Although faculty salaries increased an average of 3.61 percent for fiscal year 2006, Iowa State still pays its professors 5 percent less on average than its peer land-grant universities.

Newly implemented faculty salary increases were emphasized at ISU President Gregory Geoffroy’s first President’s Council meeting of the semester. The meeting took place Friday morning in the Gallery of the Memorial Union.

In a Sunday interview, Gregory Palermo, president-elect of the faculty senate and professor of architecture, said the increase should help Iowa State remain competitive in attracting faculty to the university.

Palermo said the goal of increasing faculty salaries is in line with the Board of Regent’s Partnership Plan for Transformation and Excellence.

Palermo said Geoffroy’s goal is “entirely possible” as long as the plan remains on track. The plan is built on 3 to 5 percent tuition increases, budget reallocations and increases in legislative appropriations.

“This has been a great effort the president has put forth on behalf of the faculty,” said Claudia Baldwin, president of the faculty senate and associate professor of veterinary clinical sciences.

Professors and associate professors each received approximately a 3.7 percent average salary increase, while assistant professors received a 3.11 percent increase. Many assistant professors were hired at higher salaries than the other professor ranks, which led to the reduced salary increase, Geoffroy said.

“I suspect some of that is because of departments and colleges are trying to deal with salary compression issues that have been created over the last several years and now are trying to address the kind of inequities that creates with the higher ranks,” Geoffroy said.

For fiscal year 2005, female professors earned 98 percent of the wages male professors earned, a 1 percent improvement over the fiscal year 2000 rate.

Minority associate and assistant professors held equal wages with their non-minority counterparts, while minority professors earned 98 percent of the wages of non-minority professors.

“Many of those were necessary for retention or as a pre-emptive move to keep faculty from looking at other opportunities,” Geoffroy said.

Professional and scientific employees received an average 3.68 percent salary increase, which includes non-teaching professionals, research analysts, accountants and academic support service workers.

David Holger, associate provost for academic programs, also delivered a progress report of the preparations for the university reaccreditation by the Higher Learning Commission visit in March 2006. He said the commission’s accreditation self-study steering committee is in the final revision stages of the study to be submitted to the Higher Learning Commission in December.

The self-study will highlight Iowa State’s mission, future preparations, student learning, effective teaching, knowledge acquisition and public service.