University Times

Between fiscal years 1998 and 2013, the consumer price index (CPI) rose 43 percent. For the 1,105 full-time staff members who were employed at Pitt throughout that entire 15-year period, 94 percent received salary increases that exceeded inflation.

A salary cohort analysis prepared by the Office of the Provost for the University Senate budget policies committee (BPC) for the first time compared how long-term Pitt staff fared, in addition to updating earlier cohort reports on Pitt full-time faculty salaries (see Nov. 21, 2013, University Times).

The staff cohort is made up of full-time active staff in FY98 who remained so in FY13. It covers staff on the Pittsburgh campus, including the medical school, and staff on Pitt’s regional campuses, said Amanda Brodish of the Office of the Provost, in her presentation at BPC’s Dec. 12 meeting.

The 15-year staff cohort represents 16.5 percent of the University’s FY13 full-time staff of 6,699.

According to the report:

• 98 percent of the staff cohort exceeded the salary pool maintenance component (for employees with satisfactory performance), which rose 28 percent.
• 85 percent of the staff cohort exceeded the overall salary pool (maintenance, merit, market and equity components) increase, which rose 49 percent.
• 74 percent of the staff cohort exceeded the 58 percent increase in the overall salary pool increase plus academic initiatives funds.

Although academic initiatives don’t apply to staff, the comparison was made in order to show staff salary performance in comparison to the total.

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The analysis did not differentiate between staff who remained in the same job classification throughout the entire period and those who moved to higher classifications.

David DeJong, vice provost for academic planning and resources management, said his office would examine ways to separate the groups in future analyses.

Faculty cohort salary analysis

The report also followed a cohort of Pitt faculty who were full professors in FY13, analyzing their salary progress based on their rank in FY98. Both tenure stream and non-tenure stream faculty on all Pitt campus, plus medical school faculty, were included.

According to the 2013 Pitt Fact Book, the University’s 4,470 full-time faculty included 988 full professors.

The report did not analyze salaries for faculty who remained in the lower academic ranks.

DeJong noted that individuals can determine how their own salaries are keeping up by calculating the percentage increase in their pay from 1998 to 2013 and comparing it with the percentage increases in the CPI and the salary pool.

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In comparison to the 43 percent increase in the CPI, the increase in the salary pool maintenance component for satisfactory performance was 28 percent; the increase in maintenance, merit, market and equity was 49 percent, and the increase in maintenance, merit, market and equity plus academic initiatives increases was 58 percent.

Of the 109 faculty members who were assistant professors in FY98 and had become full professors by FY13:

• 96 percent exceeded the CPI.
• 96 percent exceeded maintenance.
• 94 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity.
• 92 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity plus academic initiatives increases.

Of the 171 faculty members who were associate professors in FY98 and had become full professors by FY13:

• 93 percent exceeded the CPI.
• 96 percent exceeded maintenance.
• 92 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity.
• 90 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity plus academic initiatives increases.

Of the 232 faculty members in the cohort who were full professors in FY98 and remained full professors in FY13:

• 86 percent exceeded the CPI.
• 94 percent exceeded maintenance.
• 78 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity.
• 64 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity plus academic initiatives increases.

DeJong commented that the higher percentages of assistant and associate professors whose salaries outpaced the benchmarks when compared to full professors can be attributed to the increased opportunity for raises that come with promotion.

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In addition, the report analyzed salaries for the 76 individuals who were full-time Pitt faculty members in FY13 and were full-time instructors/lecturers here in FY98.

• 92 percent exceeded the CPI.
• 96 percent exceeded maintenance.
• 87 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity.
• 74 percent exceeded maintenance, merit, market and equity plus academic initiatives increases.

Brodish noted that a small number of the faculty in the instructors/lecturers cohort moved into the ranked faculty, although most remained in the instructors/lecturers category in FY13.

“It’s not the case that these percentages are driven by those faculty who ended up in the tenure stream,” she said.

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The longitudinal salary study was instituted in response to a request by then-University Senate President Michael Pinsky. (See May 13, 2010, University Times.)

He suggested that because the University’s annual mean and median salary report (see May 1, 2014, University Times) represents a different group of faculty each year, a cohort study would provide better information on whether faculty members’ salaries are keeping pace with inflation.

Committee discussion on adding an analysis of part-time faculty members’ salaries was tabled until BPC’s Jan. 23 meeting.

—Kimberly K. Barlow