By
Ryan Gabrielson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
ABOR also approved increase of GTAs and workload reduction, UA gets $402
TEMPE - The UA has requested an additional $62 million from the state to pay its faculty competitive salaries.
During the Arizona Board of Regents meeting Friday at Arizona State University, the regents were presented with the state universities' salary requirements, which, system-wide, requires nearly $160 million during the next two years to retain faculty.
The regents unanimously approved the request so that "the loss of the highest performing faculty and staff," may be curbed, said Cathy McGonigie, ABOR human resources administrator.
The request must go before Gov. Jane Hull prior to Oct. 20.
"We're losing people in the early stages of very promising careers," said University of Arizona President Peter Likins.
Now ranked in the 26th percentile, the UA has been losing faculty to institutions that are able to increase faculty members' salaries by thousands of dollars.
Last year, 105 members of the UA faculty received offers from peer institutions that would increase their pay. Seventy-four of them left the UA, Likins said.
"They are precious," he said. "Every time you lose one of these people you spend a lot of money. There are costs besides the obvious costs."
When a faculty member is lost to the "brain drain," which is loss of faculty due to an institutions inability to pay competitive salaries, the university must spend money in the search for someone to fill that vacancy, Likins explained.
Lack of funds often cause departments to eliminate a vacant position, cannibalizing it so that an existing faculty member can be kept from leaving.
"Whether we win or lose, it's an expensive proposition," he said.
ASU and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff are also experiencing the effects of inadequate funding from the state legislature.
"The competition for the very best faculty has intensified and that is going to continue to happen," said Lattie Coor, ASU president.
For the UA to catch up, $11.6 million is needed for each of the next two years. Another $14.7 million this year and $15.4 the next year is required to keep up with the growing market value for faculty.
To establish a staff and faculty retention fund, $8 million was also requested.
ASU requested $72 million and NAU asked for $26 million in their efforts to retain faculty.
"We are not able to compete and fill all the vacancies," said Clara Lovett, NAU president.
In other business, $2 million has been requested from the state to increase the number of Graduate Teaching Assistants and reduce workloads of those now teaching at the UA.
"They (GTAs) have to cut corners just to survive" said Ben Graff, Associated Students president.
The regents also unanimously approved this request.
If Hull approves the UA's request, the $2 million would add about 140 GTA positions to greatly reduce the workloads of active teaching assistants.
During the call to the audience, several GTAs from both the UA and ASU spoke to the board about the wording of the request.
"It has been widely reported lately that Arizona is being hamstrung by a shortage of scientific, technical and professional workers," states the ABOR meeting agenda.
While those who spoke said they agree there is a shortage of workers, they disagree with the fields that are being focused on.
"It's framed as something that's a response to the Arizona economy," said William DeGenaro, UA English graduate student.
Although the request was approved, Likins said it would be rewritten so that it included all GTAs.
Another request the GTAs brought to the regents was their desire for tuition wavers.
DeGenaro said he is paid about $11,000 a year and 15 percent of that is given back to the UA when he pays tuition and other university-related expenses.
"That is an enormously expensive proposition," said Regent Gary Stuart.
While Stuart said he thinks granting all GTAs waivers would be too costly, but would not be opposed to waivers for some.
Some of the regents and university presidents said they understood the GTAs were being overworked and that the request is a step toward fixing the problem.
"There is a lot of support in the faculty," said Jerrold Hogle, UA faculty chair. "The question is funding."
While waivers may be not be a reality soon, George Davis, UA provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the university is going to begin deducting tuition from GTAs' payroll next semester.
"This will at least soften the blow," Davis said.
Student Regent Mary Echeverria said the reaction from the regents and university administrators was a step toward filling the GTAs' needs.
"It's huge that we saw a board consensus, since, system-wide, it is a critical issue," said Echeverria, ASU economics senior.
The regents also unanimously approved the demolition of Christopher City, 3401 N. Columbus Ave., and a request from the UA for $402 million to go towards new building projects was approved and will be sent to Hull.
The new family housing village and Highland Commons, which upon completion will be the new location of Campus Health, and other residence life construction projects are $72.6 million of the total request.
