Currently, MSU ranks 11 out of 12 in average faculty pay among Big Ten institutions.
Officials are hoping the increase will at least maintain that rank or bump MSU up in the rankings slightly.
“We think 4 percent is a little more than what we’ve had in the past, but we think it’s appropriate for catch-up to improve faculty morale and our standing in the Big Ten,” committee chair William Donohue said.
In 2013, the committee recommended a 3 percent increase in the merit pool, along with a 1.25 increase in the market adjustment pool. The proposed increase on the table would be the largest faculty have seen in at least five years.
After the committee considered the erosion of university-funded health benefits and the long-term impacts of the Affordable Care Act, it decided to up the recommendation 4 percent. The recommended increase in the market adjustment pool is 1.25 percent.
Per MSU Salary Adjustment Guidelines, the increases would not raise base faculty salaries, but would give faculty the opportunity for higher pay based on their performance.
Donohue cited state funding increases as a reason for the pay hike and noted the main reasons for the hike would be faculty retention and recognizing the effort they put in.
“You want the pay to reflect some sort of recognition of effort and we have had a lack of increases over the years particularly in the down times,” Donohue said. “So now that the economy has picked up a little bit, faculty recognize this is a little bit of a catch-up time for us.”
The proposed pay increase still has to be approved by a slew of other university committees, and was ultimately sent to Faculty Senate for consideration.
Steering Committee Chairwoman Sue Carter noted during the committee that adjusting faculty pay was an important annual chore and thanked Donohue for his work.
Provost June Youatt said she did not feel comfortable commenting on the proposed raise until after the Faculty Senate meeting, where there would be more discussion on the issue.
Although several members of the faculty might be rooting for an increase in pay, ASMSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Mitchell Goheen said he hopes the increase in state funding to the university will be reflected in breaks on student tuition as well.
“I obviously understand the importance of having an all-star faculty, especially this being a more research centered institution,” Goheen said. “It’s good and bad. It would be nice to see a decent size portion going to tuition as well.”
Student tuition rates have been on the rise for the past several years. Last year, the MSU Board of Trustees approved a staggered increase for different grade levels.
