Trustees increase benefits
Pay to rise by 3 to 4 percent for faculty, staff

By Alisha Brown
Staff Reporter

On March 30, the Board of Trustees approved a pay raise and an increase in retirement benefits for faculty and staff.

A general pay raise is offered each year across the board and averages between 3 to 4 percent, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business Carol Campbell said.

“The rate was lower this year, because the budget was much tighter,” Campbell said. “Every year when you do the budget you’re trying to balance all kinds of things. Three percent was all we could do this year with all of the other increases we made.”

Last year, the minimum wage for non-exempt staff was raised from $5.73 to $7.25 an hour, according to Skiff reports.

The board also approved a 5 percent merit/adjustment increase for continuing non-exempt staff, who were not affected by the raise in minimum wage and a 4 percent merit/adjustment pool for continuing faculty.

“Its annual increases are the university’s way of moving us toward the goal of better salaries,” Jean Andrus, chairwoman for the Staff Assembly, said. “Salaries were so low a few years ago that we were losing people all the time.”

In furthering that goal and as a result of the board meeting, retirement pay rates for non-exempt faculty were also raised, she said.

“There is a differential in retirement salaries,” Campbell said. “Retirement is funded based on a percentage of a salary.

“There are two different rates — one for faculty and exempt staff and a different lower rate for non-exempt staff.”

When Chancellor Michael Ferrari came to the university in 1998, non-exempt staff were paid 6 percent of their salary upon retirement. Faculty and exempt staff received 11 percent, Ferrari said.

“I feel strongly that all members of our staff in the non-exempt category work hard for the university, and I want to bring their rates up to parody,” he said.

The rate was raised to 8.5 percent last year and again to 9.5 percent this year.

“We hope to continue to raise the rate 1 percent each year until it equalizes with the faculty and exempt staff rates,” Campbell said.

Alisha Brown
a.k.brown2@student.tcu.edu