FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- On July 1, the University of Arkansas will provide a merit-based salary increase "pool" of 5 percent to faculty and non-classified staff for the 1999-2000 academic year, Chancellor John A. White announced today.

Individual salary increases, however, will be based entirely on merit. Those increases will be determined by departmental administrators.

"We’re advising administrators to recognize performance," White said. "Accordingly, individual salary increases can range from 0 to 10 percent.

"Overall, however, we are striving to move our average salary levels closer to the national average for our peer group of flagship public research universities across the nation," White added. "We need to pay nationally competitive salaries to recruit the best faculty and staff in the academic marketplace to Arkansas and to keep our top people from being recruited elsewhere."

According to the American Association of University Professors, the average salaries of full-time faculty members at public doctorate-granting institutions in 1998-99 were $79,300 for professors, $56,600 for associate professors, and $47,200 for assistant professors.

At the University of Arkansas, the 1998-99 averages were $69,100 for professors, $52,600 for associate professors, and $45,800 for assistant professors.

White noted it was equally important to increase non-classified staff salaries at the same rate as faculty salaries.

"We can’t build a nationally competitive research university without highly talented support staff," White said. "Unfortunately, we are becoming less competitive with staff salaries even when compared with the robust private sector in Northwest Arkansas."

White advised, however, that future salary increases for faculty and non-classified staff will become more dependent on the University’s ability to recruit and retain greater numbers of students—and the income generated therefrom.

"This year," he added, "we have the opportunity to begin moving faculty and staff salaries forward. If we don’t makes strides now, the gap between the University of Arkansas and other flagship public research universities will become extremely difficult to close."

Toward that end, White, the vice chancellors and the deans of the University’s schools and colleges will forego a salary increase this year so that every available dollar can be put into the pool for faculty and non-classified staff.

Non-classified staff positions are not assigned to a pay grade, but each non-classified title has a maximum salary for each year of the biennium, called a line-item maximum, which is specified in the campus appropriations act. The actual pay for each non-classified position is determined by the University and department budget and by the employee’s qualifications. Faculty titles and most administrative titles are also non-classified.

Classified staff of the University will see a 2.8 percent increase on July 1.

Classified staff positions are grouped or classed, under the Arkansas Uniform Classification and Compensation Act, with positions that have similar duties and responsibilities within the state of Arkansas and that require similar knowledge, abilities, skills, education and experience. Each classification is assigned to one of 26 pay grades which has a minimum and maximum pay level.

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