UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN OSHKOSH
2019-2021 SALARY ADJUSTMENT GUIDELINES
FOR FACULTY, ACADEMIC STAFF, & UNIVERSITY STAFF

Senate of Academic Staff Approved: December 12, 2019
University Staff Senate Approved: December 11, 2019
Faculty Senate Approved: December 10, 2019
University Compensation Committee Approved: November 13, 2019
Chancellor Approved: January 9, 2018
University Staff Senate Approved: December 13, 2017
Senate of Academic Staff Approved: December 7, 2017
Faculty Senate Approved: December 5, 2017

These guidelines will be used for determining 2019-2021 salary adjustments.

A. Eligibility.
These salary guidelines apply to faculty, academic staff, university staff, university staff
project and limited appointees employed by the University, including personnel on or
returning from leave of absence. The guidelines do not apply to graduate assistants,
temporary staff, student workers or employees that are part of a collective bargaining unit.
All faculty and continuing instructional academic staff who have provided evidence of
student evaluations of teaching obtained from no less than three (3) sections completed per
evaluation period are eligible for a merit or solid performance salary adjustment (see the UW
System Policy on Student Evaluation of Instruction, included in the Faculty and Academic
Staff Handbook chapter titled “Faculty Performance Review”). Faculty and instructional
academic staff teaching part time may adjust the number of evaluations required in
proportion to their teaching assignment during the evaluation period.
All non-instructional academic staff, university staff and limited appointees who have at least
a solid performance rating on their last performance evaluation are eligible for a merit or
solid performance salary adjustment.
B. Allocation of Economic Adjustment.
(1) The campus will receive unknown on July 1, 2019 of the certified System payroll for
salary adjustments for eligible faculty, academic staff, and university staff, and
limited appointees. Salary increases must conform to the provisions of the approved
state pay plan.
(2) Promotions for faculty and instructional academic staff will be funded from base
budget rather than from the salary adjustment allocation. Salary adjustments for
promotions to Assistant Professor will equal 4.0 percent of the average Assistant
Professor salary, promotions to Associate Professor will receive 6.0 percent of the
average Associate Professor salary, and promotions to Professor and Professional
Productivity/Distinguished Professor adjustments 7.5 percent of the average
Professor salary, based on the 2017-18 academic year salaries.
(3) Salary Adjustment for Academic Staff promotion will follow the Handbook guidelines
(ACS 9.3. Salary Adjustment).
(4) Salary Adjustment for University Staff promotion will follow the Non-merit Base
Adjustments within Title guidelines (Pay Determination Policy for University Staff).
C. Administration of Adjustment.
(1) General Guidelines.
(a) If UW System guidelines allow it, the following salary adjustment process will
be used: If the salary adjustment package is more than 2%, 2/3 of the salary
adjustment will be distributed to those demonstrating solid (satisfactory)
performance on an equal percentage basis, and 1/3 will be distributed based
on merit evaluations. If the salary adjustment package is 2% or less, salary
adjustments will be distributed on an equal percentage basis to all those
judged to be solid performers and there will be no merit component.
(b) Evaluation criteria will be determined and shared with division members at
the beginning of the period during which performance will be evaluated. Each
division making merit decisions is required to develop a written statements
as to how solid performance is defined within the division. A copy of this
statement will be submitted along with the merit and solid performance
recommendations. The submission of merit documents will be part of the
solid performance criteria.
(c) Fifteen percent of the pay plan will be allocated for the Chancellor’s
discretionary fund and will be available for distribution as per (1)(b) above.
Units must provide an explanation in writing for each member judged to be a
solid performer but who did not receive a merit pay recommendation. Those
members judged not to be solid performers will not be eligible for merit pay
increases.
(2) Merit Salary Adjustment Guidelines.
(a) Merit determinations for faculty must be based on positive contributions to:
(1) teaching,
(2) professional and scholarly growth activity, and
(3) institutional and extra-institutional service.
(b) Merit determinations for non-teaching faculty shall be based on supervisory
assessments of meritorious performance, except where a peer review
process is in place.
(c) Merit determinations for instructional academic staff should be based on
performance within the current job description for new employees and on
performance expectations for continuing employees, as determined by the
college and/or department/unit.
(d) Merit determinations for professional academic staff should be based on
performance within the current job description for new employees and on
performance expectations for continuing employees [See sub-section
I.(2)(a)].
(e) Merit determined for university staff should be based on performance within
the current job description for new employees and on performance
expectations for continuing employees. (See Pay Determination Policy for
University Staff, Merit Adjustments)
(f) All department/unit members shall be informed of the relative weight
assigned to each of the evaluated activities.
D. Merit shall be based solely on professional performance, as noted above. Race, color,
creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin,
ancestry, disability, age, pregnancy, marital or parental status, genetic information, arrest
record, conviction record, military service, veteran status, membership in any other group
with a protected status, and constitutionally protected activities shall not be factors in merit
determination.
E. Eligible personnel on split assignments will be evaluated proportionally to their FTE
assignments in these units unless the affected individual and the units agree to do
otherwise.
F. After the merit evaluation has been completed, department/unit heads or personnel
committee chairs will schedule and document a face-to-face meeting to discuss
performance evaluations with individuals.
G. The confidentiality of individual salary recommendations must be maintained until final
approval by the Board of Regents. Following Board approval, a letter describing salary
adjustments will be sent to each continuing faculty, academic staff, university staff and
limited appointees.
H. Substantive academic or performance judgments affecting merit are not grievable. Those
who believe there have been procedural errors or that individual salary adjustments have
been affected by immaterial or irrelevant factors should call these to the attention of their
unit administrator or immediate supervisor and, if there is no satisfactory resolution,
may refer these to the next higher administrative level. If the matter is not resolved
administratively, faculty, academic staff, or university staff may file a procedural
grievance under the applicable rules.
I. Department/Unit Guidelines.
(1) Each faculty and instructional academic staff member shall be
evaluated for salary administration at least every two years by their
department/unit. A multiple year rolling average may be used. Even if
a two-year evaluation was completed last year, an individual
evaluation is required annually.
(2) Each professional academic staff member should be evaluated for
salary administration annually by their respective supervisors. The
process for merit adjustments for professional academic staff shall be
as follows:
(a) Divisions shall define solid performance and provide performance
expectations, including relative weight of criteria, to academic staff
well in advance of evaluation.
(b) Each academic staff member will be provided an opportunity to
submit documentation addressing performance expectations and
individual performance.
(c) A peer review process also may be used, as agreed upon by the
academic staff member and supervisor.
(3) Each university staff member should be evaluated for salary administration annually
by their respective supervisors. The process for merit adjustments for university staff
shall be as follows:
(a) Divisions shall define solid performance and provide performance
expectations, including relative weight of criteria, to university staff well in
advance of evaluation.
(b) Each university staff member will be provided an opportunity to submit
documentation addressing performance expectations and individual
performance.
(4) To facilitate pay plan administration, each division will develop procedures to assign
salary dollars based on merit. Those plans will be presented and reviewed by the
University Compensation Committee.
(5) These points will be assigned to individuals within the unit according to the unit merit
policies and procedures where applicable.
(6) Salary administration guidelines will establish eligibility and salary administration for
newly hired individuals.
(7) The merit policy and related criteria and procedures of each academic
department/unit shall be approved by the unit faculty and those academic staff
affected by this policy and reviewed at least every three years, with the review
completed by February 1 of the academic year. The date of approval must be
included with each year’s salary recommendations.
(8) Individuals who choose not to participate in or who are not eligible for merit
distribution shall be identified (by the department/unit chair/supervisor) to the Dean
or division head (Chancellor, Provost, Vice Chancellor, et al.). The individual’s
corresponding share of merit dollars allocated to the unit will be transferred to the
college or the division for allocation by the College Committee in consultation with
the Dean or by the division head.
(9) If individuals have submitted a letter of retirement or resignation before the following
contract year, their salary adjustment funds will be returned to the salary adjustment
pool.
(10) UW System Policy Guidelines will be followed for the allocation of funds resulting
from professional academic staff and university staff reaching the maximum salary
for their respective titles. These funds will be pooled and used totally for merit salary
increases as follows: Each division head (Chancellor, Provost and Vice Chancellor,
Vice Chancellor, et al.) may nominate professional academic staff or university staff
for special consideration. Distribution of these dollars among the nominees shall be
decided at a meeting of the division heads convened by the Chancellor. The
affirmative action officer shall be a nonvoting member of the group.
(11) Merit recommendations for faculty and instructional academic staff shall be
forwarded to the college-level committee (where appropriate) and Dean.
Recommendations for professional administrative staff shall be forwarded to the
division head.
J. College or Administrative Division.
(1) The college or division committee (if appropriate) and the Dean or division head shall
review merit recommendations including college or unit level recommendations. If
either the committee or the Dean or division head determines that adjustments
appear procedurally inappropriately distributed, such as nearly equal merit points or
percentages assigned across the board, an iterative process shall take place
involving all the reviewing parties.
K. University Salary Review Process.
(1) The University Compensation Committee will serve as the Salary Review
Committee. It shall review salary administration recommendations prior to any final
decisions, and evaluate the application of salary guidelines.
(2) All unit supervisors at the level of Director or above should be represented when the
Compensation Committee meets as the Salary Review Committee.
(3) The Committee will report the conclusions of their review to the Chancellor