In August, IU Trustees responded to IU President Michael McRobbie’s call for merit-based raises by approving the plan.
This decision comes after a two-year freeze on pay raises was implemented throughout the IU system.
McRobbie received some criticism regarding this decision given the state’s economy. IUS Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance Dana Wavle said he disagrees with this criticism.
“While we’re not out of the woods yet, the state economy does appear to be on the rebound,” Wavle said. “State revenue is increasing, and we’re getting very close to the original 2009 forecasts.”
Wavle said those forecasts were being used as benchmarks for whether or not the pay increases are feasible.
He also cited the 8 percent state revenue increase for 2009 to further support justification for the pay raises.
“The timing is right for salary increases,” Wavle said. “It will improve retention and morale, and it will help faculty and staff cover the cost of living increases. In addition, our faculty and staff have worked hard to serve record numbers of students over the last two years. Their hard work and dedication should be reflected in their pay check.”
Wavle said IU Southeast is in a good place to issue these raises because of sound fiscal management during the last decade, as well as record-breaking student enrollment.
The pay increase is effective Nov. 1.
Initially, all faculty and staff will receive a 1.25 percent increase in pay across the board, as long as they meet certain criteria.
These criteria require an employee to have been hired by June 30 of this year. It also requires the employee has not already been awarded a promotional increase — among other things.
This leaves 1.75 percent of the 3 percent pool of money for raises. This remaining amount will be given to faculty and staff who are chosen for merit-based raises.
The deans and vice chancellors of each particular department in the university will review the faculty and employees under their supervision and choose who deserves these raises.
The definition of merit and who is able to receive a merit-based raise is at the discretion of the deans and vice chancellors.
They will be using the same salary spreadsheet that has been used for past salary reviews.
All pay-increase decisions are to be reviewed by Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles.
“This isn’t something new,” Joe Wert, dean of Social Sciences, said.
Wert said the only difference is these raises are coming mid-semester instead of at the beginning of the fiscal year.
Wert said the merit-based review starts with faculty writing reports on what they’ve done for the year and what they have accomplished in the classroom, as well as in their field of research.
From there, procedures change from department to department.
Wert said, in the Department of Social Sciences, faculty members submit nominations for an outstanding faculty member from their school.
Wert reviews these nominations, as well as the individual faculty reports, and, from there, he determines who deserves the merit-based raises.
While Wert said he would pay special attention to the nominations from the faculty, in the end, he must make an independent judgment.
When choosing which faculty to award the merit-based raises to, deans have to operate within certain conditions.
Under one of these conditions, they must ensure the raises are not consolidated within a small group of faculty.
“At least 20 percent of each unit’s continuing faculty must receive salary increases of 4 percent or more,” Wavle said.
The vice chancellors have certain conditions to follow.
For instance, they can’t award any professional staff a pay raise that — including their across-the-board raise — could equal more than 6 percent of their original salary.
There is also a 3 percent across-the-board raise for food-service, technical, clerical, support and service staff. This includes full-time and appointed part-time staff.
There is room for exceptions within this policy, but they must follow the FY11 Salary Policy.
“The employees really are the lifeblood of the university,” Wavle said. “The university is saying, ‘We want to recognize faculty who are going above and beyond.’”
By MICHELE HOP
Staff
mhop@ius.edu