FACULTAS Spring 1999

Vol. 4 No. 2

Newsletter of the Faculty Senate

Spring, 1999

V.U. Faculty Salaries Lag Behind Strategic Plan’s Comparison Group

Villanova’s Strategic Plan commits it to salaries that compete in the top half of its admissions - overlap group. However, a recent analysis shows that Villanova’s full professors lag $2,700 behind - and associate professors $700 behind - the group mean of their comparison colleagues. The admissions overlap comparison group consists of Boston College, Bucknell, Fairfield, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Providence, and Lehigh. Only at the assistant professor level did Villanova compete with average salaries, running $400 above the group mean. sal.jpg (70532 bytes)

The study was based on figures published in Academe March/April 1998, with adjustments made to exclude law school salaries. The salary gap for full professors was not unexpected, since remedial action in 1996, while commendable, was merely a half-way measure. More surprising was the gap for the associate professors, who were $28 behind the group mean two years ago but are now $700 behind the mean.

Faculty Senate Chair Lowell Gustafson stated that the study "seems to indicate clearly the need for action to at last bring full professors at least to the mean, and to reverse the slide being experienced by associate professors." He added praise for "Villanova’s strategic planning process that helps bring these matters into focus."

Faculty Senate Vice-Chair Rick Eckstein has alerted the administration to the need for a special $425,000 package to bring Villanova’s faculty salaries into its appropriate competitive position. This would be similar to the package approved two years ago that began to address the lag in full professors’ salaries.

The consulting firm of Towers-Perrinn has recommended cuts in faculty benefits, already only about 85% of the comparison group that was used in their own study. Faculty’s costs for medical and dental benefits would rise. Costs for all dependents taking Villanova courses would rise. How much the firm is being paid for this proposal is not known.

According to the Towers-Perrinn report, the value of benefits received by associate professors is 82% of the comparison group’s mean, assistant professors 84%, and full professors 86%. Administrators receive 100% and the 16 senior administrators (President, VP's General Counsel, Deans, Director University Computing, and Human Resources, and Athletics) 86%.

The university would contribute $200,000 less to employee medical benefits. The effect of this would be to raise many faculty members’ monthly contributions (except for PPO and CompSelect, which would decrease), eliminate all POS (point-of-service) plans, decrease coverage, and raise office visit and prescription copays.

Villanova would pay a total of $300,000 less for dental insurance as well. The monthly contribution, now costing employees nothing, would rise from $5 for an individual to $20 for a family. There would be three deductibles for a family.

All dependents of employees taking courses would begin paying a General Fee, costing employees and their families a total of about $60,000.

A second-class category of community members would be created for those hired within the last ten years, most of whose dependents would pay 10% of Villanova’s tuition. Those hired before that date pay no tuition.

The Towers-Perrinn proposal includes no increase in the University’s contribution to faculty retirement, although non-exempt staff would be included in the defined contribution program.

The Benefits Committee has made a counter proposal calling for a retirement increase and grand-fathering all current employees in the current tuition remission program.

F A C U L T A S

is the newsletter of the Villanova University Faculty Senate.

Please send any contributions to:

Facultas, SAC 202, lgustafs@email.vill.edu