Regents discuss faculty raises

In the latest round of discussions focusing on the UW budget, the merits and possibility of pay raises for faculty and staff became the issue.

The UW Board of Regents met last night in the HUB to hear and discuss a revised version of the budget which is under consideration for next year.

The introduction of the revised budget fell on Provost Lee Huntsman, who let the board know the budget was the distillation of a lot of campus conversations. He also set the stage for the discussion of faculty promotions and pay raises.

"I think we have a nearly universal feeling that faculty promotions must be continued," Huntsman said.

The current budget proposal has some money, about $1 million, set aside for faculty promotions.

Based on that maintained budget item, the question arose of how to continue these promotions and pay raises. The University is facing a budget hole of about $33 million that needs to be made up of some returns on investment, tuition and other sources.

In a budget-crisis year, administrators are having to prioritize what is cut and what is kept.

Brad Holt, chair of the UW faculty senate, said there were three top priorities outlined by the senate. One was that there should be a continuing merit raise of a set amount of about 2 percent every year. Second, there should be a raise when someone gets a promotion. Third, there should be low-pay floors, meaning there would be a level of pay no faculty member could be below, based on their classification.

Sandy Silberstein, the vice chair of the faculty senate, also said that in deciding on a budget, the issues have to be prioritized.

Individual regents also brought up priorities. Regent Shelly Yapp felt areas such as compensation, campus technology infrastructure and facilities deferred maintenance were priorities.

Although short-term priorities were discussed as important to balancing this year's budget, the long-term affects of the budget were also discussed.

Regent Sally Jewell said there was nothing radical being proposed in this budget.

"There is a continued gradual erosion (of support for the University)," Jewell said.

However, the budget proposal being considered this year is not expected to have a long-term focus.

"We can't do this again," said regent William Gates Sr. He argued that the board must look ahead at things it does not have control over, like enrollment numbers and state funding.

President Richard McCormick acknowledged the short-term aspect of the budget.

"This is not a long-term plan for the survival of the University," said McCormick. "But it is based on a thoughtful strategic differential approach through which you (the Board of Regents) have led us."

The board meets again May 6 to discuss how to raise tuition and to have more discussion on the general budget. It will also meet May 17, when it is expected to make a final decision on the budget and tuition.