Faculty, staff pay raises head agenda at UNT System Board of Regents meeting today

Approval of the proposed university budget for the 2002-03 academic year will be one of the major items on the agenda when the UNT System Board of Regents meets on campus today.

For the new fiscal year, beginning Sept. 1 and covering the second year of the current biennium, the administration is recommending a $408.15 million budget that includes an increase of approximately $61.45 million over this year's budget.

Once again, faculty and staff pay raises and promotions are high priorities for increased spending in 2002-03. Contingent on regent approval, they will account for nearly 41 percent of the $8.21 million proposed for budgeting theme increases.

According to Phil Diebel, UNT System vice chancellor for finance and UNT vice president for finance and business affairs, approximately $1.33 million is proposed for 2 percent merit pool pay raises for faculty and $1.05 million is proposed for 2 percent merit pool pay increases for staff.

Additional increases proposed in the salary line will cover faculty promotions; staff reclassification reserves; and phases two and three of the mandatory 4 percent staff raises approved by the Texas Legislature in its 2001 session. (The first phase was implemented on Sept. 1, 2001, for employees who had been with the university since Sept. 1, 2000.)

Originally, the 77th Legislature had proposed an additional staff salary increase of 3 percent to be effective Sept. 1, 2002. However, it was stipulated at the time of passage that the raise could not be implemented unless the state comptroller could certify that sufficient revenues were available to fund it. The comptroller's office issued a news release in mid-April stating that it could not certify that sufficient revenues are available for a statewide fiscal year 2003 staff raise.

Other budgeting themes proposed for the fiscal year 2003 budget are: research, distributed learning, diversity, administrative web-based systems, development of the College of Engineering, enrollment and intercollegiate athletics.

The largest amount of the total proposed budget increase — approximately $40.51 million — will go for new construction budgets.

Among other board actions, the regents are considering promotion and tenure recommendations, establishment of an emergency loan fund for students, officially naming the property and facilities purchased from Texas Instruments as the UNT Research Park, plans for renovations and additions to the University Services Building and the purchase of the privately owned Santa Fe and Mozart residence halls.

BY RODDY WOLPER rwolper@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT parking fees going up for 2002-03 academic year
• UNT establishes doctoral degree in audiology
• UNT counselor education program top in Texas
• Monthly HR orientations available for Spanish-speaking UNT employees
• Staff Council adopts spot for beautification program
• Symposium aids Texas' higher education future
• On the trail: UNT police department adds K-9 unit to patrol force
• UNT, Paul Quinn College establish Science and Math Teacher Academy

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