Navigating the Academic Tower: Faculty Perceptions of Counteroffers in Higher Education

Abstract While counteroffers are a key component of faculty retention, limited research explores how faculty perceive and experience these negotiations and how this might impact institutional departure. Using Quantitative Ethnography and Epistemic Network Analysis, this study analyzes qualitative responses from faculty who completed the COACHE Faculty Retention and Exit Study to examine how they describe their counteroffer process and whether their experiences differ based on demographic factors (e.g., race and gender) and professional characteristics (e.g., rank, academic area, and departure status). Findings reveal that faculty frequently interpreted counteroffers as signals of institutional value–or lack thereof–with themes of dismissiveness, procedural opacity, and inconsistent treatment emerging across personal and professional identities. Notably, Asian or Asian American faculty showed strong co-occurrences between institutional ambiguity and feelings of dismissal, and their network was statistically significant from that of Black or African American faculty. Regarding academic area and gender, women in STEM and men in Professions & Other had the most positive experiences, though women overall reported more experiences of perceived dismissal and inconsistencies between themselves and peers. The network graphs show different patterns based on rank, with associate professors generally less satisfied with their counteroffer experiences than assistant and full professors, and statistically significant differences between Black or African American associate and assistant professors. The results underscore the importance of examining counteroffers as relational moments that can affirm or undermine a faculty member’s value.