Salary Equity Task Force Update
to the Faculty Senate
-K. Sahami, M. Mocanasu and M. Ketterer
April 23rd 2014
Salary Equity Task Force
• Created Fall of 2013
• Charged with looking at where MSU Denver salaries
– stand with respect to peer institutions
– stand with respect to stated goals
– Stand relative to cost of living norms
FS Salary Equity Task Force members:
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Dr. Cynthia Church (Biology)
Sen. Juan Dempere (Finance)
Sen. Adam Graves (Philosophy)
Sen. Clare Hay (AES)
Dr. Michael Ketterer (Chemistry, Chair)
Sen. Jeff London (CJC, CFAC)
Dr. Jean Lundy (CAS)
Sen. Mona Mocansu (Mathematics)
Dr. Nhu Nguyen (HPS)
Sen. Lisa Ortiz (Technical Communication)
Sen. Julie Reyes (SOAN)
Sen. Sheila Rucki (Political Science)
Sen. Kamran Sahami (Physics)
Prof. Cynthia Vannucci (HTL)
Sen. Jacob Welch (Theater)
Background
• Stated Goal for our faculty salaries to be within 15%
of mean colleagues salaries at peer institutions
• Salaries floor systematically set 85% of CUPA mean
salary
• ISSUE: WITHIN vs. OF
Gaussian (normal) Distribution
Gaussian (normal) Distribution
• ±s Good approximation to 15% clustering around
2
mean
• Being within 15% of mean value
• What we do is reduce by
15% of the mean (Salary
floor at 85% of X)
Example:
Heights of US Middle Aged Males (2010)
• Average American male 5’9.8’’ –(5’10”)
• Standard Deviation 2.8” –( 3”)
Example:
Heights of US Middle Aged Males (2010)
• To be within ±s 2of 5’10” would be within range
5’11.5” to 5’8.5” tall
• To be 85% of 5’10” is to be 4’11”
Percentage of Professors
Outside 1 Standard Deviation
Biology Dep.
Chemistry Dep.
50%
83%
100%
100%
57%
100%
50%
67%
14%
0% 0
0%
0%
17%
0%
Assistant
Associate
Below
Full
Assistant
Above
Associate
Below
Accounting Dep.
100%
100%
Assistant
Associate
100%
100%
50%
0%
Below
Above
Full
Above
Full
Percentage of Professors
Outside 1 Standard Deviation
History Dep.
More Examples: English Dep.
80%
57%
63%
60%
60%
40%
20%
40%
20%
0% 0
0
0%
44%
50%
40%
22%
30%
20%
Assistant
Associate
Below
0%
10%
Full
0
0
0%
Assistant
Above
Associate
Below
Psychology Dep.
100%
80%
77%
83%
60%
40%
20%
0%
11%
17%
0%
Assistant
Associate
Below
Above
Full
Above
Full
Associate Median Comparison,
• For the 6 departments sampled above, here is a comparison between
median salaries at MSU Denver and the CUPA Median
Associate Professor, Median Salaries
105000
95000
85000
75000
65000
55000
History
English
Accounting
CUPA
Chemistry
MSU Denver
Associate, Median Difference
$30,000
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$-
$27,108
$5,008
$4,894
History
English
Accounting
$7,624
$6,934
$6,965
Chemistry
Biology
Psychology
Biology
Psychology
Full Median Comparison,
• For the 6 departments sampled above, here is a comparison between
median salaries at MSU Denver and the CUPA Median
Full Professor, Median Salary
110000
100000
90000
80000
70000
History
English
Accounting
CUPA
Chemistry
MSU Denver
Full Professor, Median Difference
$25,000
$20,366
$20,000
$15,000
$11,104
$7,649
$10,000
$5,000
$3,883
$2,950
History
English
$3,869
$Accounting
Chemistry
Biology
Psychology
Biology
Psychology
Administrator Salaries vs. CUPA
• Academic administrators: senior institutional
officers, academic Deans, directors and
managers of Centers, Associate and Assistant
Deans
• Other administrative personnel: academic
affairs, student affairs, institutional affairs,
fiscal affairs, external affairs, IT, athletics,
AA/EO, and facilities
Academic administrators
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
Percent of CUPA Peer Salary for
Comparable Positions
140
150
160
Academic administrators
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
Percent of CUPA Peer Salary for
Comparable Positions
140
150
160
Other administrators
50
70
90
110
130
Percent of CUPA Peer Salary for
Comparable Positions
150
170
Grants + Contracts
Student Affairs
Diversity
EO/AA
Comptroller
Provost
President
0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent of CUPA Peer Salary for
Comparable Positions
120
140
Administrator Salaries vs. CUPA
• Majority of salaries are less than the
CUPA averages, but most are at the
90% level or better
• Numerous examples of positions
paid at well above the CUPA peer
average salaries
An anecdotal comparison - Deans
• SLAS Dean: $134,885 vs. CUPA
average of $152,751, maximum of
$203,004 for Arts and Letters; similar
numbers for Arts and Sciences or
Sciences Deans
• Associate Deans – improvement
needed
An anecdotal comparison - Deans
• School of Business Dean: $171,666
vs. CUPA average of $189,661,
maximum of $335,000
Relative Cost Of Living: Denver CO vs. CUPA peers
Relative Cost Of Living: Denver CO vs. CUPA peers
• Cost of Living data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics and
C2ER (Council for Community and Economic Research)
• Normed for $50,000 in Denver CO.
Relative Cost Of Living: Denver CO vs. CUPA peers
Average : 7.86% Median : 9.11%
Conclusions (so far)
• MSU Denver Faculty appear to be systematically
underpaid relative to CUPA peers (10-15%)
• MSU Denver Faculty appear to be systematically
underpaid relative to MSU Denver Administrators
• Cost of Living adjustment for Denver relative CUPA
mean (7.9%)
• Task Force will complete a report to the MSU Denver
Community
Questions and Comments: