WVU holds off on raises

Cassie Shaner

Nov. 7, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- THE WVU Board of Governors will meet by telephone at 10 a.m. Dec. 11. FOR MORE information about the WVU Board of Governors, go to dominionpost.com and click on the link.

WVU is taking a wait-and-see approach to a request for more pay for classified staff.

Staff Council chairwoman Jo Morrow asked the WVU Board of Governors for a pay raise for the university's 3,085 classified staff employees at a meeting Friday. Current classified salaries range from $16,449 a year to $69,457. The average is about $33,753.

"We need the support of the WVU administration and the support of the board," said Morrow, also an exofficio member of the board. "We are a land-grant institution, and there are nine other state institutions that are or will be funding the salary schedule this year, in 2009. As a classified staff member of 40 years, I am asking you to support a pay raise for this year, in 2009."

However, the board formally adopted the same $855.3 million budget for 2009-'10 that was approved on an interim basis in June. It includes money to cover last year's salary increases, but no money for new raises.

WVU President James Clements said he understands the need for better staff salaries, but said he needs to know how WVU will be affected by expected state budget shortages before any changes are made.

"In a sense, we're in a holding pattern at this time," Clements said.

In the meantime, Clements said Narvel Weese, WVU's vice president for administration and finance, and his staff are watching the state budget and considering possibilities for boosting staff salaries.

"I can promise you we'll explore every possible scenario as we move forward," Clements said. "If there's anything we can do, we'll do it."

The board approved a pay raise for faculty and staff in 2008, committing $26.4 million to salary increases for employees at WVU's main campus. At the time, the raise pool for classified staff increased by an average of 9 percent, or an average raise of $2,800.

But Morrow said about 1,073 classified staffers, or 34.7 percent, are not earning what they should according to the salary schedule. It would cost WVU about $933,442 to make up the difference.

Morrow noted that the salary schedule for classified staff -- a target set by the state Legislature -- is eight years old. As a result, she said WVU's classified staff has lost about $82 million in potential income, plus benefits.

Morrow pointed out that the gap between the salary schedule and actual earnings based on years of service will only continue to increase, and employees with 15 or more years of service, who can only earn up to a certain amount, are penalized the most.

Morrow said the average classified staff employee at WVU has 14.6 years of service. She added that being underpaid has a negative effect on WVU's work force.

"It contributes to low morale and job dissatisfaction," Morrow said. "Some employees feel undervalued and that their jobs are not important."

About a dozen classified staffers attended Friday's meeting. Linda Campolong, a housekeeper for WVU's Resident Faculty Leader program, said she wanted to support Morrow.

"We need the raise," Campolong said, adding that the 2008 raise helped, but insurance and other costs are still going up. "We constantly battle the balancing act."

Other business

Also at Friday's meeting: The board received an update on WVU's key monthly indicators for 2009-'10. Liz Reynolds, associate vice president for planning and treasury operations, said WVU had received about 1,713 student applications by Sept. 30, a 1 percent decrease from last year's total of 1,848.

She said the national swine flu outbreak may have had an impact on the numbers.

"People are focused on other things, rather than getting those applications in," Reynolds said, adding that WVU is considering some targeted marketing initiatives and other strategies to boost applications. "We'll continue to watch those numbers and work on them."

But the number of full-time equivalent faculty and staff has increased from about 6,336 last year to 6,646 this year. Senior Associate Provost Russ Dean said WVU's instructional faculty has increased by about 70 fulltime equivalent employees this year.

The university's estimated student-faculty ratio is 23-1. Adding 100 faculty members -- as Clements proposed during his State of the University address last month -- should bring it down a couple more points, Dean said.

"I think we'll be down in the next few years to 21-1, maybe even 20-1," Dean said.

Tuition revenue is down 1.82 percent from last year, from about $58.2 million to about $55 million. Reynolds said the fall semester started five days later this year, which had an impact on WVU's first-quarter numbers.

WVU Student Government Association (SGA) President Jason Zuccari said a resolution approved by SGA in support of a smoking ban at WVU's Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center has been forwarded to a task force being formed by Clements for consideration.

After the meeting, Clements said the task force is in the "final phases." It will include faculty, students and staff.

"It's a complicated issue," Clements said. "I just want to allow people to have input."

The board received its annual report from interim WVU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs E. Jane Martin. She said much of her work has focused on the implementation of record-keeping recommendations made by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO); recruiting faculty in the science, technology, engineering and math fields; and boosting diversity.

At the conclusion of her report, Martin thanked the board and her staff for support during her tenure. Wright State University Dean Michele Wheatly will take over as WVU's permanent provost on Jan. 1.

"It has been a joy, truly it has," Martin said. "This is a great job."

The board approved a request for $683,533 in matching funds from the West Virginia Research Trust Fund, also known as Bucks for Brains.

The board approved a new master of science degree program in finance.

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