UNIVERSITY PANEL DRAFTS COMPENSATION PACKAGE

A full professor at Southeast Missouri State University would make more than $50,000 on average next fiscal year under a compensation package recommended by the school's Budget Review Committee.

Southeast Missouri State University employees would receive across-the-board salary-and-benefit hikes, as well as merit pay, with the package recommended by the committee.

Faculty would receive a 5 percent increase, including a 3 percent across-the-board pay hike, faculty-rank adjustments and many would receive merit pay, university officials said.

Professional staff and the university's lower- and mid-man~agement personnel would see a 2 percent across-the-board pay hike plus maximum merit pay of 2 percent.

Clerical, technical and service (CTS) employees would realize a 3 percent across-the-board pay hike, plus merit pay of 1 percent.

Executive staff, Southeast's top administrators, would receive merit pay raises only. But those are expected to total 4 percent on average, said Ken Dobbins, vice president for finance and administration.

"We're looking at a package very similar to last year's," he said.

Dobbins said the faculty agreed to eliminate seven positions, saving $374,000 that would go toward merit increases for that employee group.

Terry Sutton, a faculty representative on the budget committee, said Wednesday that full professors would make $50,146 on average next fiscal year, or $50,646 with merit pay.

Associate professors would make about $42,300 on average, $42,800 with merit pay.

The average salary for assistant professors would be $35,532. With merit pay, the salary would be around $36,000, Sutton estimated.

Instructors would see their average salaries climb to more than $29,000. With merit pay, the average would be close to $29,600, he said.

Sutton estimated that 270 of the university's 385 faculty members may receive merit pay next fiscal year.

The compensation figures include salary adjustments in faculty ranks to bring them closer to the national averages for public institutions of similar size and mission, Sutton said.

The increases would be: $1,300 for full professors, $350 for associate professors and $200 for assistant professors.

"We have really closed the gap between SEMO's salaries and the national average this year," said Sutton.

Joy Benton, a CTS representative on the budget committee, praised the compensation package for her employee group.

"I think we are getting a pretty fair deal. We are keeping up with the cost of living by a hair," she said.

The university has about 240 to 250 CTS employees. The average salary for clerical and service employees this year is $14,500. For technical staff, it is $19,800.

In addition to an across-the-board raise, professional staff who qualify for merit pay would receive from $250 to $600.

There are nearly 140 professional staff members at Southeast. Currently, the average salary for professional staff is $26,375, said Lee-Ann Fisher Wiggs, chairman of the Professional Staff Council and a member of the budget committee.

"Given the funding (situation), we do think it is fair," said Wiggs.