Illinois faculty salaries show competitive edge

Alestle Staff Report

Illinois colleges and universities are making faculty salaries more competitive, but public universities continue to fall short of the average salaries paid to faculty at similar institutions, according to a report presented in January to the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

The annual study of faculty and civil service salaries showed that the average faculty salary at public universities in 1999 was $57,000, an increase of 7.8 percent since 1997. The average faculty salary at private institutions was $64,000 in 1999, an 8.2 percent increase from 1997. Community college average salaries increased 6.2 percent to $52,000 between 1997 and 1999.

Faculty salaries generally kept up with inflation during the '90s, but those at public universities and community colleges lagged slightly behind compared with overall increases in Illinois per capita income.

The consumer price index rose 29.6 percent during the last decade, while per capita income went up 44.7 percent. By comparison, faculty salaries at public universities rose 33.8 percent in the '90s, 39.7 percent at community colleges and 45.2 percent at independent institutions.

"We are making progress in paying faculty, who are the most valuable resource for our students, a competitive salary," said Keith Sanders, executive director of the IBHE. "But we are not there yet, and we must remain committed to achieving this very important goal that is vital to ensuring the quality of our educational programs."

The study compared Illinois institutions with "peer groups," colleges and institutions with similar missions, programs and enrollments. Community colleges were compared with other states.

The $57,000 average salary for public university faculty was nearly 5 percent below the average for these peer institutions.

When fringe benefits and total compensation were considered, Illinois public university faculty fell almost 10 percent behind peer institutions, while faculty at independent colleges and universities still remained above their peers by 4.5 percent.

According to a recent Illinois Board of Higher Education newsletter, raising faculty salaries to competitive levels has been a budget priority of the IBHE. Its fiscal 2001 budget endorses a general salary increase of 3 percent plus an additional 1 percent, or $14.5 million, for the second year of a five-year plan to recruit and retain faculty by raising salaries to the median of peer institutions. Institutions must match the extra 1 percent with institutional funds.