DATE: March 4, 2021

SUBJECT: Faculty Salary Review and Compression Task Force Report

FROM: ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

ACTION ITEM: NO

BACKGROUND: An initial review of the salaries of the Kentucky State University faculty was commissioned by President Brown and completed by faculty in the spring 2018. This review highlighted the state of compensation and initiated framing of activities needed to address historic salary disparities within the faculty ranks. The COLA increase for AY 2020-21 was the first step towards institutional response to the known issues of gaps in compensation across the full-time tenured/ tenure-track faculty ranks.

SUMMARY OF PROGRAMS/ACTIVITIES: The internal Faculty Salary Review and Compression Task Force, chaired by Dr. Beverly Schneller and HR Director Candace Raglin, was charged in December 2020 to review and provide recommendations on salary compression mediation strategies to President Brown by February 2021. The Task Force was composed of 12 faculty and staff and two ex-officio members, for a total of 14 campus-wide members, excluding the chairs. The committee met on schedule and submitted recommendations to President Brown on February 15, 2021 outlining methods to address the current gaps in compensation across the Assistant, Associate and Full Professor ranks.

Goal 1: Enhance Student Enrollment, Improve Student Life and Engagement, and Improve Student Advising and Career Development.

Goal 2: Achieve Academic Excellence Across all Programs and Colleges, Increase Student General Education Skills, Degree Persistence, Career Readiness and Graduation Rates.

Goal 3: Increase the University's Financial Strength and Operational Efficiency.

Goal 4: Enhance the Impact of External Relations and Development.

Goal 5: Obtain Maximum Institutional Effectiveness through the Implementation of a Continuous Quality Improvement Process framed within the seven Baldrige Performance Excellence in Education criteria.