Hourly NSU staff see small pay boost; many salaries flat [Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.]

Feb. 23—The salaries for university faculty and staff across the country haven't fluctuated much in recent years, and in some instances, compensations have even decreased.

According to information from the American Association of University Professors, which collected data from 929 U.S. colleges and universities for its 2020-2021 Faculty Compensation Survey, real wages for full-time faculty decreased for the first time since the "Great Recession." While the average salary for full-time faculty increased by 1 percent — the smallest increase since 1972 — 42 percent of colleges and universities surveyed saw the average salary decrease.

As funding for institutions in Oklahoma has fallen in recent years, and with the increased expenses due to COVID-19, many schools have a hard time offering pay raises. Northeastern State University Vice President of Administration and Finance Christy Landsaw said raises or stipends are handed out when it's fiscally appropriate.

"With state appropriations for universities being reduced continuously and increases in mandatory costs left underfunded, the ability to provide pay increases is difficult," she said. "Our last across-the-board pay increase for all full-time positions was in January 2019."

In 2019, several presidents of the state's 25 public universities pointed to low pay for faculty and staff as an issue. That year, the state Legislature allocated $28 million for higher education to bolster research programs and provide a salary increase for educators. Salaries across-the-board at NSU saw a 3 percent raise.

Meanwhile, full-time positions at NSU did receive stipends in 2018, 2020, and 2021. The pay for entry-level staff positions also rose from $9.40 an hour to $11.46 in 2021.

According to OpenPayrolls, NSU reported 51 employees making more than $100,000 per year in 2020. The top earners were largely made up of administration, although some professors were among the top tier. Jean Logue, director of human resources and payroll, said the average salary for faculty varies, depending on the discipline they teach, their rank, and contract length. The average budgeted salary for full-time faculty in the rank of professor is $78,015 for fiscal year 2022.

Members of the administration saw slight decreases in pay over the past year. OpenPayrolls' compensation reports show the salary for vice president of academic affairs and provost for 2020 was $160,160; vice president of administration and finance, $139,112; vice president of student affairs, $121,016; and vice president of university relations, $110,504. According to figures from NSU, those salaries for fiscal year 2021 were, respectively: $159,660; $138,612; $120,516; and $110,004 — representing a $500 decrease. In some cases, that might be because previous admins left their positions, and their replacements were hired in at a lower salary.

Landsaw said vice president positions are paid according to data collected from a FY 2012-2013 College and University Professional Association salary survey. Salaries are calculated based on 90 percent of the average salaries using 33 "like-type" institutions as the comparison cohort.

President Steve Turner's salary for fiscal year 2021 was $221,697, which was the same for FY 2020.

"The president's salary is determined by the Regional University System of Oklahoma and the State Board of Regents," Landsaw said.

NSU employees do receive a wide array of benefits, which is due to the school's participation in the Oklahoma Higher Education Employee Interlocal system.

"NSU's full-time employees are provided with employee premium free coverage for health and vision," Logue said. "Employees may elect to provide their spouse and dependents with health and vision coverage by paying those premiums. Employees may elect dental coverage for themselves, spouse and dependents by paying the premiums for these benefits. We provide both a Health Spending Account and a Flexible Spending Account."

Employees are provided 100 percent paid basic life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance. The school partners with The Zero Card to help employees with payment options for surgery and some preventive health screening services.

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