Doane faculty will not receive salary raises for the second year in a row, despite record freshmen enrollment numbers.
President Jonathan Brand met with faculty last Thursday to discuss concerns. He said in the meeting that pay would now be determined in October instead of February, and potential raises would be considered this coming fall.
He said the reason for moving the decision to October was because many uncertainties wouldn't be known until late summer, such as financial aid, retention, enrollment and fundraising. If salaries are raised in October, faculty would not need to sign a new contract.
"The last thing we want to do is promise something we can't deliver," Brand said.
Brand said the college was doing well right now, but there was concern because the salaries don't reflect Doane's success.
"There's a disconnect right now," Brand said.
Professor Tim Hill said he thought many professors were skeptical of raises in the fall. Hill said factors such as using less of the endowment and other priorities for money were the main sources of his concern.
Brand said the value of the endowment used each year is determined on Dec. 31. At that time, the college has an investment firm find the total endowment. Then, the past three years are averaged, and Doane used five percent of that amount in the following year's budget, which begins July 31.
"It (the endowment) preserves the college's future," Brand said.
He said that five percent was on the high side of what many colleges and universities used, and that Doane's goal was to bring the percent of endowment used to 4.5.
Kim Jacobs, vice president for student leadership, said that since the purpose of the college was to educate, professors always had a large role in the college.
"Faculty have always been a part of the governance structure," Jacobs said.
Faculty at Doane consist of full-time professors with contracts, and staff are the other employees without contracts. The staff at Doane did not have a meeting with Brand, but the vice presidents discussed the issue of raises in separate meetings with their staff.
Hill said he thought the faculty and administration had similar objectives, but he said he still had concerns.
"It's logical and yet I came out of there feeling worse than I came in," Hill said. "I think ultimately the President and faculty have the same goals."
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