This year, the laterals list has about thirty moves, while last year there were more than 100! I assume this is an effect of the Trump war on universities, and the funding uncertainties it created, so that there was less money for hires. Professor Lawsky’s spreadsheet shows about 50 rookie hires as of now, but it is probably not complete. Still, that is also way down from recent years, when there were typically around 120 rookie hires.

Curious to hear from faculty what they think explains the decline in lateral hiring in particular. If you want to discuss a particular school, please include a valid university email address (it will not appear).