Compensation & Classification

Initial faculty salaries are determined based on a combination of factors, including the funding available for the position, the academic discipline, faculty rank at the time of appointment, highest degree earned, the job description, professional experience, market value, and the needs of the department and college. Upon the recommendation of the chair and dean, the provost approves all faculty salaries prior to hiring.

Faculty salaries are normally budgeted for a nine-month period. Faculty members are compensated on the basis of a fair and reasonable workload.

Salary increases for faculty at SFA can occur through merit increases, equity adjustments and promotions, subject to the availability of funds.

Merit Increases
Merit increases are awarded on an annual basis based on the recommendation of the academic unit head. Merit recommendations by the academic unit head are subject to approval by the dean, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and president.

For merit pay consideration, full-time faculty members (excluding adjuncts) must present to their academic unit head all relevant or requested documentation, including the completed annual report of professional activities and performance, as well as any other information required under individual academic unit, college or university policy. Quality teaching, research, scholarly/creative activity, administrative responsibilities and service may be considered in the merit process. Academic units and/or colleges will establish their own appropriate and specific merit criteria and awarding procedures.

Equity Adjustments
Equity adjustments may be awarded based on the recommendations of the academic unit head and dean, subject to the approval of the provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Academic Promotion
Faculty members, through the promotion process, are awarded salary increases in the subsequent budget year based on budgeted resources and the promotion rank.

Academic promotion is awarded when a candidate successfully demonstrates meeting or exceeding performance standards in teaching, research/scholarly/creative accomplishments and service as established by the academic unit. Academic promotion will normally be restricted to full-time faculty members who have earned the highest academic degree customarily awarded in their field of study.

Faculty members may be eligible for various types of extra compensation:

• Additional Services: Faculty members who perform work beyond an employee's regular job duties and requires the employee to perform work outside of normal working hours or during vacation or compensatory time, as appropriate, may be eligible for additional compensation payment. Additional services compensation does not affect the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). Additional services compensation is subject to a cap equal to 25 percent of the 9- or 12-month IBS.  Examples of additional services may include performing work on a grant or teaching or developing a class outside the official job assignment area.

Maximum Salary for 12-month Faculty Members

Faculty members on 12-month fiscal year (FY) appointments may receive up to 25 percent of their current IBS in additional services payments. See the following example.

12-month faculty example: A 12-month employee with an annual base salary of $60,000 may earn additional services payments up to $15,000 for a maximum salary of $75,000 in a fiscal year.

$60,000 x 0.25 = $15,000 maximum additional services payments

$60,000 + $15,000 = $75,000 maximum 12-month compensation

Maximum Salary for 9-month Faculty Members

Faculty members on 9-month academic year (AY) appointments may receive up to 25 percent of their current IBS in additional services payments (plus summer salary). See the following example.

9-month faculty example: A faculty member with a 9-month AY base salary of $45,000 may earn additional services payments up to $11,250 during the 9-month appointment for a maximum salary of $56,250 in a 9-month AY.

$45,000 x 0.25 = $11,250 maximum additional services payments

$45,000 + $11,250 = $56,250 maximum 9-month compensation

Maximum Summer Salary for Faculty Members

Summer Teaching Assignments — General information regarding teaching assignments can be found in HOP 03-403 Faculty Compensation and HOP 02-319 Summer Teaching Appointments.

Summer faculty example: A faculty member with a 9-month AY base salary of $45,000 that earns $15,000 in the summer salary (equal to 3/9th) may earn additional services payments during the 3 month summer of up to $3,750, for a maximum salary of $18,750 in the summer, provided that the additional services payments are earned for work that is performed beyond an employee’s regular job duties and requires the employee to perform work outside of normal working hours or during vacation or compensatory time, as appropriate.

$45,000/9 months x 3 = $15,000 maximum summer salary (3/9th)

$15,000 x 0.25 = $3,750 maximum additional services payments

$15,000 + $3,750 = $18,750 maximum summer compensation

The maximum summer salary paid from grants may be further limited based on the source of the funds. See HOP 02-401 Compensation from Grants, Contracts and Other Sponsored Agreements for additional details.

• Overload Compensation: Faculty members who teach an overload 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 academic unit head and dean and approval of the provost and executive vice president of academic affairs, overload compensation may vary based on the funding available, needs of the department, and qualifications of the faculty member. Overload compensation is paid as a salary supplement. See HOP 03-403 Faculty Compensation.
• Stipend: Faculty members who perform additional work beyond an employee’s regular job duties that has been earned or completed in one month or less, or a payment for an award, may be eligible for an additional one-time, lump-sum payment in addition to the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). A stipend does not increase the IBS for the purpose of calculating the maximum amount an employee may receive in total additional compensation and is not counted as additional services compensation. Examples of stipends may include performance at university-sponsored musical or theatrical events and awards or performance incentive bonuses as established in HOP 05-104 Gifts, Prizes, and Awards.
• Salary Supplement: Faculty members who perform additional work beyond an employee’s regular job duties that should be completed over two to six months in duration may be eligible for a salary supplement that temporarily augments the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). When the special assignment ends, the salary reverts to the IBS. A salary supplement increases the IBS for the purpose of calculating the maximum amount an employee may receive in additional compensation. Salary supplements paid to faculty will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Provost Office. Salary supplements cannot be paid from grant funds. Examples of salary supplements may include compensation for temporary or interim appointments and endowed positions.

Adjunct faculty compensation varies by college and discipline and is based on the following range:

Job Descriptions
Job descriptions provide an overview of a position's essential duties and responsibilities and the minimum required qualifications to perform the job effectively. The descriptions are working documents that are maintained, updated and changed to reflect the actual duties of a position and are broad and sweeping in nature, intended to enable and foster growth of the position.

Job descriptions highlight the most important features of a job in general terms - they may not describe specific duties related to an individual's position. Some departments choose to internally maintain supplemental documentation detailing the specific duties of a given position.

Official university job descriptions can be obtained by contacting Human Resources.

Salary Grade Structures
Salary grade structures are used to identify the minimum and maximum salary range of pay for each position and provide a way to classify and group jobs to ensure that employees are rewarded for the work they do in a consistent way.

SFA uses one combined grade structure to establish compensation limits for jobs. The structure is based on competitive practices and internal equity considerations and provides the possibility for progression to more responsible jobs with higher and broader pay ranges. Jobs are placed into salary grades based on external salary survey information and internal job evaluation; therefore, jobs with a similar value in the external market place and within the university are in the same salary grade.

HR periodically reviews job descriptions and salary ranges to ensure accuracy and competitiveness.

See Salary Grade Ranges.

HR sets the education and experience requirements for each position by evaluating the position's duties and responsibilities and then determining the minimum combination of education and experience necessary to perform the job.

HR believes it is the combination of education and experience that allows each employee to be best prepared to perform the duties and responsibilities of his or her position. For many positions, HR allows for additional experience to substitute for required education and also allows additional education to substitute for required experience for some positions.

For additional information, see the SFA Substitution Philosophy.

Initial salaries vary depending on the value of the job (based on an analysis of internal job relationships and the external market), the employee's experience and skills, and funding considerations. The hiring department, working with guidelines from HR, determines the externally competitive and internally equitable salary for each new employee.

SFA has a combined salary grade structure that is used to identify the minimum and maximum salary range of pay for each position. The hiring range for graded staff positions ranges from the salary grade minimum or 80% of the equity threshold for that position, whichever is greater, to the salary grade midpoint. Initial salaries will generally fall within this hiring range.

Salary increases for staff at SFA can occur through merit increases, equity adjustments and promotions, subject to the availability of funds.

Merit Increases
Merit increases are awarded on a semiannual basis to be effective either on Sept. 1 and/or March 1. Merit increases are based on an employee's documented job performance and are intended to reward individual performance, increased productivity, improved quality and/or reduced costs. To be eligible for a merit increase, individuals must be benefits-eligible and must have successfully completed initial probation or have a current performance appraisal with a rating of acceptable or above on file in HR.

Equity Adjustments
HR periodically audits pay rates within classifications to identify potential pay problems and initiates pay equity adjustments, as appropriate. A department head may also initiate a pay equity adjustment when an equity pool is funded as part of the budget process.

Individual equity increases shall be based on one or more of the following:

• Internal equity
• External competitiveness
• Longevity

All equity pay adjustments are subject to review and approval by the appropriate vice president and the HR director.

Promotions
When an individual is promoted, his or her pay will normally be adjusted to reflect the new level of responsibility. In determining recommended promotional increase amounts, the following factors are considered:

• rates paid to incumbents in the new position, both within hiring college or division and in other colleges and divisions throughout the university
• pay range for the new position and the difference in the number of salary grades between the old position and the new position
• qualifications of the individual versus qualifications of incumbents in the same job in the college or division
• external salary survey data, if it is available
• and change in FLSA designation or overtime designation; i.e., a change from nonexempt job to an exempt job.

Staff employees may be eligible for various types of additional compensation:

• Additional Services: Staff employees who perform work beyond an employee’s regular job duties and requires the employee to perform work outside of normal working hours or during vacation or compensatory time, as appropriate, may be eligible for additional compensation payment. Additional services compensation does not affect the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). Additional services compensation is subject to a cap equal to 25 percent of the IBS. For non-exempt employees, the rate of pay for additional services cannot exceed the normal rate of pay.

Maximum Salary for 12-month Employees

Employees on 12-month fiscal year (FY) appointments may receive up to 25 percent of their current IBS in additional services payments (see example below)

12-month employee example: A 12-month employee with an annual base salary of $45,000 may earn additional services payments up to $11,250 for a maximum salary of $56,250 in a fiscal year.

$45,000 x 0.25 = $11,250 maximum additional services payments

$45,000 + $11,250 = $56,250 maximum 12-month compensation

• Stipend: Staff employees who perform additional work beyond an employee’s regular job duties that has been earned or completed in one month or less, or a payment for an award, may be eligible for an additional one-time, lump-sum payment in addition to the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). A stipend does not increase the IBS for the purpose of calculating the maximum amount an employee may receive in total additional compensation and is not counted as additional services compensation. Examples of stipends may include performance at university-sponsored musical or theatrical events and awards or performance incentive bonuses as established in HOP 05-104 Gifts, Prizes, and Awards.
• Salary Supplement: Staff employees who perform additional work beyond an employee’s regular job duties that should be completed over two to six months in duration may be eligible for a salary supplement that temporarily augments the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). When the special assignment ends, the salary reverts to the IBS. A salary supplement increases the IBS for the purpose of calculating the maximum amount an employee may receive in additional compensation. Salary supplements cannot be paid from grant funds. Examples of salary supplements may include compensation for temporary or interim appointments.
• Part-Time Occasional/Sporadic Employment: Staff employees may work occasionally or sporadically on a part-time basis for SFA in a different capacity from their regular employment. Examples include taking tickets at university-sponsored events, providing security for special events, and officiating at youth or other recreation and sports events. Non-exempt employees who participate in part-time occasional/sporadic employment should complete the Overtime Exemption for Part-time Occasional/Sporadic Employment Acknowledgement Form.

A reclassification occurs when a position changes from one classification to another because of changes to job duties and responsibilities. Reclassifications may be lateral or promotional and may not necessarily result in a change in base rate of pay.

Reclassifications are not voluntary - they occur external to the posting process. Reclassifications may result from reorganizations, during which the department reevaluates its organizational structure and redistributes job duties and responsibilities, or as part of the annual budget process.

Longevity Pay
Nonacademic, full-time employees working at least 40 hours a week in one position are entitled to longevity pay in the amount of $20 per month for each two years of state service. When appointments are added together, an eligible employee may be paid longevity pay if the sum of the scheduled work hours in all nonacademic appointments is 40 or more hours. Prior state employment is verified by HR.

Longevity pay is capped at $420 per month. See the Longevity Pay Chart for a listing of pay amounts based on years of service.

SFA Charter School teachers are not eligible for longevity pay.

Hazardous Duty Pay
Commissioned law officers are entitled to hazardous duty pay in lieu of longevity pay. In most cases, the amount of a full-time employee's hazardous duty pay is $10 for each 12-month period of lifetime service credit accrued by the employee.

As a staff member, whether and how you are compensated for working more than your scheduled hours during a workweek depends on how your position is viewed under the Fair Labor Standards Act. HR determines the exemption status of each position on campus by completing a test based on each position's duties, level of responsibility and decision-making authority, and base pay rate. To learn more about the general distinctions between being exempt and nonexempt at SFA, see the FLSA Exemption Differences PDF.

• HOP 02-304 (academic promotion of full-time faculty)
• HOP 02-319 (summer teaching appointments)
• HOP 02-401 (compensation from grants, contracts and others)
• HOP 03-401 (additional compensation)
• HOP 03-403 (faculty compensation)
• HOP 03-404 (faculty merit pay)
• HOP 03-207 (fair labor standards)
• HOP 03-406 (longevity pay and hazardous duty pay)
• HOP 03-407 (overtime and compensatory time)
• HOP 03-405 (institutional classified pay plan)
• HOP 05-104 (gifts, prizes, and awards)

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Wage & Hour Division - U.S. Department of Labor
• Fair Labor Standards Act