Salaries short of replacing vacancies

Earning potential varies among different UWEC departments, faculty

By: Alison Pelleymounter

Posted: 3/2/06

Although the state Legislature recently approved a 5 percent pay plan increase for UW-Eau Claire faculty over the next two years, the salary hike likely will not be enough to lure necessary replacement faculty in the next 10 years, said Vice Chancellor of Business and Student Services Andy Soll.
Soll said the university has been struggling for years to fill vacant positions left by retirees in various departments, and the financially competitive market makes it difficult to lure qualified faculty to Eau Claire.

"It used to be … when a long-term faculty member retired, everyone thought 'great,' … from a financial perspective," Soll said. "(Now), many times, replacement faculty cost as much, if not more than, the people who are retiring."

There are currently 25 faculty positions, seven instructional academic staff positions and 10 administrative positions the university is looking to fill, according to its employment Web site.

Soll said academic departments that haven't had much turnover in the past 10 years may have lower average faculty salaries due to the market for those professors and other factors.

In addition, some disciplines present greater earning potential in the private sector, so in order to recruit faculty for those departments, salaries have to be
able to compete with private
earning potential.

Associate professor of political science Geoff Peterson said the discrepancies in Eau Claire salaries, among not only peer institutions but within the university's own departments, also have led to faculty leaving.

Rep. Dale Schultz, R-Richland, recently proposed legislation allowing UW faculty, like other state employees, to unionize. Other area systems, such as the University of Minnesota, have faculty unions.

The power of collective bargaining and arbitration may lead to more internal salary consistency, Peterson said.

According to the UW System Budget Red Book for 2005 and 2006, the average Management Information Systems faculty member made $88,065 a year. The average music professor made $45,712 a year.

"It will certainly be widely debated," Peterson said of faculty unionization if the issue passes the state Legislature. "It makes us more sympathetic to the idea of unionizing when we see the progress Minnesota has made."

But, Soll warned, he doesn't believe unionization will solve all problems with salaries at UW-Eau Claire or elsewhere in the System.

"I hope that if the legislation passes that allows faculty to organize, I hope that the decision to organize … will not be made solely on a belief that finally (the faculty) are going to get their salaries taken care of," Soll said.