Fiscal Year 2024 Salary Investment Program

Fri Mar 31 14:41:09 MST 2023

Colleagues,

Senior University leaders requested deans and VPs to propose salary adjustment plans<https://hr.arizona.edu/supervisors/compensation/annual-salary-increase-program-guidance>. Provost Folks approved the ALVSCE plan on March 24, which was modeled on last year's salary adjustment, the largest increase at the University. This year's ALVSCE plan is once again, 50% larger than the required minimum and will again be the largest on campus.

The University has provided no financial support for these salary adjustments, as was also the case the last two years. This means that colleges and divisions must generate their own revenues to pay for the salary adjustments and/or use existing accrued balances. This adjustment will cost $3.9 million annually, but ALVSCE has a history of mission growth, which makes this a viable and smart investment in ourselves. It is important to know that we, collectively, pay our own way through our mission activities. No one else backstops us.

The purpose behind the ALVSCE plan is to: 1) recognize the negative effect that inflation has had on living standards through a meaningful general adjustment, and 2) recognize meritorious performance and retain those who drive us forward. While this adjustment doesn't address all salary concerns or inflation, it is a sincere effort.

ALVSCE Salary Adjustment Plan

*        Effective July 1, 2023 (August 14 if the recipient is on an academic appointment).

*        All eligible faculty, staff, and postdocs will receive a 3.5% general adjustment.

*        Unit heads can select up to 33% of their faculty, staff, and postdocs to receive an
additional 2.5% merit adjustment (for a total of 6%)i.

*        Merit decisions must be based on objective data, documented performance appraisals, or other defensible rationale. Faculty and Staff Councils have updated the Merit<https://compass.arizona.edu/dbs/policies/compensation-adjustments> Guidance<https://compass.arizona.edu/dbs/policies/compensation-adjustments> (under Supporting Documents) and unit leaders must review it before making merit decisions.  Unit leaders are required to communicate in writing the merit rationale they will use to make selections with faculty and staff in their unit.

*        Merit adjustments must be proportional to the faculty, staff, and postdoc headcounts in the unit.

*        Adjustments are based on and added to the employee's base salary (not stipends).

*        Current funding for each employee's salary will proportionally fund the general and merit adjustments.

*        Mission leaders on Executive Council will review the unit selections for merit as a holistic second review, looking for unfairness in the process.

*        Once the Provost has approved the individual proposed adjustments, unit heads will notify those receiving merit increases.

*        The Graduate College has established separate salary adjustment guidance for graduate students. The division has updated minimum salaries<https://compass.arizona.edu/content/graduate-student-minimum-base-pay-rates> for graduate students.

i In keeping with overall guidelines from the Provost, there exists the potential for individuals to receive up to a 10% total adjustment. ALVSCE's process treats adjustments greater than 6% as extraordinary and unlikely. Any increase over 6% in total would require the approval of both VP Burgess and AVP Ratje, as well as Provost Folks and Human Resources.

[image0]
Jeff Ratje
Associate Vice President, Finance Admin Operations
Agriculture, Life and Vet Sciences & Cooperative Extension
(pronounced alv-see...we're more than CALS)
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Forbes, 314c
PO Box 210036 | Tucson, AZ 85721
Office: 520-621-1468
jmratje at arizona.edu<mailto:jmratje at arizona.edu>
www.compass.arizona.edu<https://www.compass.arizona.edu/>

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