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Faculty Compensation Plan (E-71)

Original Implementation: February 3, 2005
Last Revision: None

The mission of Stephen F. Austin State University is to provide students a foundation for success, a passion for learning and a commitment to responsible global citizenship in a community dedicated to teaching, research, creativity and service. The quality of teaching, research and service provided by the university ultimately depends on the quality of faculty and staff employed by the university. The university is responsible for securing a qualified and competent faculty and for utilizing public funds for faculty salaries and wages in an effective manner.

  1. Faculty Employee
    An employee with academic rank or duties which include teaching, research, academic administration, or other scholarly activity who is paid in full or in part from the line item "Faculty Salaries" or from another academic funding source is considered a faculty employee. The Provost, Assistant Provost, and Academic Deans are considered staff for purposes of this plan.

  2. Authority to Set Compensation
    Authority to set the compensation paid to faculty resides with the Board of Regents. This authority is through review and adoption of the annual operating budget. The itemized budget, approved by the Board of Regents, specifies the salary authorized for each position. All changes to budgeted faculty positions outside of the annual operating budget require the initial approval of the Provost. These changes are formally requested on a Personnel Action Request Form and approved by other administrators at SFASU.

  3. General Compensation
    It is the plan of the University to distribute fairly and equitably funds available for salaries and wages. Initial faculty salaries are determined based on a combination of factors including the funding available for the position, discipline, rank at appointment (see Academic Appoint and Titles Policy E-1A), degree, job description and requirements, professional experience, market value, and need of the department and college. Upon the recommendation of the chair and dean, the Provost approves all faculty salaries prior to hiring.

    All position and salary range assignments shall be made on the bases of the work to be performed without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or marital status and in keeping with the laws, policies, and regulations of the State of Texas and the Board of Regents of Stephen F. Austin State University.

  4. Administration of Faculty Compensation
    The Provost in conjunction with the academic deans has a responsibility for the administration and maintenance of the Faculty Compensation Plan. Department chairs and directors are responsible for administering pay for their employees in accordance with university policies, procedures, and guidelines.

  5. Faculty Compensation

    1. General Information - Faculty salaries are normally budgeted for a 9 month period. Faculty are compensated an amount for a fair and reasonable workload (see Faculty Workload Policy A-18). Under the Federal Wage and Labor Law, faculty employees are exempt from overtime regulations.

    2. Market Data - The University uses the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPAHR) as its primary determinate for the market value of faculty salaries. In certain situations, the University may use relevant market data provided by professional organizations, surveys, or other sources to determine the market value of a faculty position. Where CUPAHR data are available, the compensation for a faculty member should fall within a range of 50% to 150% of the CUPAHR national average salary for that rank and discipline. The actual faculty compensation will vary within these ranges based on the funding available for the position, discipline, rank at appointment, degree, job description and requirements, professional experience, market value, and need of the department and college. The CUPAHR data are available through the SFASU Office of Institutional Research.

    3. Compensation for Summer Teaching - Summer teaching is not guaranteed. Where needed or required, faculty may be assigned summer teaching (see Summer Teaching Policy A-18A). Faculty are compensated for summer teaching at a rate of 1/6 of their 9 month teaching salary for a 100% teaching assignment for each summer session. Compensation for assignments less than 100% are prorated accordingly. Compensation for summer teaching is provided through the SFASU summer budget.

    4. Compensation for Adjunct Faculty - When considered necessary to hire adjunct faculty to teach courses, the compensation should be based on the following:

      Years of Experience Salary Range (per course)
      Zero to Six $2,500 - $3,000
      Seven to Ten $2,650 - $3,200
      Over Ten $2,800 - $3,800


      Stipends for Adjuncts will vary by college, discipline, need, and education of the proposed adjunct faculty member. Any variations must be recommended by the chair and dean and approved by the Provost prior to appointment.

    5. Additional Compensation - In instances where faculty provide services outside of their normal duties, they may be eligible for additional compensation (see Compensation in Excess of Base Pay Policy E-9).

    6. Overload Compensation - In instances where faculty are needed to teach an overload, they may be eligible for overload compensation. At a minimum the overload compensation will be comparable to that of an adjunct faculty member. Upon the recommendation of the chair and dean and approval of the Provost, the overload compensation may vary based on the funding available, need of the department, and qualifications of the faculty member.

    7. Associate Dean, Chair or Director Compensation - When appointed as an associate dean, department chair or director, a faculty member may receive a combination of a stipend and release time for performing administrative duties for the department or area (see Chair Appointments Policy #E-6A and Chair Teaching Load Policy E-7A).

    8. Grants, Endowments, and Other Arrangements - Grants, endowments, awards and other arrangements may provide for an additional stipend or salary support for a faculty member within applicable regulatory parameters.

  6. Increases in Compensation

    1. General Increases - All salary increases for faculty employees, unless otherwise mandated by the legislature, will be based on merit and/or equity. Quality teaching, research, scholarly activity, administrative responsibilities and other faculty activities may be considered in the merit process. Equity and adjustments may be awarded based on the recommendation of the department chair and dean with the approval of the Provost.

      it is the responsibility of the department chair or area director (where applicable) to recommend salary rates, equity adjustments and merit increases in the annual department budget request based on the budget guidelines issued by the President. The recommendations are, in turn, to be approved by the appropriate academic dean and the Provost. Approved increases are effective for the next fiscal year. Each faculty member is to provide an annual Faculty Activity Report to the department chair or director for use in consideration of a merit increase.

    2. Salary Increases for Promotion - Faculty employees through the promotion process (see Academic Promotion Policy #E-3A) are awarded increases ranging from $750 to $5000 in the subsequent budget year based on budgeted resources and promotion rank.

 

Source of Authority: Provost/VP for Academic Affairs

Cross Reference: None

Contact for Revision: Provost/VP for Academic Affairs

Forms: None