Equity Pay Plan 2012

East Tennessee State University Equity Plan Methodology 2012

ETSU is committed to providing competitive salaries and wages for faculty and staff.  Due to budgetary limitations and state policy that did not allow for pay raises for three years, equity deficits have continued to increase.

Summary of the ETSU Salary Equity Plan:

1. In September 2000 the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) approved ETSU's Salary Equity Plan (three-phased plan).
2. In January 2001 Phase 1 was implemented (paid in 25 percent increments).
3. In July 2002 Phase 2 was implemented (paid in 25 percent increments).
4. Phase 3 of the Plan was scheduled for implementation in January 2003.  Because of budget restraints Phase 3 was not implemented until October 1, 2004 (paid in 25 percent increments).
5. In October 2007 Equity implemented (paid in 12.5 percent increments).]
6. In October 2010 Equity implemented for faculty only in the Gatton College of Pharmacy, a private entity.

On January 19, 2011 the University President established a Salary Equity Task Force to review the institutions current (2010) Equity Pay Plan.  The Task Force's charge was to review the current university salary equity plan and make recommendations for changes.  Membership on the Task Force included the Vice President for Finance and Administration (chair); Vice President for Health Affairs/COO; Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs; Director, Employee Relations, Compensation, and Development; three (3) members appointed by the Faculty Senate; and, three (3) members appointed by the Staff Senate.  The Task Force met on a regular basis and completed its review in October 2011.

Administrative/Professional and Classified Staff

The ETSU Salary Equity Plan for administrative and classified staff made use of data supplied by the ETSU Bureau of Business and Economic Research (Rockmore Study).  The Plan had completed its original three-year life span before the university could reach full implementation.  To stay current with cost-of-living increases the university was required to increase the Rockmore study targets for Phase 2 and Phase 3 by 2.5% and 3% increments respectively.  This procedure led to questionable data validity.

A new Equity Plan for administrative and classified staff was established and approved in 2005 and updated in 2012. Market targets for each classification/pay level are determined using a subscription to the web-based system "CompAnalyst Job Analyzer."   The system allows for current market data to be used to benchmark positions within the Equity Plan.  The market target will be CompAnalyst's 60th percentile of the competitive market rate for each job (adjusted for 37.5 hours per week). The 50th percentile represents the data's midpoint.

One market target for each pay level is determined by averaging targets for several positions within an ETSU pay level.   Positions that are difficult to fill and are sensitive to market pricing, i.e., OIT analysts, public safety officers, research specialists, etc., are approved prior to advertisement to hire at a market rate.    Because these positions are advantaged at hire and are close to or at full market target they will not require individual targets within the equity plan.

ETSU Faculty (Academic Campus)

The Equity Plan for faculty will compare salaries to three sources and determine the "higher market target." (1) Salaries are first compared to a CUPA-HR Data on Demand Report for institutions matching the following criteria:  Institution is Carnegie classified as Doctoral/ Research University (DRU) per the most recent listing; Institution is at least 80% of ETSU's enrollment size; Institution is not under AAUP censure; Institution is not overly specialized; and, Institution is not ETSU.  The ETSU Faculty Senate will provide to the Office of Human Resources by January 15 of each calendar year a current list of those institutions meeting these criteria. See Appendix A. (2) Salaries are then compared to a CUPA-HR Data on Demand Report for institutions matching the following criteria: Institutions that are classified as Public;  Institutions classified at ETSU's CUPA-HR Budget Quartile; Institutions are not community colleges; Institutions are not "system offices" or similar units that do not actually offer instruction or award degrees; Institution is not ETSU. The listing may also include specific additional institutions recommended by departmental faculty, provided that these recommendations are justified on specific grounds of comparability to ETSU. See Appendix B. (3) Salaries are also compared to current national public data from the CUPA-HR Faculty Salary Survey; Institution is not ETSU.  The "higher market target" of the three sources is used as comparison data.

Faculty increases are based upon rank and discipline (4-digit CIP).  Faculty is defined as permanent faculty.  Market target will be 60th percentile data.

ETSU Library Faculty

When determining peer equity, the Committee acknowledges that Library faculty in peer institutions currently proposed in the Equity Plan perform comparable teaching/academic support roles to those at ETSU and are not professors offering instruction in the discipline of Library Science.

Intercollegiate Athletics

The Equity Plan will not include coaching or athletic training positions.  Increases in salaries for these positions are approved through a separate TBR process.

Executive Staff

The Equity Plan for executive positions compares salaries to three sources and determines the "higher market target."  (1) Salaries are first compared to median salaries from the national College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Administrative Salary Survey (doctoral institutions by budget).  (2) Executives not having a match to a CUPA position have targets calculated by the Office of Human Resources using additional published survey data, by performing in-house surveys, or by extrapolating data from similar positions. (3) Positions are also compared to the corresponding target for their pay level in the administrative plan using data from the "CompAnalyst Job Analyzer."  The "higher market target" of the three sources is used as comparison data.  Market target will be 60th percentile data.

University High Faculty

In September 2003 the TBR approved a "Pay Plan for the University School."  The plan brings ETSU University School faculty to parity with their Washington County contemporaries.  Through this plan University School faculty are not eligible for equity, percentage, or across-the-board raises received by other university faculty.

College of Medicine (COM) Faculty

The Equity Plan for faculty compares salaries to the current Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Southern Region data.  Veteran's Administration (VA) and Medical Education Assistance Corporation (MEAC) salaries are added to ETSU salaries to determine a grand total salary.  Deficits are paid in accordance with the percentage of time worked at ETSU versus the VA.  Faculty increases are based upon rank and discipline.

College of Pharmacy (COP) Faculty

The Equity Plan for faculty will compare salaries to the current annually published, national faculty salary survey data published by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The market target will be 60th percentile data.  The Plan will also review internal department and College equity. Faculty increases are based upon rank and discipline.

Post Doctoral Administrative Staff

Post doctoral administrative staff are hired in accordance with ETSU Policy PPP-65, Postdoctoral Recruitment and Education Policy (Basic and Clinical Sciences), and are not eligible for equity payments.

Special Issues:

Stipend and At-Risk/Incentive Pay:  The Equity Plan will remove stipend/at-risk payments from the base salaries of ETSU and College of Pharmacy faculty, and all administrators and support staff.  College of Medicine faculty stipends remain in their base salary and are considered a necessary part of their total compensation for AAMC comparisons.

Longevity:  Longevity payments will not be included in any employee base salary because longevity is considered a bonus payment for lengthy service and must be approved annually by the State Legislature.

Data Substitution:  Senior Staff approval is required for use of faculty salary comparison sources other than the CUPA-HR databases specified in this policy.

Budget Considerations:  The Equity Plan will be implemented yearly when the budget permits. Deficits will be paid in increments as the budget permits.

Appeal Process:  Employees who disagree with their equity pay calculations may appeal in writing to the Office of Human Resources through their appropriate chain of command.

Appendix A (2012):

Ball State University IN
Central Michigan University MI
Cleveland State University OH
East Carolina University NC
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University FL
Georgia Southern University GA
Illinois State University IL
Indiana University of Pennsylvania PA
Lamar University TX
Middle Tennessee State University TN
Oakland University MI
Portland State University OR
Texas Woman's University TX
University of Arkansas at Little Rock AR
University of South Dakota SD
University of Massachusetts Boston MA
University of Massachusetts Lowell MA
University of North Carolina Charlotte NC
University of Northern Colorado CO
Sam Houston State University TX
University of Nebraska Omaha NE

Appendix B (2012):

Appalachian State University NC
Boise State University ID
Bowling Green State University OH
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA
California State University-Fullerton CA
California State University-Long Beach CA
California State University-Sacramento CA
Central Michigan University MI
City Colleges of Chicago IL
College of William & Mary VA
Eastern Michigan University MI
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University FL
Grand Valley State University MI
Illinois State University IL
James Madison University VA
Kent State University Main Campus OH
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center LA
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport LA
Miami Dade College FL
Middle Tennessee State University TN
Montana State University - Bozeman MT
Montclair State University NJ
Mt. San Antonio College CA
Northern Arizona University AZ
Northern Illinois University IL
Old Dominion University VA
Portland State University OR
San Jose State University CA
Southern Illinois University Carbondale IL
Texas State University - San Marcos TX
The University of Akron, Main Campus OH
The University of Memphis TN
The University of Montana - Missoula MT
The University of Texas at El Paso TX
Towson University MD
UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School NJ
United States Air Force Academy CO
University of Alaska Fairbanks AK
University of Arkansas Main Campus AR
University of California-Riverside CA
University of California-Santa Cruz CA
University of Idaho ID
University of Maryland Baltimore County MD
University of Massachusetts Medical School MA

Appendix B (2012) continued:

University of Mississippi MS
University of Missouri - Kansas City MO
University of Nevada-Las Vegas NV
University of Nevada, Reno NV
University of New Hampshire NH
University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC
University of North Dakota Main Campus ND
University of Tennessee Health Science Center TN
University of Texas at Arlington TX
University of Texas at Dallas TX
University of Texas at San Antonio TX
University of Toledo OH
University of Vermont VT
University of Wyoming WY
Utah State University UT
Western Kentucky University KY
Wright State University Main Campus OH

Appendix B inclusions additions based upon departmental faculty recommendations (2012):

Health Professions:

Midwestern State University TX
The Ohio State University OH
University of Nebraska Omaha NE
University of Alabama AL
University of South Alabama Mobile AL

Arts and Sciences:

Appalachian State University NC
University of North Carolina Asheville NC
Radford University VA
Morehead State University KY
Eastern Kentucky University KY
The University of Memphis TN

APPROVED:

_________________________________

Dr. Brian E. Noland, President

September 21, 2012

Dear East Tennessee State University Regular Employee:

I am pleased to announce that ETSU's equity adjustment plan for 2012 was approved during the Tennessee Board of Regents Quarterly Meeting today. Adjustments represent an increase of 8.5 percent of the difference in salaries and the "market target" for each eligible position. Administrative and support staff may view market targets at https://www.etsu.edu/human-resources/pay/payplanarchive2012.aspx. Faculty targets are calculated individually, and, therefore, will not be included in this table. Regular permanent faculty and staff on payroll as of June 30, 2012 are eligible for this cycle of the Equity Plan. [Equity increases are not available for adjunct faculty, temporary faculty (lecturers, visiting professors, postdoctoral fellows/assistants), post retiree faculty, temporary employees, coaches, athletic trainers, medical school residents, graduate assistants, student workers, University School faculty, and employees receiving an unsatisfactory annual evaluation.]

Eligible administrative and support staff may calculate an estimation of your increase by taking the market target, subtracting your current salary, and multiplying the difference by .085.

All eligible faculty and staff will receive an individual salary letter in mid October under separate cover providing a description of your actual equity adjustment. Adjustments will be included in October 31, 2012 paychecks and will be retroactive to July 1, 2012.

We thank you for your dedicated service to ETSU and ask your support as we continue to seek fair compensation for your valued talents. Your hard work and loyalty to our university and to our students are recognized and appreciated. You may contact the Office of Human Resources at 439-5890 or log on to Goldlink Self Service if you need individual information pertaining to your personal salary.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian E. Noland
University President

2012 Equity Targets

ADMINISTRATIVE

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SECURITY