In a fiscal year when many faculty received no raise, members of the Faculty Senate discovered Tuesday that total administrator salary increases surged past the $200,000 mark.

But the numbers are underscored by job promotions, market adjustments and state grant money. Additionally, almost 10 percent of faculty received significant salary increases during Fiscal Year 2003.

A freedom of information request filed Aug. 12 by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees revealed $227,975 had been awarded in administrative salary increases.

“It’s hard for me to make concessions when I see no sacrifice here,” English professor John Allison said at the senate meeting.

But according to the IBHE numbers, Eastern administrative positions were downsized by 20.8 percent last year. None of the 435 faculty were laid off for FY 04 and the university plans to hire 30 additional tenure-track, or those faculty who are not part time or annually contracted, faculty members.

According to numbers supplied by William Weber, acting associate vice president for academic affairs, 41 tenure-track faculty received salary increases of $365 a month in FY 03 because of promotion or a professional advancement increase.

“Some faculty will see some administrators got a raise,” interim President Lou Hencken said. “And I can I justify those raises? I certainly think I can.”

Promotions were given to both administrators and faculty

Ten of the administrative salary increases, totaling $99,533, were job promotions. AFSCME President Matt Pederson said the union has no problem with those salary raises, but disputes the salary raises for market adjustment and additional duties increases.

“We were flat out told there was no money for pay increases,” he said. “Everybody, due to cuts in staffing, all suffered jobs not being filled and everything. We’re doing additional duties too. Faculty is doing additional duties, everybody has added burdens.

“My position is that money was there and I felt (administrators) weren’t being totally honest with us.”

Hencken said some of the market adjustment increases were done to match offers made from other schools. Bob Wayland, the university’s chief negotiator, said a similar provision is in the faculty union contract.

Weber’s numbers stated 22 faculty members received a promotion, which could be advancement from assistant to associate professor and associate professor to professor. Some 19 faculty members received professional advancement increases. Only full-time professors can apply for the salary bonus, which they are eligible for once every five years, Weber said.

Many of the market adjustment increases were awarded to residence hall directors because the figures dipped well below the state average. Hencken said Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining, found the salaries were so low the office was concerned some directors would leave.

Many of the employees who received raises because of added duties had the larger load because the administration staff shrank, Hencken said.