A committee appointed by Chancellor James Oblinger after a controversy regarding N.C. First Lady Mary Easley’s 88-percent raise will submit its review of University salary policy to the chancellor Friday.

“At this point, the work of the committee has been to look at the policies and review the practices in place,” Barbara Carroll, chair of the committee and associate vice chancellor for human resources.

Oblinger formed the committee after a controversy erupted over Provost Larry Nielsen’s decision to give Mary Easley a $79,700 increase in pay, raising her salary from $90,300 to $170,000.

The UNC system’s salary policy states that the Board of Governors has to approve a salary increase of 15 percent or more or $10,000 or more.

Oblinger was not available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

There are about 15 people on the committee, Carroll said, which will provide the chancellor with a set of recommendations regarding the University’s current policies and their alignment with the UNC system’s.

After the committee submits the their review to the Chancellor, he will make a decision on where to go with further contract reviews.

Salary Adjustments

Under N.C. State’s Policies, Regulations and Rules, “in-range salary adjustments” are permitted.

“In an effort to be a competitive employer in applicable labor markets and to compensate employees equitably for the duties they perform in relation to one another, the university grants in-range salary adjustments. Adjustments are awarded to recognize job change, establish or maintain equitable salary relationships, and to respond to labor market conditions. An in-range salary adjustment is defined as a change in an employee’s salary within his/her current salary grade.”

An employee’s salary grade, or the range in which a person may be paid, may also change.

“A salary range revision is a change in the salary grade assigned to a classification or class series. The change may be based upon salaries in the labor market, adverse trends in recruitment and retention data, or increased complexity in job content. Salary range revisions are approved by the State Personnel Commission and affect all positions and employees in the specified class(es).”

Source: University Policies, Regulations and Rules: http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/employment/epa/POL05.15.1.php

State Regulations

The State Personnel Act states that:

Each department, agency and institution shall establish a performance management and pay advisory committee as part of the performance appraisal system. The purpose of the committee is to ensure that salary increases and awards are made in an equitable manner.

According to Policy, Regulations and Rule’s Reduction in Force, some positions are exempt from the State Personnel Act, including:

Chancellor, vice chancellors, provosts, deans and directors of major administrative, educational, research and public services activities designated by the Board of Governors.

Provost Nielsen said in Easley’s new position, she will be the director of the new center for public safety leadership.

Sources: State Personnel Act, Office of State Personnel Web site, University Policies, Regulations and Rules: Employees Exempt from the State Personnel Act (EPA) Policy