by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
Faculty and staff of all higher education institutions in New Mexico might get a 5 percent raise if the State Senate approves the appropriations act passed by the House last week.
House Bill 2, the legislation that determines where state money goes, also includes a 0.75 percent increase in the University's retirement contributions.
It is being reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee before going to the full Senate for a vote.
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The raise last year was 4.25 percent, but after factors such as inflation were calculated, the raise was worth less than $100 a year, said David Groth, president of Staff Council.
"We hope it does more than it did last year," he said. "The University needs to be looking at other ways to compensate good staff members."
Curt Porter, associate vice president of budget, planning and analysis, said staff members at UNM get paid about the same as they would for similar jobs in the city.
Faculty is paid 8 to 10 percent below peer institutions, he said.
Porter said other University priorities tend to get put by the wayside when faculty and staff get raises.
This year, the House funded the raise without affecting other needs, he said.
"One of our problems is it costs a lot of money," he said. "They were able to do this without reducing some of the other funds."
A 5 percent increase, as opposed to last year's 4.25 percent raise, would cost the state $6.2 million more for all of higher education, Porter said.
Ricky Allen, an associate professor in the College of Education, said the raise is worth it.
Faculty members don't get paid enough, and the low salaries keep UNM from developing , he said.
"The longer you're here, the more unequal your salary becomes," he said. "At my college, the College of Education, I'm certain that's one of the major reasons why we've had a high faculty turnover."
Allen said many qualified people come to UNM, but it's not easy to stay when another college offers more money and more time to work outside of classrooms. One of the major draws to a university is that working there is about more than teaching, he said.
"In the College of Education, our course loads are higher than comparable universities," he said. "If we're doing that much teaching, then that leaves very little room for our own scholarship and our own research."
Porter said the Senate might change the 5 percent back to 4.25 percent.
Gov. Bill Richardson recommended a 6 percent increase, as did UNM staff, Groth said.
Academia suffers when faculty members leave for higher-paying jobs, Allen said.
"There's something about stability," he said. "People are here for a long time to really build up programs, to make the programs well known and to bring in research money for graduate
students."
Groth said it would be in the University's interest to compensate staff better.
"It affects how the best employees do their jobs and how staff helps students get through their day," he said. "That's what we're all really here for, is to help the students graduate and succeed in college. And happy staff members do a better job."
