Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series looking at the University’s recent faculty salary raises.
Following nearly five years of stagnant faculty salaries, LSU President F. King Alexander initiated a merit increase of up to 4 percent in July, and the increases reflect the University’s emphasis on business and STEM disciplines.
While on average most departments saw a 4 percent increase, the disciplines that netted the largest share of the total dollar amount were those that had previously earned larger paychecks.
Higher income employees received a larger share of the salary increase money compared to the percent of the total workforce at the University they makeup. Employees making at least $90,000 make up 8 percent of the workforce, but received 10 percent of the total raise.
Given the total amount of increases doled out, 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.
Alexander had previously said because students are sensitive to shifts in the job market, the University must be more strategic when planning growth in certain majors.
This means that other majors that typically see lower employment rates after graduation will also see less investment from the University.
The University’s growth in the College of Engineering, exemplifies the trend of increased investment.
The American Society of Engineering Education reported the University’s engineering school is the fifth fastest growing in the nation, thus pay increases help with recruiting and retaining professors, Alexander said.
According to data by the University’s Career Services Center, engineering graduates reported an average starting salary of more than $69,000.
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.
At the lower end of the scale, Parking and Transportation Services received about an average 2 percent department raise.
Associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Janet McDonald said though there is a demand for STEM fields, there is still value in studying humanities.
Though only investing in STEM is not the case at the University, there is a flaw in exclusively investing in STEM because it prevents students from being well rounded, McDonald said.
She said there was a particular strain on newly hired professors, and said if someone was hired five years ago, their first raise was this year.
This causes a financial strain on faculty, and it can hit junior faculty the hardest, forcing them to take jobs elsewhere where raises are more consistent, she said.
McDonald said her college hopes to keep assistant professors and that it is not discouraged by the recent lack of increases.
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.
“We know we need to do better and become consistent for our faculty throughout the campus.”
Faculty pay raises reflect focus on certain disciplines
December 2, 2013