5.0 Salary Policies and Procedures
Table of Contents
- 1.0 Purpose, Organization and Governance
- 2.0 Recruitment and Employment
- 3.0 Academic Personnel Policies
- 4.0 Faculty Evaluation
- 5.0 Salary Policies and Procedures
- 6.0 Fringe Benefits
- 7.0 Faculty Development
- 8.0 Leave Benefits
- 9.0 Professional Issues
- 10.0 Research and Creative Activity Policies
- 11.0 Outside Activities and Conflict of Interest
- 12.0 Academic Administration Personnel Policies
- 13.0 Academic Personnel Grievance Process (APGP)
- 14.0 Professional Practices Review Process (PPRP)
- 15.0 Separation from Employment
- 16.0 Amendments
- Appendix A: Intellectual Property
- Appendix B: Financial Exigency Policy
- Appendix C: History, Accreditation and Professional Organizations
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Salary Policies and Procedures
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Salary Policy and Goals
Missouri State University does not have a formal salary schedule for faculty and other academic employees. The initial salary of a new faculty member is normally determined after consideration of the salaries being paid to currently employed faculty members in the same rank with similar training and experience and who are in the same department, teaching area, or other appropriate academic unit. While it is the ideal of Missouri State University to attain throughout the University essential parity in salaries among faculty members with comparable backgrounds and responsibilities, it is the practice at Missouri State University to offer higher salaries and/or other financial incentives to faculty members in some teaching areas where experience has shown that there is difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified faculty because of higher competitive market salaries.
Improvement of faculty salaries shall receive high priority each year in budget construction. The University will attempt to budget as an annual priority a salary raise pool for faculty and staff of sufficient magnitude that the institution will be able eventually to achieve and sustain its salary goals. The size of this raise pool depends primarily on the amount of funds appropriated by the legislature and the amount of funds generated by required student fees. Missouri State University-West Plain's goal is that the salary for Missouri State University-West Plains full-time, ranked faculty, with the exception of the allied health division, will equal or exceed 90 percent of the averages published in the CUPA 'C' National Faculty Salary Survey for full-time, ranked faculty positions at two-year institutions with academic ranks. For the allied health division the goal is that the salary will equal or exceed 90 percent of the averages published in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
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Salary Procedures
Full-time faculty (including non-visiting faculty) and staff will be eligible for salary increments derived from the above pool, allocated by the cost center head on the basis of individual performance and considerations of internal and external equity. Performance-based salary adjustments shall be based on annual reviews as described in Section 4.4. However, this component of salary increases will be suspended when the size of the raise pool is not greater than 2% of the salary base. When the pool is at or below 2%, across-the-board raises will be given. Policy and procedural details for across-the-board raises will be based on recommendations from the Executive Budget Committee to the president and will be posted by the office of the provost.
Procedures for required performance evaluations as one basis for the determination of salary increments shall be conducted at the division level by a Division Personnel Committee. See section 4.4.4. Each faculty member will be assigned performance ratings on a numerical scale from 1-5 for teaching, professional activity, and service. A composite rating will then be established for each faculty member by the associate dean utilizing performance ratings and weights that have been determined by division procedures consistent with parameters established by the campus for teaching, professional activity, and service. Composite ratings will be reviewed and approved by the dean of academic affairs.
Each cost center shall use a compensation matrix approved by the chancellor to guide its allocation of individual raises. All compensation matrices shall be subject to the advice and monitoring by the dean of academic affairs, who shall seek recommendations from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee regarding its composition. After seeking formal input from the Faculty Senate, the dean of academic affairs shall make periodic recommendations to the chancellor for necessary adjustments to the compensation plan.
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Performance Evaluation Appeals Process
See section 4.4.4
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Completion of a Doctorate
The annual salary is increased by a University-wide standard amount for an individual who completes a doctorate in his or her discipline from a regionally accredited institution after his or her initial appointment. That adjustment is made in the salary for the next academic year following the date of the completion of the doctorate.
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Rank Change
An individual promoted to a higher academic rank receives an increment appropriate to the new rank. The amount of this increase is determined by multiplying a base percentage (which is different for each rank) times the average faculty salary in the previous fiscal year. Any change in the base percentages will be reported to the Faculty Senate.
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Equity Adjustment
A faculty member may file with his or her department head/associate dean a request for a salary adjustment if that faculty member believes that his or her salary is inconsistent with the salaries of other individuals of similar training, experience, and job performance. An adjustment may also be requested by an individual who believes that his or her salary is significantly below the market in an area of high demand where experience has shown that there is difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified faculty. Requests for equity adjustment must be filed according to the schedule issued by the office of academic affairs in the Master Calendar.
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Summer Session
Faculty members who teach an overload as designated in Sec. 4.3.2.1 or who teach during the summer sessions will receive pay in addition to their regular annual salaries as determined by the Board of Governors. Compensation will be based on a rate of at least two and one-half percent of base salary per teaching load equivalent. For courses that do not meet the minimum enrollment guidelines, the administrator and faculty member may negotiate for a salary rate that is less than two and one-half percent of base salary per teaching load equivalent.
Subject to a holdback of ten percent of the personal services budget for the summer to cover unforeseen student demand for courses in specific areas, summer faculty appointments will be confirmed as soon as possible after the summer budget is final. While there is no specific date by which summer appointments will be confirmed, it will be at the earliest possible date. Faculty members are placed on the summer session payroll and will receive half of their summer salary at the end of June and the other half at the end of July. If circumstances require that an appointment to teach during the summer is made after the last week in May, the entire compensation will be included in the July paycheck.
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Intersessions
Missouri State University-West Plains offers courses during three intersession periods (January, May, and August) and faculty members are encouraged to develop proposals for these courses. The course proposals are approved and reviewed by the department head/associate dean and the dean. Instructional salary for intersessions is based on a scale of at least two and one-half percent of base salary per teaching load equivalent. For intersession courses that do not meet the minimum enrollment guidelines, the administrator and faculty member may negotiate for a salary rate that is less than two and one-half percent of base salary per teaching load equivalent.
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Off-Campus Instruction
Faculty members may be asked to teach courses at off-campus locations as part of regular teaching loads. Expenses of meals and travel, when recognized as excludible by the Internal Revenue Service, will be reimbursed to individuals assigned, and en route compensation will be paid at currently approved rates, which are based on distance and/or driving time from Missouri State University-West Plains. For specific details, see the University Travel Policy document. Assignments may be made on an overload basis for supplemental compensation.
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Salary Report
In the fall of the year, the dean of academic affairs will present a report to the Faculty Senate in which implementation of salary policies for that year is detailed. In particular, the progress toward attaining University salary goals will be addressed.
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