During a debate among the Democratic presidential candidates at Saint Anselm College in January, Charles Gibson, the moderator, used what he thought was a realistic example of a two-career academic couple at the small college in New Hampshire. Between them, he ventured during a discussion about tax policies, they would earn about $200,000 a year.
The audience met Mr. Gibson’s statement with laughter and guffaws. Even some of the candidates told him he was off base â?? and they were right. On average, tenured associate professors at Saint Anselm earned around $65,000 last year. For young assistant professors, the pay was closer to $50,000.