Iowa City Press Citizen, IA
04-09-07
UI officials pin salary hopes on earmark
Say faculty pay hurts retention, recruitment
By Brian Morelli
Iowa City Press-Citizen
Low faculty pay has forced University of Iowa colleges to "cannibalize" faculty
positions to keep other professors' pay competitive, university officials say. The
falling faculty numbers have hurt the student-faculty ratio, but officials sense
relief from Gov. Chet Culver's expected $40 million faculty salary earmark.
UI faculty may appear well-paid -- they dominate the top of the list for state-paid
employees -- but amongst peers they are at the bottom. Some officials say this
impedes recruiting and retention of what some call the "soul" of the university
and limits students' access to Iowa's top minds.
Based on fiscal year 2005 data, UI professors accounted for 85 of the state's top
100 public salaries with annual wages ranging from $272,000 to $668,160.
Despite this, UI's 1,600 tenure and tenure-track faculty averaged $84,409 in
2006, which ranked 13 out of 14 schools in their peer group, a mix of other Big
Ten and comparable schools. Some blame this for the 89 faculty resignations
last year.
"There is no doubt that we've lost some of our faculty positions because of this,"
UI Provost Michael Hogan said. "There is no doubt because of that our studentfaculty ratios have suffered."
Hogan has vowed more competitive pay. Totals aren't in, but Hogan thinks UI is
ranked eighth this year, and fifth or sixth in the peer group is a realistic goal next
year, he said.
"I am optimistic because of the governor's salary bill. This will be the first time in
several years that we have had measurable support from the state," Hogan said
of the money that will be divided among UI, Iowa State University and
University of Northern Iowa, pending legislative approval this month.
One way that UI has compensated for budget reductions is not filling positions
when professors leave and replacing full faculty with cheaper assistant or
associate faculty, which has put $8 million back in the salary pool, Hogan said.
Those most affected are undergraduate colleges, like the College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences, which lost 40 of the 75 total faculty lines cut since 1996.
Meanwhile, the college's student body grew by 1,200 since 1999, now at 20,738.
Deterioration of education quality has been kept in check though, Hogan said, as
evidenced by a recent U.S. News & World Report piece that shows 21 University
of Iowa graduate programs in the top 10 in their disciplines among public
universities.
Less expensive lecturers, who don't have research responsibilities, are teaching
more and more classes in liberal arts, said Linda Maxson, dean of the College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences.
"We are working hard to not impact the student experience," Maxson said. "We
are having more large classes so students are still being taught by faculty. I
personally think it hasn't reduced the quality."
Despite teaching the most students who bring the highest amount of tuition
dollars to campus, average salaries for the 586 full-time equivalent tenure and
tenure-track faculty in liberal arts are the lowest of UI's 11 colleges. They range,
on a nine-month pay scale, from $59,000 to $96,000 depending on assistant,
associate or full faculty status.
In the Carver College of Medicine, the best paying college, faculty primarily is
paid on a 12-month basis and averages from $147,000 to $218,000.
There are 133 full-time equivalent tenure and tenure-track faculty in the College
of Medicine, down from 179 in 1999. The medical school replaced many
positions with clinical-track faculty. Those numbers, based on total bodies, grew
from 82 in 1996 to 418.
Hogan agreed that undergraduate colleges are suffering, but said schools like
the College of Medicine are hurting, too. While medical professors may make
more at UI, they also lag behind peer medical schools, he said.
Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz said recruiting and retention have
become major issues.
"There is both the recruiting problem and the retention problem. ... You often
don't know if you are losing them for prestige or money," he said. "(And) starting
salaries are very low, which hurts with recruiting."
The law professor said part of what drives wages is competition, not only with
other universities but the private sector. This is why salaries in medicine and law,
for example, are higher than in liberal arts.
"My students who go to a large firm can make $150,000. The average starting
salary for a law professor is $105,000. There is a discount for public life," Kurtz
said.
Many officials, including Kurtz, Hogan and State Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville,
who leads the appropriations committee, say Culver's earmark will help stop the
bleeding, and could help return some of the vacated faculty lines.
"It is certainly a step in the right direction," Dvorsky said. "In the past they
wouldn't fund salaries, and we'd end up with layoffs. This will allow the state
departments and the regents (universities) to operate as they should."
Bob Downer, a member of the Iowa state Board of Regents from Iowa City, calls
the earmark a "good sign." He said top faculty add value to the whole state.
"The (universities) are the capstone on the educational system in the state of
Iowa," Downer said. "(And faculty) are No. 1. They are the most important
components to a successful university."