Inside Iowa State

June 8, 2006

Council discusses salary increase summary

by Anne Krapfl

The P&S Council will take action later this month on a motion to request from the ISU administration a summary report of fiscal year 2007 salary increases for professional and scientific employees. The motion, developed by the council's executive committee, was introduced and briefly discussed at the council's June 6 meeting.

The requested report would break down salary increases by pay grade and in roughly half-percentage point increments. It also would include summary information for major units, such as colleges and vice presidential areas.

Kevin Kane, a member of the executive committee, said it would be helpful to the council to know how salary increases actually are implemented based on the salary policy announced each spring. The fiscal year 2007 policy announced last month by President Gregory Geoffroy calls for an average increase among P&S staff and faculty of at least 2.5 percent. Funds totaling 2.5 percent of FY06 continuing salaries are being provided from a central pool. In addition, Geoffroy encouraged unit managers to reallocate, when possible, to raise the average to 3 percent.

The council's recommendation this spring was a 3.2 percent salary increase for P&S employees with a satisfactory or better performance evaluation. This figure was based on the 2005 growth rate of the Midwest region's urban Consumer Price Index.

Citing data from the Office of Institutional Research, Kane said that during each of the last three years, between 69 percent and 78 percent of P&S employees received salary increases that were less than the P&S salary increase average announced in August or September.

It creates confusion among employees who receive favorable performance reviews as they compare their increases to the published average, Kane said.

"It would be helpful to know which units have the resources to put in additional salary money [beyond what's provided centrally]," Kane said. "There's nothing punitive intended with this. In trying to recommend salary policy recommendations, it would be helpful to be able to identify the kinds of funds some units have access to that others won't ever be able to take advantage of."

Notice of increase form

A proposed form that unit managers would use to illustrate to each of their employees how his or her salary increase was computed, which had been attached to the motion. However, it most likely will be removed, further studied this year and perhaps reintroduced for discussion next spring. The concept behind it is to spell out to each employee how his or her salary increase has been developed: "X" percent for satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance and "X" percent for outstanding performance, including the funding source for each. Council members had questions about its use, particularly this late in the evaluation/salary increase cycle this year.

The council's next meeting is June 26 at the Iowa 4-H Camp near Madrid.

The requested report would break down salary increases by pay grade and in roughly half-percentage point increments. It also would include summary information for major units, such as colleges and vice presidential areas.