Body
Unit Policy
Title
Gillings School of Global Public Health: Faculty Salary Policy
Introduction
Purpose
This policy document outlines how faculty salaries are set and adjusted at the School of Public Health, focusing specifically on salary increases. It establishes guidelines for annual merit-based raises, initial hire salaries, promotional increases, and retention offers, with an emphasis on equity and consistency across departments.
Scope
This policy applies to faculty members at the School of Public Health, as well as the department chairs, unit heads, and administrative leaders responsible for setting and reviewing faculty salaries.
Salary Policy
Faculty salaries are set by the chair of each department in consultation with leaders of central administrative units, with the advice and consent of the dean of the School of Public Health. The focus of this policy is on faculty salary increases.
Annual Increases
Each year, when funds are available, the dean and associate dean for business and administration provide chairs and unit heads with the expected amount of budget available for EPA salary increases for the coming year. Chairs and unit leaders develop merit-based salary increase recommendations for their units and review these recommendations with dean and associate dean. Equity of salaries among faculty of the same rank is reviewed in these yearly meetings, and special increases related to equity or retention issues are discussed. Merit-based increases are determined by each chair with some variation in approach and methodology. For example, some departments have highly quantitative algorithms for raises while others use more qualitative methods. In all cases, there are opportunities to discuss special circumstances that characterize particular faculty members.
Several factors are common to all departments. Each department bases merit increases on assessments of teaching, research productivity, advising, publications and service. Additionally, chairs consider equity when making salary increase decisions.
Initial Salaries
Initial salaries offered at the time of hire for new faculty are based on the candidate's background and experience, equity within departmental faculty of equivalent rank, experience, and stature in the field. Particular fields and sub-fields also may be relevant to discussion, along with yearly data from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) regarding salaries for faculty members in different fields of public health and at various ranks. We strongly discourage initial salaries that are less than the 50th percentile of ASPPH rates.
Promotional Increases
Promotional salary increases can be given as part of the annual raise process or as an out-of-cycle increase (determined by the department chair). The promotional increase is based upon the faculty member's stature in his/her field, internal equity and ASPPH data.
Retention Increases
When it is necessary and appropriate to make retention offers based on the judgment of chairs, in consultation with dean and associate dean, a variety of factors are considered, including current salary, ASPPH data, internal equity data, criticality of the faculty member and his/her field, and offer or likely offer from competing institution/organization. The process is not formulaic, but it is critical that it be fair. Retention offers are not pro forma. There are times when a retention offer is not appropriate.
Related Requirements
Compensation for EHRA Employees Policy
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Tiffany Farina, Associate Dean for Finance and Business
Email: tiffany.farina@unc.edu