Three unanimous votes by the University Senate officially launched a plan to bring faculty compensation out of the basement.
On Wednesday, the Senate Budget Committee presented a final draft of its White Paper, detailed descriptions of the principles behind the plan and a specific implementation plan for 2000-01.
Compensation for University instructional faculty, which includes salary and benefits, is currently about 18 percent below the average at other universities of a similar size and character. The White Paper provides a blueprint for significantly increasing compensation over the next five to seven years.
“The SBC has crafted an extraordinarily powerful plan,” said Sen. Greg McLauchlan. After the Senate resolved to pass the White Paper, McLauchlan removed a resolution he had co-sponsored from consideration. He noted that the cost of living issues addressed in his resolution were adequately covered by the White Paper.
The University has committed to a 5 percent increase to be distributed in November. The funds for this increase will come from two of the five sources for the long-term increase outlined in the White Paper. A reallocation of current funds to instruction and an increase in the fee collected from athletics and other auxiliary enterprises will supplement state appropriated funds to accomplish this year’s $2.75 million increase.
Funding for future increases will come from: anticipated enrollment increases; tuition increases, after the current tuition freeze expires in June, 2001; and new endowment from private fund sources.
Before the resolutions were voted on, the floor was opened for some final discussion.
Bryan Moore, a senior instructor in the romance languages department, raised the issue that some faculty, such as instructors, are not covered by the White Paper, even though pay in these areas is also lagging.
Senate President Peter Gilkey, called creating a new compensation model “a complex undertaking” and that “all groups on campus are part of our goal of 95 percent parity.”
It was repeatedly noted that developing a new faculty compensation model is a difficult process that will change as it is implemented over the next seven years. The SBC plans to look at compensation for other groups, such as instructional faculty, administrative officers and researchers, in the next year.
The White Paper can be read in full on the University Senate Web site: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~uosenate/dirsen990/SBCfinal.html