On Friday, Oct. 28, I will propose to the Board of Governors that we implement a mid-year salary increase beginning Jan. 1, 2012. I want to use this issue of Clif’s Notes to give you the details of that proposal.
Salaries are a priority
As you know, I have talked about the need for a salary increase since I was introduced as Interim President on June 27. I have discussed this priority multiple times, including at the Board of Governors retreat in August and, most recently, in my State of the University Address both in Springfield and West Plains.
Over the past six weeks or so, members of Administrative Council and I developed a concept for the mid-year salary increase. We presented that concept to the Executive Budget Committee at its first meeting of the year on Sept. 29. That 20-member committee has representatives from all constituent groups, including nine faculty members elected by the faculty in their colleges. Through its discussion, the committee improved the concept even further. That led to the second meeting on Oct. 6 where the Executive Budget Committee made final suggestions, then unanimously approved both the concept and the details of the plan. See the committee’s minutes.
This is the plan I will present to the Board and the plan that is described below.
Philosophy and overview
Below are the 11 guidelines for the mid-year raise, along with a financial summary.
We first decided that we could afford a salary pool equal to 2 percent plus benefits. The next step was to determine how this money would be allocated. As you will see, this proposal is designed to benefit lower-paid employees relatively more than others. For example, if you look at the percentage increase, the increase for an employee making $30,000 per year is 2.53 percent, while the increase for an employee making $100,000 is 1.6 percent.
Please note this plan excludes the highest paid employees — no employee with a base salary of $150,000 or more will be eligible for the raise.
The cost of this raise will be funded centrally through my office for the first six months (January through June) for all units except auxiliaries. Since this is half of the year, the cost is half of the annual total ($1,181,449.50). The cost centers have been tasked with developing plans to cover the cost in the future, beginning July 1, 2012. The cost centers also will develop plans to deal with any projected reductions in state appropriations, as well as an additional salary increase if we are able to fund one. As previously discussed, our ability to provide another raise in July will depend on a number of factors, including the level of state appropriations and enrollment.
I also would mention that this “percentage plus a fixed amount” is likely to be a one-time occurrence. In the future, we would anticipate that raises of 2 percent or less would be a straight percentage raise for all, and raises above 2 percent would be awarded based on the merit system in accordance with established policies.
Eleven Guidelines
Here are the 11 guidelines that provide the foundation for the proposed mid-year salary increase:
- It will be effective Jan. 1, 2012, for staff, and Feb. 1, 2012 for faculty.
- To qualify for the raise, you must have been in a full-time position prior to July 1, 2011 (service date or updated current hire date).*
- The raise will combine a percentage component (1.2 percent) plus a fixed annual amount component ($400).
- No raise may exceed a cap of $1,800 annually.
- An employee’s salary after the raise cannot exceed the maximum for the pay grade.
- All individuals with a base salary of $150,000 or more annually are excluded from the raise.
- The raise is only for full-time employees.
- All full-time employees with an appointment percentage between 75 percent and less than 100 percent will have their raise pro rata by their appointment percent.
- The raise will only be on the base pay.
- Faculty who retire effective Feb. 1, 2012, will not receive the pay increase.
- The total annual cost of the raise with benefits is $2,356,529 (excluding auxiliaries).
* Since we have had questions in the past regarding part-time employees at less than 75 percent, let me address that here: Cost center heads have the ability to adjust the salaries of part-time employees at any given time, provided they have justification and the resources to do so. There is no University policy that prohibits cost center heads from making these decisions on individual part-time employees.
Financial summary and examples
What follows is a financial summary of the proposed plan, with projections and examples.
Missouri State University Mid-Year Raise Projections
Estimated Cost of Annual Raise with Benefits
1.2% + $400 with $1,800 Cap | |
---|---|
West Plains Total | $129,408 |
Springfield Total | 2,177,910 |
Other Total | 55,581 |
Total Before Auxiliary | 2,362,899 |
Auxiliary Total | 290,230 |
Grand Total | $2,653,129 |
Examples for illustration purposes
Employee Annual Base Salary |
1.2% Increase | $400 Increase | Total Raise (%) |
---|---|---|---|
$100,000.00 | $1,200.00 | $400.00 | $1,600.00 (1.60%) |
** 61,375.00 |
736.50 | 400.00 | 1,136.50 (1.85%) |
50,000.00 | 600.00 | 400.00 | 1,000.00 (2.00%) |
30,000.00 | 360.00 | 400.00 | 760.00 (2.53%) |
Conclusion
I hope you find this summary clear and helpful. You will be pleased to know that the Board of Governors is very supportive of improving salaries, and their first impression of this proposal has been positive. They will study it for the next couple of weeks before I formally present it to them on Oct. 28. I will keep you informed about its status.
Thanks for all you do for Missouri State University.
–Clif
Involving more students in research both at the graduate and undergraduate levels is one of the goals of the University’s new long-range plan, Fulfilling Our Promise. Graduate student Ryan Spidle is just one good example. Since he was a junior, Ryan has worked on research projects with Dr. Adam Wanekaya, assistant professor of chemistry.
Ryan’s research is on the fabrication, characterization and biomedical applications of metal oxide nanoparticles. As an undergraduate, Ryan presented his research in various conferences, including the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at Missouri State (local, won 2nd place), 2010 Missouri Academy of Science in Springfield MO (regional), 2010 International Symposium on Spectral Sensing Research in Springfield MO (International), and the 2nd Missouri Nanofrontiers Symposium in St Louis, MO (Regional).
Ryan co-authored the paper “Effects of Nanomaterials on Luciferase with Significant Protection and Increased Enzyme Activity Observed for Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles,” which is in press in the Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. He also is a co-author of another manuscript titled “Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles” that was submitted for publication in the International Journal of Environment and Water Management.
Clif Smart and Frank Einhellig presented the State of the University address at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011.
[youTubeVideo url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpEo4wKUkQ0″ width=”600″ height=”371″]
[audioUrl url=”http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/FeedEnclosure/missouristate.edu-dz.10301318096.010301318098.10300924204/enclosure.mp3″ desc=”2011 State of the University Address audio”]
Supplemental information
Broadcast information
For those who could not attend in person, the speech was recorded for replay at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 on KSMU 91.1, 88.7 in Mountain Grove, 90.3 in West Plains, 98.9 in Joplin, 103.7 in Neosho, and KSMS 90.5 in Branson.
The speech will be televised on Ozarks Public Television at 9:00 p.m. on Sept. 29. Ozarks Public Television is seen in Springfield on Mediacom channel 13. Viewers with over-the-air antennas receive OPT on channel 21.
* You need Adobe Reader to access this file.
The Board of Governors met last Friday. The Board had its summer retreat from 8-9:45 a.m., followed by the regular Board meeting at 10 a.m. I want to report to you on three significant topics we discussed at the Board retreat and meeting.
First year implementation of the long-range plan
At the retreat, we discussed and agreed upon the key objectives and tactics we will focus on during the first year of implementing the long-range plan, Fulfilling Our Promise. You can find the PowerPoint we used for this discussion online.
These priorities will be the major focus of my State of the University address Sept. 28 in Springfield and Oct. 4 in West Plains. I hope you can attend one of these addresses, or see coverage of them later on the Web and Ozarks Public Television.
Our intent was to identify some significant items from the long-range plan on which we could make significant progress during 2011-12. I look forward to working with you on these initiatives.
Salaries
It is no secret that my top priority is finding a way to achieve across-the-board salary increases this year. On Friday, the Board of Governors confirmed its support and asked us to develop both short-term and long-term plans to increase salaries. I will work with Administrative Council, the Executive Budget Committee, and others to develop these plans.
For this year, whatever plan we develop will need to depend primarily, if not exclusively, on reallocated funds. Over the past several weeks, we have discussed the need to make decisions now that will allow us to reallocate funds later this year and next. Since more than 70 percent of our budget is spent on personnel (salaries and benefits), we absolutely must examine every open position to make sure we are addressing it in the best possible way.
The newspaper headline from Saturday – “Smart wants smaller MSU staff” – is misleading. My strong first preference would be to have the same or greater number of staff and to pay everyone above market rate. But that is not possible since state appropriations will continue to decrease, so we will have to make do with fewer staff as that will allow us to increase the pay for all.
Examples
I want to use the president’s office as one example of what I mean, since I have been given permission to use names of individuals.
- For nearly 30 years, the president’s office has had two full-time administrative assistants.
- Historically, the chief of staff has had one full-time administrative assistant.
- As most of you know, Barb Helvey retired at the end of May 2011 and is now working 1,000 hours (halftime).
- Marilyn Dennis will retire Dec. 31, 2011, and will begin working 1,000 hours.
- Renee Fogle, who has been working 1,000 hours in the general counsel’s office, is going to begin working 1,000 hours in the president’s office.
- And the administrative assistant position in the chief of staff’s office has gone unfilled since the passing of Teri Loch in June 2009.
So, by January 2012, we will have replaced three full-time positions in the president’s office and chief of staff’s office with three 1,000-hour positions, plus some increased student hours. This will save us more than $50,000 in salaries and another $12,000-$15,000 in benefits since we don’t pay benefits on 1,000-hour employees.
The end result is we will have about $62,000-$65,000 available for reallocation to the across-the-board increase.
Another example can be found in the Provost’s Office. Frank has ceased searches for two full-time staff members.Frank and his staff are redistributing responsibilities and planning to use more student employees to get the work done. This decision, too, will save several thousand dollars which can be reallocated.
Logical questions
Will we be able to combine and/or reduce positions in every unit across all campuses? Probably not, especially in those units that are very small and, therefore, have fewer options.
Will these changes cause us to stop doing some good, but non-essential, things we have done in the past? Yes.
Will we have to find ways to do things smarter and more efficiently? Absolutely.
Will the administrators in these areas work additional hours to get things done? Without a doubt.
But, if we are to position ourselves for an across-the-board increase, these kinds of personnel decisions have to be multiplied many times across campus. I hope I can count on you to help in this effort.
Investment in academic space at Brick City
On Friday, we had an in-depth discussion with the Board about an investment in academic space at Brick City. I want to share with you that same information.
As you know, academic space is at a premium on campus; Missouri State ranks last in the state in average square feet per student. And, quality academic space is even more precious.
For more than a decade, the University has focused its efforts on renovating buildings and space on campus (referred to as Facilities Reutilization Plan or FREUP). One of the primary goals of FREUP was to co-locate academic departments. Another strategy has been to lease space downtown instead of waiting for state funding for new buildings. All of this was intended to secure the best classroom and research space possible for our students and faculty.
We believe within the next 6 to 12 months, we will be presented with an opportunity to take yet another step in this process.
Frees other space
Missouri State already leases two of the buildings in Brick City, which house major portions of the art and design department. Soon, the University is likely to have the ability to lease the two remaining buildings (known as Buildings 1 and 5) which could be renovated so that the entire art and design department – faculty, staff and all functions – can be consolidated there.
By consolidating art and design in Brick City, we would free up (thus the acronym FREUP) approximately 20,000 square feet of space in Ellis Hall, the Jim D. Morris Center for Continuing Education, and Hill Hall for reassignment/reallocation.
Specifically, we would gain a very large space in Hill Hall to allow conversion and addition of a large core-campus state-of-the-art classroom, which would help facilitate our course redesign initiative. We would recover the fifth floor at the Morris Center for Continuing Education for reallocation for international programs (English Language Institute classrooms). The space in Ellis Hall would allow for the music department to be located in one physical location.
Both Wade Thompson, head of the department, and Dr. Carey Adams, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, have been involved in this planning and both are excited about the positive impact of this potential investment.
The “trigger” for this investment will be the ability to partner with a private company, which we anticipate would lease 1½ floors of the largest building (Building 1). Our hope is that this private company would allow for internships and student collaborations, as well as hire our graduates and create new high-paying jobs in Springfield.
A good investment
In addition to providing quality academic space, this investment would be a good one for several reasons:
- It further enhances and solidifies the IDEA Commons project/development area by completing the Brick City development.
- There is no cost for the next two years as the buildings are being renovated.
- The cost beginning in the fall of 2013 will be $550,000 annually for lease, which would be offset by about $280,000 in lease space we will discontinue, for a net increase of $270,000 per year.
- As is the case with our other Brick City leases, we have the option to purchase the buildings after five years.
I also would point out that this would address three of the six strategic directions in the long-range plan:
- It helps provide quality academic space for our current and prospective students – Access to Success.
- It is a good use of limited resources – Responsible Stewardship.
- In the process, it further develops the IDEA Commons initiative – Partners for Progress.
I believe this would be a great investment in our academic programs and I hope you agree. We will proceed as soon as a private partner is confirmed, which, again, we hope will be within the next 6-12 months.
Fall semester begins August 22
I look forward to seeing you often beginning the week of Aug. 15 as we begin welcoming students back for the fall semester. I hope you will plan to attend the New Student Convocation at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 22. Let’s have a great year.
–Clif
Thank you for the generous welcome, your positive feedback, and your willingness to help move the University forward. I appreciate it.
I want to update you on our priorities, as well as the changes we are making to better position us to implement the goals in the long-range plan, Fulfilling Our Promise.
Salaries
I have indicated to many audiences that the No. 1 priority for my time as interim president is to find a way to improve salaries. We are now in the third year without an across-the-board increase in salaries, which I find unacceptable, especially given the hard work that exemplifies the faculty, staff and administrators at Missouri State University.
I am well aware that the salaries for most of our faculty remain below the CUPA averages. And, I also am aware that 52 percent of our staff are in the bottom quartile of the pay ranges. I am committed to improving that situation.
Realistically, the increase will come in several components, which I want to explain here.
Market and equity
For this budget year (2011-12), we were able to provide market and equity adjustments totaling $1,045,755 to 284 faculty. For staff, we adjusted the pay ranges for the first time in three years, and 328 employees have been brought up to the minimums of the pay ranges for a total investment of $397,242. These adjustments were approved at the June 17 meeting of the Board of Governors.
$500 plan to address staff compression
Pending Board review and approval, the $500 Salary Increase Plan will provide additional increase amounts to those holding full-time staff positions prior to July 1, 2010, and whose original increase to the new minimum was less than $500 annually. These adjustments would apply to those employees in Quartile 1 of the University’s pay range. Quartile 1 represents those employees paid in the lowest fourth of the range.
Seventy of the 328 employees who received the July 1 increase to the minimum of the new ranges would receive additional monies to bring their annual salary increase to $500. These employees’ salaries would move past the minimum by the amount of the additional increase. The additional salary increases for these 70 employees total $17,465 annually.
In addition, there are 316 employees who were in full-time staff positions prior to July 1, 2010, who are in Quartile 1 and required no adjustment to the new minimum. These employees will receive an annual increase of up to $500, with the amount of the increase declining as needed for those with salaries within $500 of the upper limit of Quartile 1 so as not to exceed the upper limit of Quartile 1. These increases for employees in Quartile 1 would cost $149,061 in additional salary on an annual basis. As in June, the office of human resources will provide general and individual information following the August 5 Board of Governors meeting when we hope the Board will approve this plan. If approved, these adjustments would be effective September 1, 2011.
For staff, the total adjustments for market, equity and compression will impact 644 staff (49.8 percent of the 1,293 in pay ranges) for a total investment of $563,767.
Across-the-board increase
Having begun to address at least some of the market, equity and compression issues, the focus now is on across-the-board salary increases for all faculty and staff. We will discuss this goal and options for achieving it on August 5 at the Board of Governors Retreat. We also will gain input from the Executive Budget Committee this fall. I will keep you informed on our progress, which I am determined to make.
Related issues
Related to compensation, I want to draw your attention to two items:
- Cell phone allowance – I have asked for a moratorium on new cell phone allowances until we have a chance to review that policy. Because cell phones are so common and because the rate structure for their usage has been modified, my strong feeling is that we should eliminate these allowances in the future.
- Car allowances – as I have indicated to you, my intent is to roll car allowances into base salaries so the total salaries are clearer. There is logical history for the allowances, but I believe the circumstances have changed and the policy should as well. The dollar amounts associated with car allowances are not inappropriate or undeserved, but I do think it is best if they are included in the salary for maximum transparency. No new car allowances will be approved.
Reorganizations
International Programs
Frank Einhellig and I are consolidating all international functions. International Student Services (ISS), English Language Institute (ELI), and Study Away have moved from the Provost’s Office and have been combined with the China Program. The International Programs will be under the direction of Jim Baker, vice president for research and economic development, and will be supervised by Steve Robinette. Our long-range plan calls for growth in international students over the five years of the plan. We believe this reorganization will help us achieve the long-range plan goal of increasing international student enrollment, as well as provide the services and support that our international students need in order to succeed.
Adult Student Services
Adult Student Services is moving from Student Affairs to the Provost’s Office under the direction of Dr. Joye Norris, associate provost for access and outreach. Joye has responsibility for Missouri State Outreach, which includes classes and programs taught through a variety of modalities including online, iTunes U and interactive video. She also oversees the University’s off-campus centers and coordinates dual credit programs. Adult Student Services is a logical addition to the Missouri State Outreach as we provide additional educational options for nontraditional and adult students.
Committees
Joint Ad-Hoc Committee on Post-Administrative Appointments
As I indicated in my first communication to campus, Frank and Dr. Terrel Gallaway, chair of the Faculty Senate, have jointly formed an ad hoc committee to look at post-administrative appointments. That group has been formed and includes the following members: Rich Biagioni, Terrel Gallaway, Sue George, Janice Greene, Tom Kane and Kent Ragan.
This ad hoc committee is charged with evaluating and making recommendations for improving current policies regarding individuals who leave administrative positions and continue working at the University as part of the faculty. In particular, the committee is to examine the following:
- The appropriate change in compensation
- Who pays for this compensation
- The type of work assignments given and productivity expected
- The granting of tenure when administrators are hired from outside the University
- Other potentially relevant issues such as severance packages, course release, etc.
The Joint Ad-Hoc Committee on Post-Administrative Appointments will provide a report jointly to the Faculty Senate and University administration by October 1, 2011.
University Space Allocation Advisory Committee
It is important that we use our limited space in the most efficient and effective manner to serve our students. This goal is identified in the Responsible Stewardship strategic direction in the University’s long-range plan for 2011-16, Fulfilling Our Promise. Toward that end, given the number of stakeholders and the nature of the shared governance environment, it is essential to have in place a meaningful and collegial process to ensure an open and fair procedure whereby academic and administrative space needs and resources can be addressed and adjudicated. It is also critical that there be a clear line of authority and decision-making process.
I have appointed the University Space Allocation Advisory Committee. All requests for academic and administrative space needs must be made through the committee. The committee will report to the vice president for administrative and information services (VPAIS), who will chair the committee. The VPAIS will have the ultimate decision-making authority and responsibility with appeal rights of the vice president’s decisions going to the president. Please note that all academic scheduling functions will continue to be the responsibility of the Provost’s Office.
For more details about the committee and its membership, please see operating policy Op11.20 in the Policy Library.
Executive Enrollment Management Committee
Frank is in the process of reconstituting the Executive Enrollment Management Committee. Chaired by Don Simpson, associate vice president for enrollment management, this committee will have broad-based membership so that we consider all segments of our enrollment, as well as retention issues. Obviously, effective enrollment management is fundamental to our future both philosophically as we attempt to increase the number of citizens with degrees and practically as we also manage this important revenue source.
Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation
I am pleased to report that Frank has asked Dr. Etta Madden, professor of English, to chair the HLC Accreditation Working Committee, and I am even more pleased to report that Etta has accepted. She will be assisted by Dr. Bill Cheek, professor emeritus, who chaired the previous two 10-year accreditation efforts. As you know, this is a major university-wide responsibility, so I am very grateful to Etta and Bill for agreeing to lead us through this process.
Responses to last communication
Thank you for your feedback on the first issue of Clif’s Notes. As I promised, I have read all of them. Where appropriate, I have responded or asked the appropriate administrator to respond. That will be the practice in the future, as well. Obviously, it is difficult to respond if the comments come in anonymously, so I hope you will become comfortable signing your questions about any topic so I can respond.
Summer commencement and fall semester approaching
We are nearing the end of summer school and preparing for commencement on August 5. We also have a Board of Governors retreat, followed by the regular Board meeting the morning of August 5. That will be a full and good day on campus.
Once we get into August, it means the fall semester is fast approaching. Classes begin Monday, August 22, and the 10 days prior to that are action-packed, especially for new faculty and new students. For example, Gail and I will be hosting all new faculty and their guests for dinner at our home on August 16, and then the next night we will host 150 residence hall assistants for dessert also at our home.
I look forward to having the students back on campus and to working with all of you in 2011-12. Thank you.
If the heading sounds informal, then I have accomplished my goal. Please call me “Clif” because I plan to call you by your first name, just as I called Dr. Nietzel “Mike” and Dr. Cofer “Jim.” My view is that we are all part of the same team trying to accomplish the same goals. As teammates working together to educate students, I think we can be on a first-name basis.
As I said Monday, I am honored and humbled to have the responsibility of serving as your interim president. I take the responsibility seriously, and I will make the same pledge to you in writing here that I made on Monday at the news conference:
I pledge that as long as I am interim president, I will do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility will consider others better than myself.
I will not repeat my remarks from Monday since many of you were there, and we have provided video on our homepage of the entire news conference. If you want to hear my part of the news conference, you can do so by viewing the video.
[youTubeVideo url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwYVbm_JNJQ” width=”600″ height=”384″]
I will repeat that I am guided by my faith, grounded by my family, and am a lifelong advocate of public education. I love Springfield and believe deeply in Missouri State University. I am a positive person and a consensus builder, and you will find that my leadership style reflects that. I believe the word “transparent” is overused and that the promise of transparency is frequently broken. I prefer to say “I will tell you the truth.”
“Interim,” not “caretaker”
I will communicate with all constituent groups. I will listen. And I will be decisive. The Board of Governors has made it clear that while I am “interim,” I should not be a “caretaker.” I plan to live up to that.
Over the next few months, I will spend quite a bit of my time meeting with groups and individuals, both on campus and off, to build stronger relationships. This is especially true for those with which I have not had as much contact.
I am indebted to Dr. Frank Einhellig for accepting the role as interim provost. Frank will be officially moved in to the office and be the provost by the end of next week (July 8). As all of you know, Frank will be a great asset as we move forward.
The long-range plan has been completed and approved by the Board of Governors. Frank and I – along with about 20 other administrators, faculty, staff and students – were on the Steering Committee that guided the plan to its completion over 16 months. More than 100 other faculty, staff and students were involved in the process. And dozens more made suggestions via e-mail and in the open forums. We believe the plan is solid, and we have begun implementing it.
Over the next 30-60 days, I anticipate we will make some organizational adjustments to achieve greater productivity and save some money. I will consult with the appropriate groups before making these changes, and I will announce them to the campus community when the decisions are made.
Some top priorities
At the top of my “to-do” list is to find a way to fund an across-the-board salary increase for faculty and staff in 2012-13. This is long overdue, and we simply have to find a way to accomplish this. We always will be mindful of our goal to increase salaries as we make other decisions, since those could affect the primary goal. Strategies to reach this goal will be discussed using a budget process based on the one initiated by President Cofer last year, but with fine-tuning suggested by faculty and staff.
On another subject, I have asked Dr. Terrel Gallaway and Frank to organize a group to look at the policy that permits administrators who return to the faculty to do so at 9/11ths of their administrative salary. This review is both timely and appropriate. I am confident Terrel and Frank will come back with a recommendation that balances our desire to attract and retain outstanding administrators but also is fair and appropriate in the context of the entire University.
Input invited and welcome
For the time I am in this office, I invite and will value your thoughts and ideas. Please send them to me, either as a response to this communication or via email. I will read them all, give them thoughtful consideration and send you a response.
Again, I will appreciate your help as we move the University forward. If we work together, I am confident no challenge is too great.