Raleigh, N.C. (April 30, 2025) — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal has released a new report titled Growth Beyond the Classroom: A Decade of Staffing and Spending in the UNC System, which examines trends in enrollment, staffing, and salary expenditures across the University of North Carolina System from 2015 to 2025.
Drawing on publicly available data from the UNC System’s annual employee headcount reports, the analysis finds that non-faculty staffing grew 14.6 percent over the past decade—outpacing student enrollment (10.2 percent) and faculty hiring (9.5 percent). Salary expenditures for non-faculty staff rose by 55.5 percent, significantly exceeding both faculty salary growth (44.8 percent) and inflation (32.7 percent).
“The data show a clear trend: administrative growth has exceeded instructional growth at nearly every institution,” said Jenna A. Robinson, president of the Martin Center. “This expansion raises important questions about institutional priorities and whether resources are being directed toward the core academic mission.”
Among the report’s key findings:
- The systemwide ratio of non-faculty staff to faculty rose from 2.18 to 2.28 over the decade.
- The fastest-growing job categories were fiscal affairs, research, and communications & fundraising.
- Some campuses added staff even while experiencing declines in student enrollment and faculty numbers.
The report calls on policymakers, trustees, and university leaders to reexamine staffing patterns and ensure that spending aligns with academic goals and student needs.
The full report is available HERE.