You’ve probably already seen the latest annual report from the AAUP on faculty salaries. And the results are probably not a surprise, either. The survey found that salaries, on average, increased just 1.2 percent, the smallest annual increase in the survey’s 50-year history. The numbers reflect base salaries, so it does not include the effect of unpaid furloughs on individual salaries. Also troubling, the survey noted that 14 percent of institutions reported cuts to faculty retirement accounts.
The report also suggested that current circumstances might encourage faculty to become more involved in the decision making as campuses plan for further reductions. Saranna Thornton, report co-author, is says in The Chronicle of Higher Education that “(f)aculty need to be consulted on what kinds of cuts need to be made and how those cuts should differ across different disciplines.”
Given the state’s current economic situation, UW-Madison will almost certainly face some sort of budget reduction in next biennium. What role do you think faculty should play in navigating the solution?