UW Trustees Approve Salary Distribution Plan

University of Wyoming employees will receive compensation increases in the 2015-16 fiscal year totaling about $6.2 million, under the same approach used for raises in the current fiscal year.

UW’s Board of Trustees voted last week to allocate $2.26 million for a market-based salary adjustment and $2.41 million for merit-based increases in the coming year. That total $4.67 million increase equates to an overall boost of about 3.2 percent -- including a projected 1.55 percent market increase that would apply to almost all UW employees.

The $2.41 million for merit increases, meanwhile, will be allocated to vice presidents to distribute to employees they supervise, upon approval of plans by UW President Dick McGinity. Performance appraisals will factor into the merit increases, which will average a projected 1.65 percent.

“We are happy that university employees will see compensation increases for a second consecutive year,” McGinity says. “We hope these adjustments are another step toward bringing UW employee pay closer to the average of our comparator institutions.”

In addition to the money for salaries, associated employer-paid benefits will increase by $1.53 million.

Funding for the increases in salaries and benefits for the 2015-16 fiscal year comes from a $4.2 million legislative appropriation in the 2014 budget session, along with $2 million from a portion of revenues generated by a tuition increase previously approved by the Board of Trustees.

Separately, the 2015 Legislature approved $1 million in the state supplemental budget for UW employee recruitment and retention. The Board of Trustees approved using that money for targeted compensation adjustments in the 2015-16 fiscal year, with $554,000 going to faculty, $250,000 to staff and $192,000 for employer-paid benefits.

During the current fiscal year that began July 1, 2014, a total of $5.15 million is going toward salary and benefit increases, with $4.15 million of that coming from the Legislature and $1 million from tuition revenues -- for an overall increase of 2.97 percent. That includes a 1.44 percent market-based increase and an average 1.53 percent merit increase.

The pay adjustments approved by the board will apply to UW’s self-sustaining operations as well. Those include housing, residence halls, dining services, student health services, the Wyoming Union, transportation and parking. Because those auxiliary enterprises are largely self-supported, fee increases are necessary to cover pay adjustments for their employees.

Pay adjustments are the primary factor in a total $65.78 annual increase in mandatory student fees approved by trustees for the 2015-16 academic year -- from $1,255.72 to $1,321.50.

In addition, the board approved increases in the rates for Residence Life and Dining Services: 4.35 percent for residence hall rooms, 3.2 percent for food plans and 0.75 percent for apartment rent. Driving those increases are higher costs for utilities, food and insurance, in addition to employee pay adjustments.