May 22, 2023
President Linton announces plan for compensation increases for the next academic year
Submitted by President Richard Linton
Dear K-State community,
Our people are the heartbeat of this great university. As we plan our future as the leading next-generation land-grant university, we know that building and sustaining a culture where outstanding faculty and staff feel rewarded and appreciated for their commitment and contributions will be essential to our success. Last year, I announced our first steps toward improving salaries with across-the-board increases and merit raises for all eligible faculty and staff. For the first time, merit raises were also made available to university support staff. This year, we are continuing to prioritize our people, investing more than $12 million in compensation increases and salary adjustments.
The vast majority of this funding is going to support faculty and staff salaries, including $3.5 million for a 1.25% across-the-board increase for all benefits-eligible faculty, unclassified and university support staff hired on or before Dec. 1, 2022. $6.5 million is being used to fund a 2.5% merit pool to provide eligible faculty and staff with merit raises based on recent performance evaluations for calendar year 2022. Additionally, we are investing another $2.1 million to fund 150 targeted faculty salary enhancements, faculty promotions and professorial performance awards. These investments are in addition to funding for increased employer fringe benefits costs and Total Rewards adjustments for under-market staff salaries.
Individual salary increases will be reflected in fiscal year 2024 contracts, which will be issued in early June.
We appreciate the additional state funding appropriated by the Kansas Legislature to invest in our faculty and staff. Our overall investment in faculty and staff is made possible through a combination of tuition rate increase funding and internal reallocations across the university and within our colleges and departments, signifying our ongoing commitment to improving compensation for our employees.
Once the Kansas Board of Regents completes its deliberations in June, I will also share additional information regarding our final fiscal year 2024 budget and the strategic investments we plan to make in the coming year.
I want to thank every one of you for what you do each day to fulfill the mission of Kansas State University and work to meet the evolving needs of our students, our communities, our state, the nation and the world. Investments like these are what will continue to move us into the future as a learner-focused, people-centered next-generation land-grant university.
Go 'Cats!
Richard Linton
President