Salary disparity concerns ISU’s faculty
POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State University has a larger enrollment than the University of Idaho in Moscow, yet the UI’s top academic administrator is paid about $25,000 more than the executive holding a similar position at the Pocatello school.
Some members of the Idaho State Board of Education and ISU’s faculty leader don’t think that’s fair.
“We should ask the board why … we consistently seem to receive less than our sister school,” ISU Faculty Senate Chairman Peter Vik wrote in a memo to faculty after last week’s meeting of the citizen panel that oversees the state’s higher education institutions.
Meeting in Moscow, the board approved a $165,000 annual salary to hire Robert Wharton, ISU’s chief research officer, to be the school’s interim vice president of academic affairs.
The board also approved the UI’s request to hire Douglas Baker, vice provost for academic affairs at Washington State University, as the Moscow school’s new provost and executive vice president. Baker will have an annual salary of $189,987.
Board members Karen McGee of Pocatello and Blake Hall of Idaho Falls voted against ratifying the funding level for Baker’s position.
“I’m just worried about salaries getting too high in our state, especially in these economic times,” said McGee.
McGee also was the only board member to oppose Wharton’s appointment, a vote she said was made to protest the salary disparity between the two schools. “It was not a vote against Bob. I think if U of I got that (salary), maybe so should ISU.”
Idaho Board of Education spokeswoman Luci Willits said several factors — such as mission of the institution, job requirements and the hiring market for academic executives — determine the salary level at each school.
“You can’t compare the two positions because of the different requirements the two of them have,” she said.
Idaho State University President Richard Bowen said he didn’t know why the top academic position at the Moscow school pays more.
When asked if there was any reason for the disparity, he replied: “There’s nothing to be said to that.” The student population at the UI in the past school year was 12,824, which is about 1,000 students less than ISU’s enrollment.