WSU Faculty To Get 3 Percent Pay Increase

Washington State University faculty members can look forward to a 3 percent raise in July.

The increase was included in the state’s higher education budget that received final approval in Olympia late last week.

WSU’s overall share of the state general fund money will jump more than 9 percent to $339.6 million. But there are strings attached. WSU administrators must find $3 million in cuts from university department budgets and some state money may be withheld if WSU fails to meet new accountability standards.

For example, WSU could be penalized for poor faculty productivity or if students are taking longer to graduate.

At a news conference this week, WSU President Sam Smith said his biggest concern is that WSU will lose money if it doesn’t meet its student enrollment projection.

Since some of the school’s funding is based on enrollment counts, legislators want to avoid appropriating money for no-show students or overinflated enrollment predictions.

, DataTimes