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Faculty and Administrator Salary Increases Keep Pace With Inflation

March 20, 2006

Median faculty salaries at four-year institutions and administrator compensation kept pace with inflation, increasing 3.4 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, in 2005-06, according to the annual salary surveys released by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). However, mid-level administrative and professional staff experienced a median increase of 3.3 percent, lower than the rate of inflation and the lowest increase this year among surveyed faculty, staff, and administrators. CUPA-HR has collected salary data from faculty, administrators, and staff for several decades.

Among this year’s findings:

• Administrators experienced the biggest gains among the surveyed groups (median increase of 3.5 percent), with executives receiving the largest salary increase within the administrator group (4 percent).
  
  
• Median faculty salary increases at independent four-year institutions were substantially higher than the increases for faculty at public four-year institutions; 3.7 percent versus 3.1 percent.
  
  
• On average, faculty in legal professions and studies are the highest paid among the disciplines at both public and independent four-year institutions. The lowest average faculty salaries are in the discipline of English Languages and Literature/Letters at public four-year institutions and in the discipline of Library Science at independent four-year institutions.
  
  
• The mid-level administrative and professional staff at associate’s colleges experienced the largest increase in salary (3.7 percent) compared to any four-year institutional classification.

For more information about these surveys visit the CUPA-HR Web site. On March 31, CUPA-HR will release its survey of faculty salaries at community colleges.