The report also showed that for all faculty participating in the survey, the average salary increase between 2009-10 and 2010-11 was 1.4 percent. This is the second-lowest increase in the survey’s past 50 years, second only to last year’s increase of 1.2 percent.

American Association of University Professors director of research and public policy John Curtis said the low rate of increase was “pretty much historic,” and the stagnation could result in reduced job security for faculty and reduced quality in the classroom, particularly in publicly funded universities, which are affected by shrinking state appropriations.

“A lot of faculty are these days (are) part-time or in full-time but nontenure track,” Curtis said. “It’s become increasingly difficult to attract the most qualified positions. It’s becoming less and less of a career track.”

According to the report, MSU professors’ salaries increased .8 percent from the 2009-10 to the 2010-11 school years. In the same time period, MSU’s associate professors increased 1.3 percent, MSU’s assistant professors increased 2.1 percent and MSU instructors increased 5.4 percent. The report shows the majority of MSU’s tenured professors are in professor and associate professor positions.

Compared to other institutions in the state, the average salaries of MSU professors and associates are third highest. However, the average salaries of MSU assistant professors are the sixth highest, and average salaries of MSU instructors are 16th highest.

Dave Byelich, director of the MSU Office of Planning and Budgets, said the varying salaries likely was because of the smaller number of instructors and assistant professors at MSU compared to other faculty members and because of the unequal distribution of tenured and nontenured faculty within the groups.

Byelich said MSU works to keep competitive in the scope of the Big Ten schools.

“Some (universities) have increased salaries more quickly than ours,” Byelich said. “As a result of that we’re monitoring this very closely and taking this into account as we prepare our planning an budgeting formation for 2012 and 2013.”

Deborah Moriarty, University Committee on Faculty Affairs chairwoman, said the inequality in the salaries is part of the reason the University Committee on Faculty Affairs presented a proposal Tuesday’s Faculty Council meeting to increase the faculty merit pool by about two percent and the market adjustment pool by about one percent. The pools allow faculty members to be awarded based on both their performance and in response to increased value of faculty who might be recruited by other institutions.

The increase would give deans and department chairs the opportunity to raise salaries, although Moriarty said all salary increases are merit based.

Moriarty said she felt MSU had managed to maintain competitiveness, but stated the importance of MSU maintaining a strong faculty.

“In order to get the best people, we need to offer a salary that is competitive with other universities,” Moriarty said. “If you’re not able to do that, then your best faculty are going to leave.”