System to hire consultant to examine salaries

The UW System issued a statement in response to the reaction to the Board of Regents Sept. 2 action on executive salaries:

“Every biennium, the UW System Board of Regents adjusts the salary ranges for faculty, academic staff and the executive salary group. This year, the regents will recommend new faculty minimums and academic staff salary ranges at the October meeting.

“After following the standard procedure for giving notice of an open meeting, the board met by teleconference on Sept. 2 and adjusted the executive salary ranges to move forward with the UW-Milwaukee and UW-Stevens-Point chancellor replacement searches. No raises to anyone in the executive salary group were awarded at the September meeting, and none have been awarded since.

“The 35 people in this category — president, vice presidents, chancellors and provosts — are required by law to be paid at the minimum of their respective peer ranges but in fact, 12 are not paid at the minimum of last year’s salary ranges. This is, in part, because this executive salary group was not awarded the 2.1 percent raise given to other faculty and staff last January.”

“[UW System President Katharine C.] Lyall will ask a national consultant to review the executive group ranges and will discuss that review with the regents before any further action is taken. In any case É Lyall and UW–Madison Chancellor John Wiley already are paid above the minimum of their ranges and would not quality for any such adjustment.”