Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
June 8, 2001

ISU leaders await final number for salary awards

by Anne Krapfl
The wait continues on salary news for the fiscal year that begins July 1. And while absolutes aren't absolute yet, interim President Richard Seagrave said he believes salary increase averages will be in the 3 percent to 4 percent range for P&S staff and faculty. Merit employees, including confidential employees, will be paid according to their union's contract with the State of Iowa: a 3 percent increase on July 1, plus step increases on their employment anniversaries.

"There's enough money in that salary bill to award raises of that size -- if we receive our share of the bill," he said. Two unknowns at this time are how much of the salary and benefits increase dollars will be earmarked for health benefit increases, and the state's estimate of how much health care costs will rise in the next year. (Under terms of the union contract, the university must pay 100 percent of insurance premium increases for Merit employees.) University officials are waiting for final operating budget and salary increase numbers from the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

Seagrave noted that individual salary increases are not final until the regents approve them at their July meeting.

New P&S matrix
At their May meeting, the regents approved a new pay matrix for P&S employees. Minimum salaries in each P level will go up 3 percent on July 1, and maximum salaries in each P level will be raised 5 percent. Salary increases may reach, but not exceed a pay grade maximum. Seagrave has asked administrators to consider awarding a higher salary increase to P&S employees in P levels 11-14, where "salary compression" is most severe. Salary compression -- an overlap in salaries between related P&S and Merit positions -- is a growing issue at all regents institutions, Seagrave said. Several years of state-negotiated raises for Merit employees that the university has been unable to match for professional employees has added to the problem, he said.

Faculty and P&S staff whose job performance meets expectations should receive increases of at least one-third of the expected average increase. Salary increases of less than this require that employees receive a written explanation of the decision.

Salary increases for promoted faculty
Promotion increases for faculty who were awarded promotions this spring will be centrally funded. Administrators are told to ignore promotion increases in distributing salary increase dollars among faculty. The promotion increases this year are:

to full professor, $2,400
to associate professor, $2,100
to assistant professor, $1,800.