Faculty Salaries
Previous
Next
I. Introduction
-
Included on this page:
-
A. Provost's Charge to the Committee
B. Committee Deliberations
C. Overall Conclusions
Faculty salary levels at the University of Washington present a severe and
increasing problem. There are several aspects of the "faculty salary
problem" at the University of Washington. UW salaries are low--both in
comparison to peer universities and relative to the high cost of housing
in metropolitan Seattle. Over the last decade, the "wage gap" has been
compounded by very modest increments for faculty salaries from the state
budget. Indeed, in several years, there were no funds allocated for
salary increases.
There are also procedural problems in the distribution of faculty
salaries. The University Handbook and Faculty Code specify a
salary policy and a merit review process formulated many years ago when
it was assumed that a steady stream of increases in faculty salaries
would prevail. Moreover, some aspects of the policy are unnecessarily
complicated and opaque. These conditions have led to misunderstandings
and to some tensions between the University administration, the Faculty
Senate, and departments on campus. Although every department has
established procedures for merit review, there are wide variations in
practices across campus. Most department chairs have not received
adequate guidance to insure that departmental procedures conform to the
Faculty Code.
Another dimension of the problem is that the distribution of faculty
salaries is often a product of incremental decision making rather than
thoughtful planning. Market pressures for hiring, efforts to retain
faculty who receive outside offers, unit level disparities inherited from
the past, the constraints of state budgets and policies, and perceptions
of political considerations with Olympia have all shaped the current
distribution of faculty salaries between and within units in the
University.
With awareness of these problems and of the need for reform of the
University's salary policy, Provost Lee Huntsman appointed an ad hoc
Advisory Committee on Faculty Salaries. In his letter of February 17,
1998, appointing the committee, the Provost charged the committee with the
following instructions (see appendix A for the Provost's
letter):
-
To undertake a critical evaluation of the merit review process,
-
To arrive at a clear and defensible characterization of the salary
situation at the UW,
-
To suggest a unit level approach to salary considerations,
-
To characterize an ideal salary system.
For the past three months, the committee has met weekly to discuss these
issues and to consider potential reforms. The first step of our study was
an analysis of the trends and variations in faculty salaries at the
University of Washington and an assessment of UW salaries relative to peer
institutions. We also conducted a survey of selected UW departments and
colleges on merit review procedures and the allocation of salary
increments in their units. As part of our deliberations, we reviewed the
salary policies at a number of other universities. Throughout our many
weeks of study, discussion, and occasional disagreements on details, all
committee members were united in the hope to make the process of salary
allocation as clear as possible and to bring salary policy into alignment
with the priorities and values of the institution.
The primary objectives of this report are to: 1) provide a basic portrait
of faculty salaries, including trends, distribution, and comparisons with
peers, 2) describe variations in the practices of merit reviews and salary
recommendations at the departmental level, 3) suggest basic principles
that should shape the University's faculty salary policy and offer some
specific procedures for implementation of the policy, and 4) discuss some
considerations for the distribution of salaries across units in the
University. The initial section of the report contains our analysis of
the UW salary situation and a summary of the practices of salary
allocation in selected units. We then review the current salary policy
and offer our recommendations for reform.
We have concluded that the University of Washington salary policy must
reflect the realities of the academic market with appropriate
consideration of the unique contributions of individuals and units to the
broad and multifaceted mission of a great university. The guiding
principles of salary allocation should be:
-
Regular Evaluations of Merit:
-
Merit increases must be based on rigorous
evaluations of merit. The system must be fair and transparent, both to
members of the academic community and to the citizens of the state. We
propose a balanced set of annual reviews and less frequent, but more
intensive, peer reviews tied to salary increases for promotions in rank
and grade.
-
University Value:
-
To achieve and sustain "internal equity," salaries must
reflect valued contributions to teaching, research, and service. There
must be opportunities for career advancement in salary for all faculty who
are judged to be meritorious. The establishment of grades within
professorial ranks, with progress marked by peer reviews, will enable most
faculty members to achieve recognition and rewards throughout their
careers.
-
Market Value:
-
To achieve and sustain "external equity," general salary
levels should be set relative to an appropriately chosen group of peer
institutions. The selection of the peers should reflect the aspirations of
the University of Washington to maintain its status as one of the nation's
leading academic institutions where superb undergraduate education and
top-ranked research are mutually reinforcing. In order to maintain parity
with peers, general increases at all ranks and grades must be made on a
regular basis.
Our report does not directly address the question of the amount of funds
available for faculty salaries, but any meaningful reforms will require
additional funding. In addition to support from the state general fund,
our committee recommends the University consider additional sources of
funding for faculty salaries, including, but not limited to: private
development/endowment, increases in tuition, and funding from the federal
government and private sector.
Faculty Salaries
Previous
Next