Archive for October 27th, 2008

USF total compensation and compensation to upper-level administrators, 2006 and 2007

Monday, October 27th, 2008

Last winter, the chapter expressed its concern to the provost over the possibility that the normal morale implications of budget cutbacks could be exacerbated if faculty perceived that upper-level administrators were being exempt from the pressures. After discussion among union leadership over an e-mail list and over several meetings, we phrased the issue as follows: Through the budget-reduction process, there should be no increase in the proportion of total university compensation going to associate vice presidents and above throughout the university, including academic deans and those of similar rank. To find some benchmarks, we asked the university to provide sum totals of all compensation at USF in calendar years 2006 and 2007 (the sum of what would appear in Box 1 of all W-2s) and then the sum of all compensation for 78 upper-level administrators (again, the sum of all data from Box 1 of W-2s). Below is the data that USF reported in response to this request:

Measure

2006

2007

Proportionate
Increase

Total compensation

$437.4 million

$469.0 million

7%

Compensation to upper administration

$9.1 million

$11.2 million

23%

Proportion of compensation to upper administration

2.1%

2.4%

15%

The upper-administration compensation data for 2006 is overestimated because the individual list sent to USF for the request included several administrators who joined upper ranks in the middle of 2006 or in 2007. However, I suspect the figures above are close to what would be an exact amount. The chapter will make a similar request in early February 2009 to cover the calendar year 2008.

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