The online edition of the Chronicle of Higher Ed reports in a recent article (in their subsection "Facts & Figures") that 52% of colleges have not frozen hiring for new faculty positions.  Which means, friends, that a whopping 48% of colleges and universities have either partially or totally frozen the hiring of new faculty for the time being.

Albeit, the sample was relatively small-- 214 colleges and universities actually responded to the survey, out of the 874 who received it-- but still large enough to be a significant indicator of trends around the country.

What I would like to see here is a definition of "partial freeze," because I'm a little confused as to what that means.  Does that mean that instead of hiring Assistant Profs, who get a (slightly larger) salary and benefits, you hire Adjuncts and Lecturers?  Or that instead of hiring for tenure-track positions, you convert your slots to one- and two-year non-renewable contracts, and go the Visiting Assistant Prof route?  Too vague.  Plz define.

I'm anticipating that the Job Information List this year is going to be flush with such Lecturer positions, as well as Visitings.  When the head of the MLA tweeted that hiring could go on "longer and later than usual"-- yes, I said "tweeted"; you can follow the MLA on Twitter now.  Web 2.0 to the rescue!--that means to me that the tenure-track positions are the ones that are really taking a hit, because hiring for non-TT positions goes on much later into the year as a general rule.

If the issue really is that there are very few TT positions out there, it would be nice if someone would state the case as such.  That way, those of us who have spent the last 5-10 years preparing to walk straight into one of those can get a reality check, and adjust our cover letters and other documents that we've uploaded to Interfolio or taken to Career Services accordingly.

All that to say this-- that while sources like the Chronicle of Higher Ed are offering us *some* information on the nature of the downturn, it and the MLA and other academic associations really should be telling the absolute and unadulterated truth to ABDs looking for jobs.  We deserve to know the nature of the battle into which we are walking bravely, but blindly. 

Someone, please dispossess us of our illusion!