For the first time in nearly three decades, there has been no increase in the overall median base salary for senior-level administrators in higher education. It’s also anticipated many institutions will have no money to offer raises, fill vacant positions or hire additional staff next year.
These projections are based on a 2009-10 survey by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) of 1,280 schools. .
The survey shows two-thirds of the schools surveyed gave no salary increases in 2009 to those in senior-level positions such as chief financial officer, dean and provost; another two percent decreased salaries. In the previous three years, the median salaries for those same positions increased 4 percent.
“The economy has had a huge impact on higher education,” CUPA-HR President and CEO Andy Brantley told Diverse in a phone interview last week. “Many institutions have had to institute layoffs, furloughs and change benefits at their schools. Some schools are going to keep their hiring about the same or even less.”
Several states instituted no merit increases for faculty at colleges and universities. At the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 39 state-funded employees were laid off to help offset an estimated $1.6 million budget shortfall, said Rochelle Sanders, UMBC’s director of compensation and benefits.
At the University of Washington in Seattle, the school’s budget was cut by 26 percent, 850 jobs were eliminated and branch libraries and writing centers closed.
“We experienced the most extensive layoffs and elimination of jobs in decades,” said Randy West, associate director of compensation at UW, who added administrative staff did not receive raises last year. “We try and encourage administrators, managers and faculty to treat our staff with respect and tell them often how appreciated and valued they are. Saying ‘thank you’ goes a long way. We call that nonmonetary compensation.”
