Disputed pay plan approved

by Gloria Diaz
Managing Editor

The University of La Verne Board of Trustees has approved the final draft of the Principles of Compensation, which grants faculty and staff modest overall salary increases, but also institutes a controversial differential payment plan.

The plan calls for a 3 percent raise for the general faculty, with additional raises for some departments and programs ­ such as business and education ­ where competing colleges pay substantially more than ULV.

"The task force worked long and hard with knowledge that it contained controversial issues," said ULV President Stephen Morgan. "It did receive input and made modifications to the plan."

Dissenters to the plan say it is divisive and will have the effect of devaluing many programs where faculty are also underpaid.

The Faculty Assembly nonetheless vetoed Monday, 60-54, to support the plan.

Until now, ULV faculty members were paid on similar scales across programs.

Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences unanimously voted against the plan, from which they will not see large increases, said Claudio Muñoz, professor of business and president of the La Verne chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

"Unfortunately, this issue has divided the faculty," said Richard Gelm, chairman of the history and political science department.

"The University of La Verne has had a very unique and special culture," Gelm said. "It is one of the few universities where a true collegial relationship between the faculty has existed; this policy threatens to undermine that culture and leaves many faculty saddened."

The differential pay plan was designed to bring faculty salaries closer to market rate pay in those departments where it has been difficult to hire qualified instructors, who would otherwise earn more working in the private sector.

According to the 2001 data from the Colleges and Universities Personnel Association for Human Resources , current salaries for disciplines in arts and sciences programs lag behind the salaries of business and global studies schools.

"A&S has not had the same difficulties that business has had with hiring," said Rita Thakur, professor of business and economics and member of the ULV compensation task force.

"They don't understand that we cant hire anyone or get anyone to apply," Thakur said.

"Business is happy," she added. "It has been waiting for this to happen."

In comparison data, ULV's assistant, associate and full professor salaries lag behind similar universities in arts and sciences, business and education disciplines.

But in some disciplines, including most in the business school, the discepancies are significantly greater.

Some assistant professors in business at ULV earn as much as two-thirds less than those at comparison universities, according to CUPA.

However, some ULV arts and sciences faculy say such discrepancies exist in some arts and sciences disciplines as well.

Under ULV's new plan, which will be enacted July 1, assistant professor salaries across the various colleges and programs should reach parity with comparison universities after six years of employment at ULV.

Associate professors will reach parity pay targets after 10 years here, and full professors will reach parity after 16 years of employment.

To provide for pay increases, a minimum of 75 percent of the salary pool will be designated for increases with no more than 25 percent of the salary pool will be used to bring employee groups within their pay target.

"I am hopeful that as the principles are applied to compensation, that all employees will benefit over time and will see that the plan has worked well for the institution" Morgan said. "Additionally, this is not cast in concrete and we plan to evaluate it annually and will entertain any recommended changes."

Nevertheless, some arts and sciences faculty believe that the differential pay plan sets a new tone of inequality.

"The University is changing," said Gary Colby, professor of photography.

"We have new leadership in our school and their vision and the nature of higher education today makes it possible for a climate of competition between institutions and the colleges within the institution," Colby said. "From my perspective, the salary improvements that any faculty member gets should inspire the rest of the institution to make improvements; improvements should be made across the board."

"I am grateful the faculty was able to express their viewpoints," Muñoz said. "The compensation task force worked extremely hard for the benefit of the students and the employees. This was an attempt to make employees happy by taking into consideration our employees."