Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

August 16, 2002

Salary compression is on senate agenda

Faculty Senate president Max Wortman intends to draw on his experiences with senates at other universities during the coming year. Photo by Bob Elbert.

by Linda Charles
Max Wortman has served on four senates at as many universities, and he will draw on that experience as he leads the Faculty Senate this year. The senate president said he plans to tackle shared governance and salary compression issues, make the senate more efficient and increase its representation.

Wortman is familiar with Iowa State. He obtained his B.S. in civil engineering here (and a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota), and has served on the faculty for 14 years, currently as distinguished professor in business. He served as president-elect of the senate last year, taking over the leadership in May.

This summer, he appointed a senate task force to review the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication in the wake of disagreements within the school on some issues, including the school's direction and leadership. (See http://www.iastate.edu/news/today/02/jul/greenleeB.html.)

The senate task force will issue a report on its review of the school early this fall, Wortman said. "See," he added, "we can get things done quickly."

Following are some issues Wortman expects to come before the senate during the coming academic year, and some changes he would like to see:

Shared governance
This has been an ongoing issue as the senate and administration try to reach a common definition of what shared governance covers. Wortman defines it as "anything that affects academic matters, which is just about everything." While the senate president said, "We don't want to get involved in how to pave the streets," he added that some issues that seem removed from academic matters actually aren't.

"If the residence halls didn't serve good food or have good accommodations, we'd be upset because that would affect the academic performance of students," he said.

One area of shared governance the senate will pursue this year, Wortman said, is the academic calendar, which senators have argued should include a four-week break between fall and spring semesters.

Wortman also noted that 85 percent of the university's budget falls under the provost's domain, and is considered by the senate to be subject to shared governance.

The new president hopes to improve communication channels between the senate and the president and provost offices. He noted he will continue the practice of monthly meetings with the university president and the provost to discuss "significant challenges facing the university," as well as attend as many of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, meetings as possible. He also plans to attend the Chairs Cabinet and Professional and Scientific Council meetings.

Salary compression
Over the years, the difference between an assistant professor's salary and a full professor's salary has gotten smaller, Wortman said. In the 1930s, full professors made about three times as much as assistant professors. In the 1960s, full professors made about twice that of assistant professors. Currently, full professors make about 1.3 times what assistant professors make, he said.

"The faculty is deeply concerned about this. The president and provost are deeply concerned about this," Wortman said. "It has a great impact on maintaining quality faculty."

Senate efficiency
Wortman said the full senate spends too much time "word-smithing" rather than discussing the real issues. One of the major complaints among senators during the past few years (especially since the senate enacted a 90-minute rule for its meetings) has been a lack of time to discuss important matters.

He intends to change that by sending documents back to the executive board, councils or committees for editing, leaving the senate free to discuss the "big" issues. He also intends to continue the "consent agenda" started by his predecessor, and perhaps add more items to it, so the senate can act on several items with one vote.

Senate representation
The new president hopes to increase the diversity of the senate by attracting more women and minority members to the senate, as well as the senate's committees and councils. He would like to see the senate's Committee on Committees track the progress of women and minorities on committees and help move them up in the senate ranks -- to councils and leadership roles. Progress already has been made, he noted, with several women on the senate executive board this year.

Wortman also hopes to attract more senior-level faculty to the senate, and intends to spend some one-on-one time talking to many full professors to encourage them to serve on the senate.

Faculty regents seat
Wortman intends to continue efforts to place a faculty seat on the state regents board. Efforts to add the seat last year were unsuccessful, but Wortman said he has been discussing the issue with the senate presidents at the two other state schools and hopes they can present a united front.

He has met individually with all the regents, and said most were surprised to learn that the faculty must go through the university president before they can address the regents.

The senate's first meeting of the academic year will be on Tuesday, Sept. 10.