Some faculty and staff at the University of Iowa during fiscal 2016 are in for a little surprise when they come to work in the fall.
On average, faculty and staff will receive between 1 and 3 percent increase in salary for the 2015-2016 academic year.
“The current [fiscal year] 2016 University of Iowa general-education-fund revenue budget assumes a $2.9 million nonrecurring state appropriation increase along with board-approved base tuition increases,” said UI Provost Barry Butler in an official release.
“This also coincides with a 4.3 percent decrease in indirect cost-recoveries revenue, which has also been included in the general-education-fund budget,” said Rod Lehnertz, the UI interim senior vice president for Finance and Operations.
“There will be a very modest tuition increase for nonresident and graduate students,” Lehnertz said.
In December 2014, the state Board of Regents voted to increase tuition for nonresident undergraduates and graduate students attending the UI by 1.75 percent.
This is not much change from previous years; the regents approved an increase in tuition for all graduate and nonresident students for the 2014-2015 year of 1.8 percent.
The UI general-education fund is a combination of state appropriations, student tuition, and indirect recoveries received from the federal government for research purposes.
The individual UI colleges, administrative units, and departments will cover the reallocation of these funds, Butler said.
It is possible that some individual faculty members may receive more or less than 1 to 3 percent increases; this will be decided by individual UI colleges and must be submitted for review to the Provost’s Office.
The regents have approved salaries, and they will take effect July 1 with the approval of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstead.
“This salary program reflects our current challenges while positioning us to take advantage of emerging opportunities,” Butler said in the press release.
Butler and Lenhertz agree that the new salaries are in response to the quality and performance of the UI faculty and staff.
“We have adopted a salary program based on performance that recognizes our outstanding faculty and staff while being mindful of our resources and financial obligations,” Lehnertz said.