Faculty salaries to rise
July 11, 2007
As a member of the Association of American Universities, a group of the nation's most prestigious public and private research institutions, MU ranks among the lowest in faculty salaries.
But Chancellor Brady Deaton announced on Monday a plan to raise faculty salaries at MU by extracting $7 million in costs from the university's operating budget.
"This plan will enable us to meet our most significant financial challenges with competitive salaries and rising energy and compliance costs being at the top of that list," Deaton stated in a news release. "If Missouri is to compete successfully with other states related to economic development, and if our students are to compete successfully for jobs and graduate education, then we must have the faculty and staff who can make that happen and not lose them to other states and private institutions."
The plan, called Compete Missouri, will focus on salaries that compete with universities throughout the nation.
According to MU spokesman Christian Basi, the purpose of the plan is to retain and recruit the best faculty to teach students, but salary increases would be necessary to do so.
Competitive salaries dominated the discussion at the UM system Board of Curators meeting in May.
Faculty Council Chairman Rex Campbell said the university is losing strong faculty members due to the depleted salaries.
Deaton met with Campbell, MU Provost Brian Foster and John David, chairman of the Strategic Planning and Resource Advisory Council, to formulate the plan and review proposals for cutting costs.
"We are using a process of strategic position management for all positions funded by the general operations budget," Foster stated in the release. "We want to consider each faculty and staff position strategically to determine which positions we must fill to accomplish our goals. MU central administration will accumulate funds from open positions to meet strategic goals, including competitive salaries."
The proposals being reviewed include consolidating libraries, offering nine-month staff appointments instead of 12-month appointments and the elimination of some campus centers.
MU administrators also plan to implement a strategic hiring process that will focus on campus priorities while ensuring record enrollment.
"Given the level of state funding, potential tuition constraints and Board of Curators concerns, immediate action by MU is needed to sustain quality programs," Campbell said. "Achieving the level of excellence expected of the university requires short-term sacrifices in order to achieve long-term gains."
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