University Times

An annual University report showed that the average full-time continuing faculty member’s salary increased 3.7 percent in fiscal year 2013.

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The document, prepared by Pitt’s Management Information and Analysis office, was presented to the University Senate budget policies committee May 17.

With the exception of faculty in the basic science departments, medical school faculty were excluded from the analysis.

Also excluded were faculty employed in fall 2011 but not in fall 2012; those hired between fall 2011 and fall 2012; those whose contract bases changed (for example, from a 9-month to a 12-month contract or vice versa); those on leave of absence without pay; those who went from full-time to part-time (or vice versa); academic administrators at the level of dean or above; visiting faculty; faculty who changed responsibility centers, and faculty with a decline in salary.

Salary increases

Of 1,992 full-time continuing faculty members included in the salary analysis, 862 received salary increases of 3 percent or more, while 1,130 received pay increases less than the 3 percent rate of inflation. Continuing faculty included in the report made up 82.9 percent of the 2,404 full-time faculty at Pitt.

Of those full-time continuing faculty whose increases were less than 3 percent, 52 had increases of 1.49 percent or less, an indication of unsatisfactory performance, given that the FY13 salary pool increase included 1.5 percent for salary maintenance for employees whose work had been assessed as satisfactory.

The 3 percent salary pool increase also provided 1 percent for merit, market and equity adjustments at the unit level, and 0.5 percent to be distributed by senior officers to address imbalances among units. (See July 26, 2012, University Times.)

Of the 862 full-time continuing faculty whose salary increases kept pace or exceeded inflation, 572 received increases of 3-4.99 percent; 146 got 5-7.49 percent; 50 got 7.5-9.99 percent and 94 got 10 percent or more.

In comparison, of 1,883 full-time continuing faculty in the 2012 salary analysis, 121 received salary increases below the 1.5 percent rate of inflation. The FY12 salary increase pool was 2 percent: 1.5 percent for satisfactory performance and 0.5 percent for merit, market and equity.

Last year’s continuing faculty salary report was not presented in an open BPC session due to concerns that discussion of faculty pay increases could affect the University’s state appropriation. (See March 22, 2012, University Times.)

In other business:

• BPC discussed University Planning and Budgeting Committee (UPBC) recommendations for the FY14 budget in closed session.

Baker told the University Times following the meeting that the committee endorsed the UPBC recommendations for next year’s budget and made one recommendation of its own, should additional revenue become available.

• In response to questions that have arisen regarding how part-time Pitt faculty are reported for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), David N. DeJong, vice provost for academic planning and resources management, explained that a longtime Human Resources definition separates part-time regular faculty from part-time temporary faculty based on eligibility for health benefits.

Part-time regular faculty, a subset of all part-time faculty, are reflected in the IPEDS numbers, DeJong said.

• Baker noted that longtime BPC member Balwant N. Dixit of the School of Pharmacy has retired from the University after 48 years as a faculty member.

• Baker said he would poll BPC members on whether to meet in June. No decision had been made as of press time.

—Kimberly K. Barlow