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Bowman makes ISU salaries top priority

Posted September 11, 2007 11:00 pm

Fitzgerald M. Doubet

Illinois State University President Al Bowman pledged Tuesday during his annual State of the University address to make higher faculty and staff salaries his top priority in the next year.

In honor of ISU's 150th anniversary celebration, Bowman drew upon the words of the college's first president, Charles Hovey, in discussing what early leaders envisioned for the school.

"They believed in its future growth, not as a sudden creation of a magic place, but as the slow-coming result of hard work and a good plan,'" Bowman said.

Bowman stressed the need to get faculty and staff salaries up to par with national averages.

"In 2005, salaries for full professors lagged 14 percent behind peer group averages, today it is about 10 percent," Bowman said. "For associate professors, the lag percentage in 2005 was over 10. Now it is about 7 percent. For assistant professors, the 2005 percentage was 2.2 percent, now it is under a half percent."

Bowman said because of this year's slow state budget approval in Springfield, most staff members have not received their fiscal year salary increase. But he said he is committed to continuing the mid-year salary enhancement program he began in 2005. Since the program began, he said, $2 million has gone to increase staff and faculty salaries in addition to regular annual increases.

Bowman also highlighted ISU's progress in making the campus environmentally friendly.

"Through grants from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, we have been able to upgrade lighting in our classrooms, laboratories and administrative buildings resulting in a combined energy reduction to 950 kilowatts of required electricity," Bowman said. "That energy could supply electricity to more than 800 homes for one year."

Reach Journal Star reporter Fitzgerald M. Doubet at (309) 686-3041 or state@pjstar.com.

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