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2004 SESSION

043777436
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 201
Offered January 14, 2004
Prefiled January 14, 2004
Requesting the State Council of Higher Education to examine the current methodology for establishing faculty salary structure among the public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth for the purpose of assessing the parity and appropriateness of the current system. Report.
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Patron-- Nutter
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the Commonwealth's commitment to excellence in public higher education is evidenced by its thriving system of public colleges and universities, comprised of 15 public comprehensive and doctoral research institutions, one junior college, and 22 community colleges; and

WHEREAS, the system of higher education also is characterized by state-level coordination by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the state agency directed to "promote the development and operation of an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive, and coordinated system of higher education in the Commonwealth" pursuant to § 23-9.3 of the Code of Virginia, as well as by its high regard for institutional autonomy; and

WHEREAS, the respective governing bodies of the public colleges and universities are statutorily empowered to establish rules and regulations for the employment of professors, teachers, and instructors; and

WHEREAS, education leaders emphasize that faculty compensation is a valuable management tool for increasing faculty productivity and enhancing economic efficiencies; and

WHEREAS, a variety of challenges may affect an institution's ability to provide the compensation necessary to attract and retain faculty; and

WHEREAS, the recruitment and retention of the highest quality faculty are essential to maintaining an institution's stated educational, research, and service missions; and appropriate compensation is integral to such recruitment and retention efforts; and

WHEREAS, faculty salaries at Virginia’s public institutions have suffered due to budget constraints and other factors; and

WHEREAS, the development of an equitable salary structure for faculty compensation can enhance the ability of our institutions to ensure continued excellence in instruction and institutional research; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the State Council of Higher Education be requested to examine the current methodology for establishing faculty salary structure among the public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth for the purpose of assessing the parity and appropriateness of the current system.

In conducting the study, the State Council shall consider, among other things (i) the efficacy of the current system for establishing the national benchmarks for comparable Virginia institutions of higher education; (ii) the efficacy of the current 60th percentile salary target among national benchmark colleges and universities; (iii) the creation of guidelines that will ensure the establishment of equitable salary structures among and between Virginia public colleges and universities with comparable missions and profiles; and (iv) such other issues as it deems appropriate to ensure that the salary structures and the target salary level for the Commonwealth's public institutions of higher education will effectively enhance institutional faculty recruitment and retention efforts to ensure the ongoing presence of a stable, high quality faculty.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the State Council for this study, upon request.

The State Council shall complete its study by October 1, 2004, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2005 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.