Data journalism was my first experience working with a public database and data visualization, while putting my already established writing and reporting skills to use.  Like most of my stories, I chose to highlight people and write a narrative around a person or a community. It was a challenging class for me, but very rewarding in the end, and I now enjoy incorporating numbers in my stories.

Professors & Paychecks: Unpacking the Age-Salary Relationship at UNC-CH

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. —  At UNC-Chapel Hill, where the average annual base salary for professors is a little over $180,000, the oldest professor earns a modest salary of $89,000.

As of June, distinguished professor Dr. Philip Bromberg, 94, is the oldest professor. He has taught pulmonary diseases at UNC’s School of Medicine for nearly half a century.

Brittany Bromell, an assistant professor at UNC’s School of Government, is the youngest professor, at 28. She has taught for only four years and earns almost $120,000 annually.

While the perspective of the oldest professor is a key part of the narrative, Dr. Bromberg was unable to meet in the final week of the story.

In an email, Dr. Bromberg wrote that, despite his age, he still enjoys the constant challenges and opportunities to learn from his colleagues and students.

As of Friday, Sept. 27, Bromell has turned 29, sharing the title of youngest professor at UNC with Yang Chen.

Chen is an economics professor who started teaching at UNC-CH in 2022, two years after Bromell. He is paid a little over $150,000, which is $31,000 more than Bromell and almost $62,000 more than Dr. Bromberg.

Chen declined to comment, citing his busy teaching schedule.

Bromell said the state issues a legislative salary increase for state employees. Her department conducts occasional salary reviews for its employees that may be adjusted based on equity.

This equity, she said, ensures some fairness in the compensation given to existing faculty members as compared to what has been offered to newly hired faculty members.

“This is not an age-based adjustment,” Bromell said, “but it’s considering years of licensure and years of service to the School of Government.”

After graduating from law school in 2020, Bromell applied for jobs she felt experienced and qualified enough for but offered lower pay. When UNC offered a six-figure starting salary, she happily accepted it.

She also noted that she often thinks about her age, especially when it’s rare to teach younger students as a professor at a professional school.

Bromell said that the judges, magistrates, and court officials she teaches in her criminal law courses are almost always older than her.

“I now know how to bolster my credibility with the ‘lack of experience, ’” Bromell said. “And I’m not afraid to stop and ask questions.”