UC recommends faculty salary adjustments

To address salary compression and reward outstanding teaching, the University Committee is recommending several proposals to increase faculty pay.

The committee, the executive arm of the Faculty Senate, says pay raises should be given to the most productive senior faculty to combat what’s known as salary compression. This occurs when pay for full professors does not keep up with the competitive salaries necessary to hire new assistant professors.

The “favorable budget conditions” in the current state budget and the approved pay plan for faculty allow for such salary adjustments by departments, University Committee chair Bernice Durand told the Faculty Senate Monday, March 6.

“We urge department executive committees and department chairs to take advantage of the money available for compensation to try to eliminate salary compression where it exists,” Durand told the senate.

The Madison Initiative — a four-year, $97 million public-private partnership — combines state funds and private donations to, among other things, recruit and retain top faculty. In response to a question at the meeting, Durand said a salary step system for faculty suggested last year is not included in the current recommendations because of the Madison Initiative.

The University Committee also recommends increasing promotional raises for professors and providing base salary adjustments for winners of campus and UW System teaching awards.

The promotional raises for academic year appointments would increase from $2,500 to $3,000 for faculty promoted from assistant to associate professor, and from $3,000 to $4,000 for promotions from associate to full professor. Comparable increases would be established for annual appointments.

Winners of any of the current 11 UW–Madison and UW System teaching awards would receive $1,000 raises in their base salary. The adjustments would be in addition to the cash payments that accompany the teaching awards.

Vice Chancellor for Administration John Torphy says the promotional increases were scheduled to occur in 2001-02 and would be moved up to 2000-01. The teaching award adjustments are still being reviewed, he added, while the competitive pay adjustments are determined by each department.