Dive Brief:
- The University of Northern Iowa will adjust earnings for 51 faculty members who were making below what their years of service and rank demanded.
- The university used a formula adopted by the Association of American University Professors to calculate appropriate salaries for the faculty members, an initiative which began in an effort to correct pay disparities along gender and racial lines.
- Increases will vary with each individual, but the institution will allocate a total of $155,064 to the faculty raises, and an additional $13,428 for four department heads. The increases will be applied retroactively to July 1, the Des Moines Register reports.
Dive Insight:
Colleges endear themselves to faculty by ensuring fair pay and increased resources for teaching and learning, two of the biggest complaints faculty advocacy groups typically make against institutions. But with uncertainty in how funding will be earned from state or federal resources, and more institutions looking to cut back on faculty assignments, institutions will have to figure out how to make salary increases and resources equitable with the amount of work which will soon be required.
Introducing innovative technology in academic service delivery, deploying new strategies for diversity to make campus transition for students easier and more fulfilling, and advocating for continuing resources to meet industrial and research agendas, are the necessary steps in making sure faculty are professionally fulfilled and supported in their work.