The 1999-2000 University Senate Budget Committee (David Frank, Mike Kellman, Nathan Tublitz and Wayne Westling) has generated three documents dealing with instructional faculty compensation. The first, entitled Basic Principles of Compensation for Instructional Faculty at the University of Oregon, describes the overarching set of principles to be used for all future disbursements of campus-wide salary improvement funds. The second document, The SBC White Paper: A Plan for Sustained Competitive Parity in Instructional Faculty Compensation, uses the principles in the Principles document as a foundation from which to discuss the goal of achieving and maintaining compensation parity with our comparator universities in the next 5-7 years. The White Paper also identifies 5 sources to fund the sustained competitive parity goal. The current document provides additional details regarding the implementation of the White Paper plan for the academic year 2000-2001. In this paper we: 1) identify the specific sources that will provide the funds to underwrite faculty salary increases in November 2000; 2) describe the distribution of these funds; and, 3) discuss how the entire process will be monitored.

A. Cost of living adjustment. The White Paper states that "With respect to COLA, a portion of every salary adjustment pool must be allocated to cost of living adjustments for all faculty performing satisfactorily". It further states that a full COLA shall be distributed if the total funds available in terms of percentage are greater or equal to 200% of the cost of living for the previous calendar year. However if the salary pool is less than 200% of the cost of living for that year, then half of the current salary increase will be allocated as a COLA.

Cost of living calculations were obtained from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Portland-Salem OR-WA consumer price index. For the purposes of the November 2000 salary increases, the period used to determine changes in the cost of living was the 1999 calendar year (Jan-Dec), and for that year the Portland-Salem OR-WA CPI rose by 3.3%.

Since the salary pool of 5% is less than 200% of the cost of living for 1999, then half of the 5% salary pool (2.5%) shall be considered a COLA and shall be distributed to all faculty performing satisfactorily based on the White Paper principle discussed above.

B. Merit allocations. The remaining funds (2.5%) after the COLA disbursements shall be distributed on the basis of merit. Merit increases shall be based on performance using systematic principles and procedures adopted by each department/unit and shall be consistent with the goals set forth in the Principles document and White Paper. These include: 1) reaching the 95% sustained competitive parity goal; 2) addressing the compression issue; 3) redressing salary inequities; 4) ensuring that the vast majority of faculty receive significant increases; and 5) attaining the 80% minimum salary floor level.

• a) develop a set of systematic principles and procedures for merit raises, in accordance with the White Paper section 5 and Principle #3;
• b) promulgate openly and clearly the principles and procedures before merit decisions are made, in accordance with Principle #3;
• c) obtain approval of the merit raise plan in advance by the appropriate Dean and the Provostís office, in accordance with Principle #3;
• d) notify each eligible faculty member of his or her fall raise before the end of the 1999-2000 academic year.

After salary decisions are made, each department will submit a written report to the appropriate Dean by December 15, 2000 demonstrating that the fall 2000 salary increases followed the written departmental procedures and were consistent with the Principles in the Principles document. Any deviation from these procedures and principles will have to be justified and accepted by the Provost, who will receive copies of the department reports from the Deans. In those schools without departments, a similar report will be submitted by the Dean to the Provost.

After receiving departmental salary increase information from the Deans, the administration will provide all relevant salary data to the Senate Budget Committee by January 15, 2001 and work closely with the SBC to develop an implementation plan for year 2 (2001-2002). The Senate Budget Committee will report to the University Senate on the progress towards the White Paper implementation plan for 2000-2001 as well as present an Implementation Plan for 2001-2002 no later than April 2001.

1. Statement of Principles
2. Senate Budget Committee White Paper
3. Implementation paper
4. Home page of the Senate Budget Committee
5. UO Senate Home Page
6. The February 2000 University of Oregon Instructional Faculty Survey and banner tables - see also archival copy