COLUMBUS -- Ohio State University Board of Trustees meeting Friday (5/5) approved a 4 percent budget increase to the salary pool for faculty, staff and student employees for fiscal year 2001, effective July 1. The Ohio State University Hospitals and employees under collective bargaining contracts have separate salary increase packages.

"The 4 percent increase will allow Ohio State to stay competitive with the institutions we use as benchmarks, but the package will not allow us to move forward as ambitiously as we had hoped," said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost. "In addition to the university funded salary increases, colleges and vice presidential areas will be permitted to use their own funds to provide up to one-half percent in additional salary increases."

Projections for the coming year, from competitive employers, show average salary increases of 4 percent, Ray said.

Ohio State ranks seventh in faculty salaries out of 10 major public comprehensive teaching and research universities used for benchmarking. The average faculty salary at Ohio State is 2.5 percent below the benchmark average.

"The competitive status of Ohio State salaries has eroded three years in a row. Reversing this decline is essential to the achievement of our academic goals," Ray said.

The competitiveness of staff salaries is dependent upon occupational category. Managers and administrators are 3.6 percent above market, professional staff are 7.8 percent below, and paraprofessional and technical staff are 7.4 percent below. Clerical and secretarial staff are 2.8 percent above regional employers and 8.3 percent below state government levels.

Individual employees may receive more or less than the average increase, based on performance and internal and market equities, following a policy established in fiscal year 1994.

"Colleges and vice presidential units have done a good job with the distribution of salary funds," Ray said. "There are no entitlements."

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(LO)