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April 30, 2015

Continuing full-time faculty averaged pay hikes of 3.9% in FY15

Click on image to download full-size chart.

Click on image to download full-size chart.

Salary increases for full-time continuing faculty averaged 3.9 percent in fiscal year 2015. The median increase for continuing faculty members was 2.5 percent, in line with the FY2015 salary pool increase of 2.5 percent (made up of 1 percent for maintenance and 1.5 percent for merit, market and equity).

Robert Goga presented the Office of Institutional Research management information and analysis office’s annual Analysis of Salary Increases for Full-Time Continuing Faculty at the April University Senate budget policies committee (BPC) meeting.

The report covered 2,044 full-time continuing faculty, representing 83.9 percent of 2,437 full-time faculty.

Excluded from the analysis were: clinical departments in the School of Medicine; faculty employed here in fall 2013 but not in fall 2014 and the reverse; faculty whose contract base changed (for instance, from nine to 12 months or vice versa); faculty on leave of absence without pay in the current or previous year; faculty changing from part-time to full-time or the reverse; visiting faculty; faculty whose responsibility center changed; faculty with a reduction in salary, and academic administrators at the level of dean or higher.

Goga said the analysis reports faculty salary increases in three ways: by “total salaries,” which represents the percentage increase in the total salaries this year over last; by the average of individual faculty members’ increases, and by the median of individual increases, which shows the point at which half the individual members’ percentage increases were lower and half were higher.

Total salaries

Total salaries for the 2,044 faculty included in the report rose an average of 3.8 percent, up from $201.12 million in FY14 to $208.82 million in FY15.

Click on image to download full size chart.

Click on image to download full size chart.

Salary increase intervals

Of the 2,044 continuing faculty included in the report, 148 (7.24 percent) received raises of 0 percent -1.49 percent, below the 2015 inflation rate of 1.5 percent. Thirty-nine of those (1.9 percent) received raises below the 1 percent salary pool increase maintenance component for employees demonstrating satisfactory performance. The inference, noted BPC member Phil Wion, is that those individuals’ performance was unsatisfactory.

Nearly half the continuing faculty (996 of the 2,044) received raises in the 1.5 percent-2.99 percent range while another quarter of continuing faculty (498 of the 2,044) received raises of 3 percent-4.99 percent.

Almost 10 percent of continuing faculty received raises in the 5 percent-7.49 percent range; 4 percent received raises of 7.5 percent-9.99 percent and nearly 6 percent received raises of 10 percent or more.

Increases by salary range

The report also analyzed continuing faculty salary increases by salary range (see chart).

BPC co-chair John J. Baker commented on the larger percentage increases for faculty in the lowest pay ranges in the humanities area in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

There, according to the report, continuing faculty who earned less than $40,000 received an average increase of 6.8 percent; those in the $40,001-$50,000 range averaged 5.6 percent, and those earning $50,001-$60,000 averaged 6.3 percent.

“I appreciate that. I know that’s been an issue for the Provost’s office and I’m very pleased to see that’s being followed up on,” Baker said.

David DeJong, vice provost for academic planning and resources management and chancellor’s liaison to BPC, noted the broad tendency across the salary survey for those in the lowest salary ranges to receive higher than average percentage increases.

The report showed the 25 faculty earning less than $40,000 averaged a 4.5 percent increase, with a median increase of 3.8 percent. The 114 faculty earning $40,001-$50,000 had an increase of 4.4 percent, with 3.9 percent as the median. And, those earning $50,001-$60,000 averaged a 4 percent increase, with a median increase of 2.8 percent.

Higher increases for the lowest-paid

A breakout of salary increases for full-time faculty and staff showed a tendency toward higher percentage increases for employees in the lowest 10 percent of pay ranges, DeJong said.

While the average percentage increase for all continuing full-time staff in FY15 was 4.12 percent, those earning $30,000 or less averaged a raise of 4.67 percent, while those earning more than $30,000 averaged 4.05 percent.

For continuing full-time faculty, the average increase was 3.94 percent. However, faculty earning $50,000 or less averaged a pay raise of 4.44 percent, DeJong said. Those earning more than $50,000 averaged a 3.91 percent increase.

To view the entire salary analysis go to www.utimes.pitt.edu/documents/ContinuingFacultySalaries2015.pdf.

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In other business:

• DeJong presented an updated 15-year salary cohort report for faculty and staff. (See related story, this issue.)

At DeJong’s request, Baker’s critique of the cohort study was held for discussion in a closed portion of the meeting.

• Baker raised the subject of nominations for BPC officers. A chair (or co-chairs) and a secretary will be needed.

Term limits in the Senate bylaws preclude Baker, who is in his sixth consecutive year as an elected member of the committee, from continuing as a voting member. While he may remain on BPC as a pro-tem member, under Senate bylaws he is ineligible for re-election for a year.

• BPC’s next meeting tentatively is set for May 22. Salary pool increase recommendations will be the primary agenda item, Baker said.

• Balwant N. Dixit, professor emeritus in pharmaceutical sciences, announced his retirement from BPC. In bidding farewell to the committee, Dixit, who joined the faculty in 1965 after receiving his PhD here, shared recollections of his career.

Kimberly K. Barlow