That's what I'd like to know - how LITTLE does an assistant professor make that 60,000 dollars of debt will take a lifetime to pay off, even in the absence of a mortgage (and presumably a car) payment?
according to the chronicle the average assistant professor salary is ~$80k. I doubt that a native american studies assistant professor will get that much but I have been wrong before.
That averages the science and engineering professors with the liberal arts professors. At my school, I know the starting salary for a CS professor is going to be around $85k. But looking at the History department, I see some assistant professors as low as $52k.
There is no demand for Humanities professors. Look at the job boards of the colleges and most of them are hiring either science, math or nursing professors.
Also this person seems to have studied a fringe subject that would have a far weaker demand.
The colleges don't pay very well and the degree required to get the job is very expensive and time consuming.