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Board examines faculty salary, Metro's image
By Kate Johnson
jokathry@mscd.edu

Salary raises for faculty and Metro’s public image were the items of interest at the June 7 meeting of the Metro Board of Trustees.

Part of the budget proposal that will go into effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, includes setting aside money to adjust faculty salaries.

Metro is currently below industry standards for pay raises to tenured professors. Many incoming professors are even making similar salaries as those who have worked here for several years.

“It concerns me because if we don’t pay our faculty comparably to the other schools and be competitive, we’re going to lose all of our good faculty,” said Jack Wylie, Metro Student Government president.

Board members came to a tentative agreement on the budget, and during a special meeting held June 19, they approved the proposed changes.

In the past, decisions on faculty salaries have been made based on comparisons with peer institutions assigned by the Colorado Commission for Higher Education. A new policy would change the institutions that Metro compares itself to.

Student trustee Brian Glotzbach said if Metro expects to keep quality faculty, it is imperative Metro’s budget be brought up to speed.

Readjusting the budget must be done with care, however. If the board moves salaries too high, Metro could open itself up to problems later on if higher education in Colorado were to undergo financial cuts, Glotzbach said.

The need for healthy competition with other institutions was also addressed in the meeting during a presentation by the Integrative Marketing Committee, an outside firm brought in to assess Metro’s image, both internally and externally.

Stacy Lewis and Associates conducted a brand audit to try and find the best way to market Metro effectively, and to help spread an accurate portrayal of the quality of the school.

Glotzbach attributes common misconceptions about Metro to its open enrollment policies. He said people sometimes equate open enrollment with poor academic standards.

Overall, both Glotzbach and Wylie felt the audit was a positive step for Metro. Their only concern is that Metro take full advantage of the data in order to challenge both students’ and the public’s perception.