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Questions Still Linger About 1 Percent Faculty, Staff Bonuses At OU
< < Back to questions-still-linger-about-1-percent-faculty-staff-bonuses-ouDetails of the one percent pay raise to Ohio University employees have yet to be determined by university officials.
Faculty and staff were notified of the decision to increase employee salaries by one percent in an Aug. 29 email from the office of university President Roderick McDavis. The Board of Trustees approved the raise at their meeting in Columbus the same day . The salary increase was publically announced Sept. 3.
Last spring the Budget Planning Council decided that, in addition to the two percent raise that has already been implemented for employees, they would prioritize a one percent salary increase to faculty members if enrollment targets were met.
According to McDavis’s email, this year’s freshman class size exceeded enrollment goals. The email said that preliminary numbers indicate that this year’s freshman class is the largest in the university’s history.
The one percent salary increase was later given to university staff as well.
“Given where we are, with the start of classes, especially with the enrollment growth that we’ve seen, we decided to extend the increase to both faculty and staff,” said Chad Mitchell, budget director of the university.
The details of the salary increase and how it will be implemented are not yet certain. Pam Benoit, the university’s executive vice president and provost, and Stephen Golding, vice president for Finance and Administration, are responsible for developing guidelines for how the salary increase will be allocated.
Mitchell said options include granting all faculty and staff a one percent salary increase or using a merit system, in which some faculty receive a salary increase greater than one percent and others receive an increase of less than one percent.
Until more details are determined, it is unclear who would decide the salary increase rate for each employee under a merit system – or even if every employee will receive a raise.
The increase – which amounts to $2.8 million, according to the Trustees meeting – will be funded by the tuition brought in by this year’s freshman class, Mitchell said.
According to (Ohio University publication) Compass, the salary changes will be implemented near the end of fall semester, as the payroll office needs two months to make the necessary adjustments. For classified and administrative staff, the changes will be made retroactively to July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year, and for faculty the changes will be made to Aug. 15, the beginning of the academic year.
The Board of Trustees also approved a 2.89 percent pay raise – $12,000 – for McDavis at the Aug. 29 meeting.