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Saw this article on the New Star website while reading about the Grambling fiasco:
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20131021/NEWS01/310200061/University-salaries-don-t-stack-up?nclick_check=1
"Louisiana Tech’s average faculty salary in 2012 was $63,576, which is 14 percent below the average salary ($74,058) for all institutions in SREB category 2, which have a higher number of doctoral programs."
Because we have no money because the state keeps slashing our budget. It's a miracle we're still open.
It's actually a lot worse than it seems. TNS didn't report how much smaller the faculty is now compared to 2008. After these professors leave for higher paying jobs in other states, many of their positions haven't been filled in the last several years. Thank you Bobby Jindal.
And thank you Dan Reneau for not increasing our endowment and, though I admit a plus (and likely related to state problems), keeping tuition too low.Originally Posted by Dawg06
Not to make excuses for DR, but ...
It's worth mentioning that the cost of living, housing in particular, is a good deal lower in Ruston than around most of our peer institutions. That has to be considered a mitigating factor ...
This also does not take into account the drastic cuts to faculty travel funds, which means it's more difficult to present scholarly work at conferences--making tenure & promotion much more difficult to achieve. This makes our university positions very unattractive to potential recruits. Not to mention that, students are having trouble getting into courses required for their majors because fewer sections are offered; some departments are sticking to their guns with respect to maximum class size (e.g., English composition courses) because of the heavy grading burden on faculty. Students' graduation dates will be delayed, no doubt.
Why?
Most of our peer institutions are located in metro areas. It costs more, generally speaking to live in a metro area. On the whole, nearly ALL jobs pay more in a metro than the same job in a rural area.
Control for cost of living, and you may find that Tech's compensation for profs is not that far off form the natl average.
Cost of living is a non-factor. So what if $63k in Ruston takes you much further than $63k would in New Orleans? It's still "just" $63k. When you're equal from another school is getting more, it becomes a problem. Making $75k in Dallas is better than making $63k in Ruston regardless of anything else. The amount matters more.
To help with this and everything else, DR should have kept up with his goal of raising the endowment. Also, I like that tuition is low, but unfortunately it is too low.
Depends on where these peer institutions are.
Anything relatively new in a decent neighborhood will cost you $125-$150 per square foot in Ruston.
Louisiana now has a $163 million budget surplus.
Not too surprising, considering all the budget slashing that has been going on.
That's more money for social welfare programs.
Most, if not all, of that will go to increased Medicaid payments now mandated by Obamacare.
Like hospitals, schools, and roads.
so, there isn't a surplus; but at least they won't cut higher ed again this year.
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