Faculty at St. Edward’s University received a three percent increase in pay for the 2013-2014 school year. However, on a national scale, this increase does not mean too much. Nationwide, the median full-time professor salary is roughly between $120,000 to $130,000, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education’s yearly survey of universities nationwide. A St. Edward’s full-time professor annual salary is only about $98,500.

Although a definite difference is present, national averages and medians are not something to take too seriously, according to John Loucks, chair in the Faculty Compensation Committee. “We are a small, category 2A school…and we are more of a teaching institution, not a strict research institution,” Loucks said.

The “A” system refers to school size, like the system the University Interscholastic League (UIL) uses in athletics or academic meets, the scale starts with 1A as the smallest and the largest school is 5A. St. Edward’s is also not an institution focused primarily on research, such as the University of Texas. Generally speaking, a research institute would receive much more funding from the state or federal government.

These differences underscore the futility of comparing St. Edward’s with big names like Princeton, Yale or even St. Edward’s downtown neighbors, the University of Texas. Comparing St. Edward’s to other schools in the same category: small, private, four-year universities, the numbers look a lot more positive. Against schools like St. Mary’s, Baylor or Rice, St. Edward’s ranks above the average for professor salaries, but the salaries for assistant professors at St. Edward’s fall below the average. Loucks understands that the “assistant level is sub-par.” They are  the only group under the median at 49 percent.

For entry-level university positions, some professors are constantly looking for the next, better job. At St. Edward’s, tenure is seen by many members of the staff and faculty to “not mean a whole lot,” and drives down the incentive for assistant professors to stay loyal to the university.

“We hire someone, but maybe they don’t like Austin too much, or believe it’s too much work for the pay. So while they work here, they’re looking for a better position elsewhere at the same time,” Loucks said.

St. Edwards’s faculty have varied opinions on the raise, some thinking it reflects their workload just fine,

NEED POSTITVE QUOTE

while others feel the need for a little more compensation.

NEED NEGATIVE QUOTE

“Raises at the university have happened every year for the last 15 plus years,” Loucks said, “That is more than our rival universities can say. We do need some adjustment on the assistant level, though. There is room for improvement.”