SEMO FACULTY, STAFF TO GET 2% PAY RAISES

Southeast Missouri State University's faculty and staff would receive 2 percent pay raises on average under the proposed fiscal 2000 budget.

Clerical, technical and service employees would receive 4 percent pay hikes on average, school officials said.

The Board of Regents will consider approving its annual budget when it meets Wednesday. The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom.

The university's Budget Review Committee and school President Dr. Dale Nitzschke have recommended the board approve the pay hikes.

Dr. Ken Dobbins, Southeast's executive vice president, said the proposed raises would keep university employees slightly ahead of inflation. The university operates on a merit pay system. There are no across-the-board pay raises.

Dobbins, who will take over as Southeast's new president on Thursday, said the raises would allow the university to keep salaries competitive with those at comparable schools.

The regents are expected to approve a $95.2 million budget. That doesn't include spending on capital projects.

The budget includes an operating figure of $77.2 million.

Personnel costs make up more than half of the budget. The budget includes $49.5 million for salaries and benefits for the university's nearly 1,000 employees. In addition to those costs, the university expects to spend $1.3 million in salaries for student workers.

Equipment and operations would cost more than $26 million.

State funding of $46.6 million will provide the bulk of the university's revenue. Student fees are expected to generate about $22.6 million. In terms of percentages, the cost of education borne by Southeast students has declined from 37.2 percent in fiscal 1994 to 31.1 percent for the new fiscal year, Dobbins said.

The proposed budget includes $76,888 to establish a University Studies academic advising center and hire a person to run it. The advising center would counsel students who haven't declared majors or are in the process of changing majors.

School officials said the advising center could aid the university's efforts to retain students.

In addition to the university's operating budget, $18 million is slated for auxiliary services.

In all, the university operates 13 auxiliary services that are budgeted as separate enterprises and designed to be self supporting.

The operation of the residence halls heads the list with a budget of more than $8.7 million.

Southeast plans to spend $2.7 million to operate its University Center and the bookstore housed in the building.

Another $1.27 million would be spent on telecommunications services at Southeast.

The Show Me Center would operate on a budget of just over $1 million.

Dr. Dennis Holt, interim provost, said faculty would have liked a larger raise. "I think the attitude is, of course, we would like more, but this was not a good budget year for us," Holt said.

Holt said faculty representatives on the university's compensation committee agreed with the proposed 4 percent pay hike for clerical staff. Clerical staff typically have lower salaries than faculty, he said.

Holt said the pay increases were driven largely by the level of state funding.

Dobbins said state funding for basic operations at the university increased only 1.8 percent.

The 2 percent pay raises are less than last year's average 3 percent pay hikes for university employees.

In 1997, clerical, technical and service employees received 4.5 percent pay raises on average. Faculty and other university employees received 4 percent raises.

Most faculty receive basic merit pay raises that equal a percentage of their salaries.

Holt said usually no more than two faculty members in any year don't receive a raise in base pay. The university has about 370 regular faculty members.

In addition to base pay raises, many faculty members also receive extra merit pay that is calculated in dollar amounts rather than percentages. Well over 50 percent of faculty get those added dollars, Holt said.

The extra merit pay is allocated on the basis of individual standards set by the academic departments.