Some faculty could see new pay schedule
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Some MSU faculty members might be paid on a new schedule this fall if proposed changes to the current pay system are approved in the coming months.
The Executive Committee of Academic Council, or ECAC, discussed the proposed changes to the pay schedule for academic year faculty Tuesday. Those faculty members potentially effected are appointed to work only during the fall and spring semesters, but are paid during a span of 12 months.
Currently, those faculty members have money deducted from their paychecks during a period from Aug. 16 to May 15; the deducted money is used to pay the faculty during the summer months. The proposal, if enacted, would pay faculty the money usually withheld under the current system during the academic year. Those faculty no longer would receive a paycheck during the summer months.
David Brower, MSU’s chief financial officer and controller, said the proposed pay schedule change will be beneficial because academic year faculty will be paid in full for their work in a given month rather than having money withheld each month.
“In my mind, it really achieves a proper method of paying for the work when it’s done,” Brower said.
Terry Curry, associate provost and associate vice president for academic human resources, said although the proposal first arose late last spring, it still is in the preliminary stages. If enacted, Curry said administrators want to implement the new system by August.
Curry said administrators are developing a communication strategy to spread word of the proposed changes to faculty members. He also said he is working with the University Committee on Faculty Affairs, or UCFA, on the matter.
“There still are a lot of questions to be answered,” Curry said.
Curry said the changes would not apply to all faculty. Annual year faculty, who are appointed and paid to work each month of the year, would not be affected, Curry said. An example of an annual year faculty member is someone who is appointed as chairperson of a department. Curry said base faculty appointments are for academic year positions.
ECAC members differed in their opinions on the proposed change.
Several members expressed dismay with the proposed plan and said faculty who would not be paid during the summer months would need to consider ways to pay monthly bills, such as mortgages and credit card bills.
“It is seriously going to cause huge disruptions,” said Martin Crimp, chairman of the University Committee on Academic Policy.
UCFA chairwoman Deborah Moriarty said she believed the best course of action is for faculty with concerns to approach UCFA with questions and concerns.
Brower said some details need to be examined, such as ways to continue faculty health benefits during the summer months. Currently, a faculty member must be paid in order to receive health benefits. Brower said one solution would be withholding a sufficient amount of money during the academic year to maintain health benefits during the summer.
Brower also said MSU is working with MSU Federal Credit Union to offer an option to faculty customers that essentially would not change the current schedule, albeit in a different form. MSUFCU would withhold the money typically deducted as part of the current pay schedule. That money would be available for faculty during the summer months, Brower said.
Commentary
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Nonsense
(03/03/10 1:04am)Report
This makes no sense at all. Just to implement this nonsense will cost the university millions of dollars that could be used for something else. How stupid.
The University: Shooting itself in the foot
(03/03/10 1:09am)Report
If this plan goes through, every MSU faculty member not a dean or chairperson will have a license to basically give the university the middle-finger during summer months. Summer is not vacation for tenured/tenure-track faculty. They are often called on to help their respective units during the summer time. With this new system, where faculty not getting paid during the summer, they can essentially say “F-ck you! Pay me!” during the summer months.
Faculty member
(03/03/10 8:26am)Report
I don’t see a reason for this change, aside from the contrived “it really achieves a proper method of paying for the work when it’s done.” The speaker must be pretty naive about how faculty do their jobs—we don’t sit on the couch and eat bon bons in the summer. Many of us teach summer classes, work with grad students, and do our research during the summer months. Summer also allows time for travel for research projects, and uninterrupted writing time. To say that faculty should only be paid while the university is in normal session is just silly—and uninformed.
Anon
(03/03/10 8:41am)Report
I didn’t know faculty ever had “the Summer off”.
Steve
(03/03/10 9:33am)Report
Are we reading the same article? This appears to affect only a limited group of faculty members (“academic year faculty”) who already “have the summer off” and can still do whatever they choose during that time, and their total yearly pay does not change, only the timing of when it is paid. How is this a problem?
Good grief
(03/03/10 10:05am)Report
Okay; first of all; if they get their full pay in the fall/spring, they need to (like students do with financial aid) BUDGET the funds to have money over the summer. Seriously…….the University does this for them now???????? Secondly, if it is “withheld” pay, it is not “additional pay” for summer work; there is NO DIFFERENCE. I don’t want to be taught by a Professor incapable of managing their own life, and financial responsiblity is part of life.
Perry Miller
(03/03/10 10:23am)Report
“It is seriously going to cause huge disruptions.”
That is a problem.
Why are faculty being treated increasingly like contingent labor? There are serious implications for academic freedom and quality of education.
What will the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) do to reassert the central and essential role of professors to the purpose of a university, an institution of learning, teaching, and research?
Annemiek Schilder
(03/03/10 10:57am)Report
The biggest problem is that the faculty, who do all the work and purportedly make the university what it is, are once again not consulted by the university administration!! Time and time again, decisions are made by MSU administration that may have huge effects on the lives of faculty and staff and yet there is no discussion, no input from any of the affected parties. When is MSU going to be a democratic institution and treat the faculty, staff and students as integral parts of their decision-making process?
Steve
(03/03/10 11:09am)Report
Annemiek, do you know that the ECAC is composed in part of FACULTY MEMBERS and exists exactly to provide the input and consultation you say is lacking. Are you a faculty member and you don’t know this?
KJ Green
(03/03/10 12:31pm)Report
The University is not talking about reducing pay for faculty. It is talking about changing the timing of pay for faculty. For those who are commenting that faculty with nine-month appointments are expected to work in the summer, you should be complaining that the faculty member does not have a 12-month appointment (with the corresponding increase in compensation), not the timing of how they are getting paid.
To the faculty who are voicing concerns over how to pay summer bills, I bet you probably overpay your taxes throughout the year and are overjoyed with your big tax refund in April. (Nevermind the fact that this was your money in the first place.) Again, the University does not seem to be suggesting that it will be cutting total annual salary, just changing the timing of how it is paid. What you are revealing with your concern regarding how to pay your summer bills is that you are incapable of managing your finances and setting aside the extra money received during the academic year so you can pay your summer bills (although the article did note the University is working with the MSU Credit Union to help be your financial nanny).
I am also intrigued by the comment “It is seriously going to cause huge disruptions.” At face value, this is scary. But since there was no reasoning provided behind this comment, I’m wondering what those disruptions would be.
I do see one issue to be clarified in this matter — and that is regarding health benefits. If this is a veiled plan to allow the University to not provide health coverage to faculty during the summer months, then there is a real issue to be addressed.
It also sounds like the overall plan is to be discussed further with various governance groups, so there is still opportunity to influence its roll-out to address valid concerns.
JR
(03/04/10 3:17pm)Report
While they’re at it, why don’t they pay the Administrative Professional staff ‘when the work is being done,’ such as bi-monthly instead of once a month! If the goal is to pay people more along the lines of when the work is done, pay twice a month – this would alleviate a lot of budgeting concerns for AP Staff and their families.
Barry
(03/04/10 4:27pm)Report
Well, Steve, apparently you don’t have much experience dealing with administrators. ECAC committee members I talked to said that they were told what was going to happen and not asked about concerns. The administration knows that if they ask, most 9 monthers will be against this plan. And to KJ, obviously the administration has something up their sleeves. Do you truly think this is just about fair play?
hum
(03/16/10 3:42pm)Report
Story goes that this is tax related. I don’t understand the details, but apparently the IRS doesn’t like the fact that the University withholds part of the faculty salary and pays it out months (and even a different tax year in the case of Fall semester) from when the work was performed.
The majority of faculty are paid this way and will be affected.
Most faculty won’t have a problem with budgeting for the new pay plan and many are paid for other activities in the summer, such as research.
It will be an expense for the U —- it will no longer have that large amount of cash built up during the academic year…