Claims

Factual · Other

“We’ve seen how many assistant deans have been hired in the last 15 years”

Tyler Cowen, interviewee · 4 March 2026 · Forecast 2050 - Tyler Cowen Transcript (Finn Murphy Substack)

A large number of assistant deans have been hired at universities in the last 15 years.

Mixed Partly true and partly false in roughly equal measure.

The second judge would not resolve this claim; the verdict shown is the first judge's.

What would count as true or false

Judged as of 2026-03-04 against data on US university administrative staffing for roughly 2011–2026. True if credible data (e.g., IPEDS staffing data, Chronicle of Higher Education or other studies) show substantial growth in the number of assistant or associate deans, or comparable mid-level academic administrators, over that period. Mostly true if the growth is clearly shown for administrators generally, but data specific to assistant deans are thin. Mixed if the evidence is conflicting or shows only modest growth. Mostly false if growth occurred mainly before the period or in other staff categories, so the claim overstates the trend. False if the data show administrator numbers in this category flat or declining.

Evidence

1. Colleges are cutting administrative jobs. Some critics say that’s a good thing Fast Company · 13 October 2026

   “It found that administrative staffing continued to grow faster than instructional staffing through at least 2018, even after colleges and universities responded to the 2008 recession by promising to cut costs, and during a period when enrollment was declining.”

2. Who To Believe On University Administrative Bloat Investigative Economics · 8 April 2025

   “According to the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data, employee headcounts at universities have actually declined since 2011 as tuition increased.”

3. How Many Administrators Are Too Many? The Chronicle of Higher Education · 7 January 2013

   “The number of people working in administrative faculty positions, such as department heads, chairs, and deans, has actually declined, by 5 percent, from 2001 to 2012, a trend suggesting that concerns about bloat in administration might be overblown.”

4. Colleges are cutting administrative jobs. Some critics say that’s a good thing Fast Company · 13 October 2026

   “The number of noninstructional employees at U.S. universities and colleges—the many people on campuses who don’t actually teach—fell last year more than it has at any time in at least the last decade, according to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, or CUPA-HR.”

Reasoning

E1 cites a study finding that administrative staffing kept growing faster than instructional staffing through at least 2018, which partly supports growth during the period. E2, citing NCES data, says total university employee headcounts have fallen since 2011. E3 reports that administrative faculty positions, including deans, fell 5 percent from 2001 to 2012, and E4 reports a recent sharp drop in noninstructional staff. None of the evidence gives figures specific to assistant deans, and the general data conflict, so under the criteria this is mixed.

Cite this claim

Tyler Cowen, “A large number of assistant deans have been hired at universities in the last 15 years.” (said 4 March 2026). Verdict: mixed. Reliability API, claim c_2c71b36dbe38, method 0.1.0+c876030c. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_2c71b36dbe38