LSU President F. King Alexander’s first semester on the University Board of Supervisors was filled with changes and gradual steps toward the University’s reorganization.
This semester, Supervisor Hank Danos stepped down as chair of the Board after serving for 21 months. Chairman Robert Yabrough and Chair-Elect Ann Duplessis were sworn in.
This fall, the University also approved the 2013-14 Operating Budge, which influded the first system-wide salary increase in about four years.
The University set aside $8.3 million for the raises, said Robert Kuhn, vice provost and associate vice chancellor for budget and planning and interim CFO,
Funds for the raises were collected from various sources including tuition from increased enrollment, position vacancies and savings from closing certain scholarships, Kuhn said.
While on average, most departments saw a 4 percent increase, the disciplines that netted the largest share of the total amount were those that had previously earned larger paychecks.
Kuhn said if the raises were approved by the Board, deans were given 4 percent of the base salary of their faculty and distributed the funds based on cumulative performance and evaluations.
The University gave most departments 4 percent increases, according to The Daily Reveille’s data.
Out of the total amount for increases, about 18 percent of the total salary increases went to faculty and staff working in the science field, while those employees in business received nearly 9 percent of the increase and 10 percent went to engineering.
On the other hand, graduates of the College of Humanities and Social Science reported a $39,000 average starting salary, and the pay raise reflected this lower amount with the college only receiving about 5 percent of the total merit increases.
Parking and Transportation Services received about an average 2 percent department raise.
The increased investment in STEM fields shows students shift toward these fields, Alexander said.
Now the University’s top priority is to maintain merit increases, Alexander said.
“We know we need to do better and become consistent for our faculty throughout the campus,” Alexander said.