University Times

The University Senate budget policies committee will review procedures from each responsibility center to ensure Pitt’s salary increase policy is being followed University-wide.

BPC, in its Sept. 28 meeting, revisited discussion on whether faculty and staff are being informed of their unit’s policy for seeking reconsideration of salary decisions. (See Sept. 11, 2008, and June 11, 2009, University Times.)

Pitt’s salary increase policy, 07-09-01, (www.cfo.pitt.edu/policies/policy/07/07-09-01.html) states, in part:

“Procedures should be developed within each responsibility center through which individual faculty and staff members can request reconsideration of decisions related to aspects of their salaries.”

Several BPC members shared their experiences regarding information on salary reconsideration policies: In some areas, details on appealing salary increases have long been communicated to faculty in writing; in other areas, information on the process was new this year. Elsewhere, the policy was discussed, but not presented in writing.

BPC members also expressed interest in reviewing policies for best practices, given that each unit can set its own salary reconsideration procedure.

Several members expressed concern that in some units the request for reconsideration reportedly goes to the person who made the initial salary decision, rather than to an independent reviewer.

David DeJong, vice provost for academic planning and resources management and a chancellor’s liaison to BPC, volunteered to work with the vice provost for faculty affairs to gather salary policies, with the goal of bringing them to BPC’s Oct. 26 meeting.

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The committee also continued discussions from the spring term on the issue of financial aid for in-state and out-of-state students and on forming a subcommittee to examine part-time faculty pay.

BPC co-chair John J. Baker mentioned the recent union election by Duquesne University adjunct faculty, adding that the United Steelworkers also is interested in organizing part-time faculty at Pitt.

(The National Labor Relations Board announced last month that adjunct faculty members in Duquesne’s McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts voted 50-9 to be represented by the USW.)

DeJong suggested forming a subcommittee to decide what questions would shed light on the issues, then discussing with University administrators how to obtain the information needed.

In other BPC business:

• The committee requested an update on the suspension of admissions to graduate programs in German, classics and religious studies. (See June 14 University Times.) DeJong said he would present an update at BPC’s next meeting.

• Baker inquired about the status of the University’s attribution study, which reports revenues and expenses attributable to each of the University’s academic units and other responsibility centers. DeJong said it would be complete in time for the University planning and budgeting committee’s first meeting, which will be in February.

• Baker and Beverly Gaddy were elected committee co-chairs; Chandralekha Singh volunteered to serve as vice chair with the intention of becoming qualified to chair the committee.

• Meetings for the fall term were set for Oct. 26 and Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. in 156 Cathedral of Learning.

• Baker directed members to BPC’s mission statement (www.pitt.edu/univsenate/committees/budget/mission.html) and requested they bring the document up for discussion if they would like to propose any changes.

—Kimberly K. Barlow