument for reporting vacant faculty positions was sent to the dean of each U.S. dental school. The following information was requested for each currently vacant budgeted posi- tion at the dental school or in dental school spon- sored programs: primary appointment, primary dis- cipline, full-time/part-time status (along with full-time equivalency of the part-time positions), newly established or extant position, active or inac- tive search, length of position vacancy, and factors influencing recruitment efforts for the vacancy. Data were obtained from fifty-five of the fifty- six U.S. dental schools. An estimate of the total num- ber of vacancies was reached by determining the average number of full- and part-time vacancies for the fifty-five reporting schools and adding in those numbers for the one non-reporting school.