Trustees approve 4 percent salary pool increase

The Ohio State Board of Trustees May 7 approved a 4 percent budget increase to the salary pool for faculty, staff and student employees.

"A 4 percent increase will allow us to stay competitive with the institutions we measure ourselves against nationally and internationally," said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost.

Projections show that competitive employers are planning to implement average salary increases of 4 percent for the coming year, Ray said. Ohio State currently is ranked sixth in faculty salaries out of 10 national benchmark institutions. Ohio State's average faculty salary is 1.9 percent below the average benchmark salary.

"The University is investing as much as possible in raise packages," said Larry Lewellen, associate vice president for human resources. "There just aren't any more funds available without cutting from somewhere else.

"There are a lot of other areas in the budget that could be invested in, but we've made salaries a priority with the resources we have."

Staff salaries for 1998-99 vary in their market competitiveness. Professional positions are 2 percent below market; clerical and secretarial positions are 3.8 percent below; and paraprofessional and technical positions are at 8.6 percent below. Managers and administrators rank 8.4 percent above market.

The Faculty Compensation and Benefits Committee (FCBC) and the Staff Compensation and Benefits Committee (SCBC) recommended increases of 5.5 and 5 percent, respectively. SCBC also recommended an additional 1.5 percent increase for specific market needs.

"Strong faculty will always be in demand and we must do our best to be competitive," said Zita Divis, FCBC chair and vice chair of the Department of Mathematics. "In making their recommendations to the Board of Trustees, the administration must of course attempt to find an optimum balance in the allocation of resources. "We hope that their recommendation for faculty compensation will help advance Ohio State's standing among the leading universities of this country."

Jeri Kozobarich, chair of the University Staff Advisory Committee and director of development for the College of Education, said USAC also recognizes the fiscal realities of the University, but encourages the administration to continue to look at the compensation package for staff in terms of advancing University excellence.

"Adequate compensation will help to ensure the recruitment and retention of qualified staff who will help to bring the University to the next level in its pursuit of top 10 status," she said.

Ohio State's salary pool was increased by 3.5 percent for fiscal year 1998-99 and by 3 percent in 1997-98.

Faculty, staff and student employees receive raises based on performance and equity, so individuals may receive more or less than the average increase.

The University Hospitals and employees under collective bargaining contracts have separate salary increase packages.

Ray delays OMA restructuring

A draft memo calling for the continuation of the current structure of the Office of Minority Affairs until after a new vice provost for minority affairs is in place was circulated for review May 4 by Ed Ray, executive vice president and provost.

Ray promised students during open forums last fall that he would circulate the document in draft form before implementing it. He is asking for comments by May 20.

"I believe that our students and the community needs served by OMA would benefit most if the new vice provost and his/her staff, with strong support from the Office of Academic Affairs, have an opportunity to review any proposed changes with input from the Student Advisory Committee and other appropriate constituencies," Ray said.

The current proposal is the result of a yearlong re-evaluation of a restructuring plan put forward a year ago. That proposal was criticized by minority students and others, who held a weeklong sit-in at Bricker Hall last May to protest what they said was lack of student and community input into the plan.

The university administration decided to suspend all proposed restructuring within the Office of Minority Affairs and to gather further information and input. Three campus forums were held earlier this academic year to discuss the matter.

The Office of Minority Affairs was asked to appoint an internal committee to develop a case statement for restructuring; two drafts have been completed but the document has not been finalized. Meetings were held with the Afrikan Student Union, and individuals were encouraged to communicate concerns directly to the provost.

Efforts are nearing completion to appoint a Student Advisory Committee to the Vice Provost for Minority Affairs.

It is expected that a permanent vice provost for minority affairs will be appointed within the next two months. Five finalists have been identified and will be coming to campus to meet with students, faculty and administrators.

In his memo, Ray said: "I will encourage the new vice provost to enlist the aid of an external consultant to review the existing management structure for further efficiencies and to ensure that the Young Scholars Program, to which we have a continuing institutional commitment, is made as strong and effective as possible.

"I will urge the new vice provost to continue the Student Advisory Committee and seek other ways to include consultation with student, staff, faculty and community constitutents in any future efforts to reorganize the administration of OMA or of any of its programs."

Copies of the memo are available at:
http://www.oaa.admin.ohio-state.edu/speeches/OMA_restructuring.html

Send your comments to :
Edward J. Ray,
exec. vice president and provost
203 Bricker Hall
190 N. Oval Mall
E-mail: ray.1@osu.edu

University to begin winter classes late because of Y2K

Ohio State will delay the beginning of winter quarter 2000 by two days as a precautionary move in light of national concerns about computer problems related to the Year 2000 (Y2K). Classes will begin Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000, instead of Jan. 3 as originally scheduled.

The University does not anticipate significant internal Y2K problems or difficulties with external suppliers, said James F. Davis, interim chief information officer.

"However, it is impossible to anticipate all Y2K-related problems or to predict all Y2K-related behaviors with 100 percent certainty," he said. "While the probability of major problems is now very low, there will continue to be a risk of glitches that will need to be addressed."

University officials' concerns focus primarily on student move-in, originally scheduled to begin Saturday, Jan. 1, because uncertainties about external suppliers and vendors' status will exist through Dec. 31, 1999, and could affect the University's ability to provide all essential services, Davis said.

"Most important among the services provides are the availability of electricity, heat, transportation, and the ability to communicate with students returning to classes," he said.

The delay of student move-in and the start of classes is considered the most prudent course of action, he said, to allow Ohio State to resolve any Y2K-related issues before students arrive.

Appropriate staff will be on campus beginning Dec. 31 to resolve any situations, and University offices and operations will be open as usual on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 3 and 4, to provideadditional assistance to identify and resolve problems, if any arise.

Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies, said the two-day delay of classes should not adversely affect teaching and learning. To minimize impact on faculty scheduling for the quarter, the following plan will be in effect: Classes scheduled on Monday, Jan. 3 will be rescheduled for Friday, Jan. 7, and classes scheduled for Friday, Jan. 7 will be canceled.

"It is crucial that this first set of Monday-only classes be scheduled at another time because classes also will be missed as a result of the Martin Luther King holiday on Jan. 17," Garland said.

"Friday-only classes constitute only 5.3 percent of the total, and canceling one of the classes results in only one missed class."

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