2008 Woodie Awards
MU faculty discuss salary increase at senate meeting
Ben Garbarek
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Campus
Several Miami University faculty members expressed concern over their salary increases at Monday's university senate meeting.
During a financial report from Richard Norman, senior vice president for finance and business services and treasurer, several faculty members became upset about the 3 percent increase budgeted for faculty salaries, arguing that the raise is not enough to attract and retain new faculty.
"I've heard time and time again that our first priority is faculty salaries but I've yet to see it actualized," said Richard Momeyer, a Miami philosophy professor at the meeting. "But then again, I've only been here 39 years."
Momeyer isn't the only one disappointed.
"Our real income is going down," said physics professor William Houk. "That's not an encouraging sign for our ability to attract and hold new faculty for any length of time. I'm very concerned that we have seen ourselves slip behind the rate of inflation over the past 10 years."
Houk said that faculty at Miami receive about $3,000 to $4,000 less a year because of the increased expenses and rising inflation.
Houk explained that while the average faculty salary has gone up, newer professors have been given higher salaries starting out, while existing professors have been given insufficient raises. He said Miami is able to attract new faculty with good starting salaries, but retaining these faculty may become a growing problem.
"We don't do badly with starting salaries," Momeyer said. "It's compensating those that are here that get squeezed."
Momeyer said that the growing costs of working at Miami have increased at a faster rate than his salary.
"I pay more for parking, health insurance and dental insurance," he said. "But there are more students and not more faculty, so I get more work and less compensation."
Houk has experienced a similar problem.
"My take-home salary is now less than it was three years ago and I've gotten raises," he said.
During a financial report from Richard Norman, senior vice president for finance and business services and treasurer, several faculty members became upset about the 3 percent increase budgeted for faculty salaries, arguing that the raise is not enough to attract and retain new faculty.
"I've heard time and time again that our first priority is faculty salaries but I've yet to see it actualized," said Richard Momeyer, a Miami philosophy professor at the meeting. "But then again, I've only been here 39 years."
Momeyer isn't the only one disappointed.
"Our real income is going down," said physics professor William Houk. "That's not an encouraging sign for our ability to attract and hold new faculty for any length of time. I'm very concerned that we have seen ourselves slip behind the rate of inflation over the past 10 years."
Houk said that faculty at Miami receive about $3,000 to $4,000 less a year because of the increased expenses and rising inflation.
Houk explained that while the average faculty salary has gone up, newer professors have been given higher salaries starting out, while existing professors have been given insufficient raises. He said Miami is able to attract new faculty with good starting salaries, but retaining these faculty may become a growing problem.
"We don't do badly with starting salaries," Momeyer said. "It's compensating those that are here that get squeezed."
Momeyer said that the growing costs of working at Miami have increased at a faster rate than his salary.
"I pay more for parking, health insurance and dental insurance," he said. "But there are more students and not more faculty, so I get more work and less compensation."
Houk has experienced a similar problem.
"My take-home salary is now less than it was three years ago and I've gotten raises," he said.
Be the first to comment on this story