Salary increases for faculty and professional and scientific staff will average one-tenth of a percentage point below inflation for the 1997 fiscal year, according to salary guidelines released by Iowa State University.

The average salary increase for faculty and P&S staff will be 2.77 percent. The rate of inflation is 2.8 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Salary increases below the rate of inflation are nothing new, said Michael Whiteford, anthropology chair. “We often don’t stay up with inflation. There’s no attempt to link pay raises with the consumer index. Most departments probably got less than 2.77,” he said.

Whiteford said [Iowa State President Martin] Jischke is likely to take some money away from departments to use for salary adjustments. This money can be used to keep “star” professors from leaving ISU for another school, he said.

“No one would disagree that this is not a good idea,” Whiteford said.

ISU is simply working with the money the legislature gave it, said Dave Holger, associate dean of engineering. “The market determines a lot as far as salaries go,” he said.

“Would faculty members like to have higher salaries? Yes. But over the last ten years salaries are up quite a bit,” Holger said.

Final 1997 fiscal year salary figures from the state were not available in time to be included in the July payroll. Faculty and P&S staff will receive their salary increases in the August payroll. The increases will be retroactive to July 1, the first day of the fiscal year, according to Inside Iowa State.

The delay in salary figures has not presented a problem for departments paid on a nine-month basis. However, for departments paid on an 11-month basis, there could be some inconvenience, Whiteford said.

The delay is “not necessarily anyone’s fault,” Holger said. “Once the legislature is done, it takes time to translate.”