Faculty need higher salaries
Campus Times
December 6, 1996
by Christie Reed
Editor in Chief
Sitting in the annual Board of Trustees meeting held in the Howell Board
Room Nov. 16, I learned more about the future of the University of La Verne
than I ever thought I would and, believe me, we are not going to need any
sunglasses.
While increasing enrollment is the answer to the University's problems,
according to President Stephen Morgan and his assistant Dr. Len Hightower,
bringing in more students will only increase faculty workloads, which are
already overbearing.
To ease minds, a compensation task force is working busily away at a
proposal that will increase faculty salaries, but these eventual increases
will shy in comparison to funds that will need to be directed to the hundreds
of additional students that the University hopes to recruit over the next
five years.
What seems to have been overlooked is that without the dedication of
professors who provide the individual attention to students promised by
the small university atmosphere, there may be a beautiful campus, a brand
new swimming pool and a great group of deans, but where will the education
be?
Of the $1.4 million allocated at the meeting, nearly every cent was
aimed at bringing in more students.
Several proposals were presented to the Board, all of which had the
underlying theme of increasing enrollment. Dr. Hightower, in discussing
the status of the strategic plan, expressed his desire that by the year
2001, the University of La Verne will increase in total enrollment from
nearly 5,500 students to more than 7,000 and from 1,050 main campus undergraduates
to more than 3,000.
Dr. Morgan presented a new budget plan that would redirect discretionary
dollars ($370,000 in 1996) to departments depending upon the number of new
students they recruit.
According to Dr. Morgan, 65 new students will bring $1 million to ULV.
He continuously emphasized the need to "increase the stream of
revenue to the University."
"We could increase by 200-300 students [now] without increasing
facilities," said Dr. Morgan.
Dr. Ann Wichman, professor of sociology, was first to question the intent
behind the proposal, for fear that the thirst for the discretionary dollars
would pit department against department. Her objections were quickly set
aside, and a three-year trial run of the new budget was approved.
The next proposal by Brian Worley, director of facilities management,
emphasized the inadequacy of the facilities to service the current students,
a contradiction to what Dr. Morgan had just echoed.
He claimed that ULV facilities fall "slightly below" the national
average and listed enhancing D Street, renovating the Student Center and
increasing parking as priorities. He received an allocation of $1 million
from the general fund to "renew and remodel plant facilities."
Since, "slightly" inadequate facilities garnered $1 million,
faculty can rest assured that they will receive a larger allocation. After
all, what good is a a nicer campus, when faculty cannot take the time to
smell the roses?
A new pool, promising intercollegiate water polo and swimming by fall
1998, was also presented by Dr. Morgan.
The $400,000 project will be payable over three years and does not include
maintenance of the pool or the new swim and water polo teams.
Dr. Morgan finished the proposal by adding that an aquatics program
could bring in 40-80 full time undergraduates.
With part-time professors and full-time faculty bogged down with second
jobs and heavy workloads, how can the administration focus on bringing in
more students, while leaving the same number of faculty with salaries 10-15%
below the national average?
If ULV is truly "driven out of an interest to provide the best
education and opportunities to those students who choose this institution,"
as stated by Dr. Morgan, perhaps they should look more at satisfying the
professors who provide the education, and less at bringing in more students
for them to teach.
Christie Reed, a junior journalism major, is editor-in-chief of the
Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at reedc@ulvacs.ulaverne.edu.