Academic Administrators Appointment and Compensation Policy

Policy Statement

The selection and compensation of academic administrators, subject to approval by the Board of Governors of Missouri State University, shall occur according to this policy.

1. Definition of Academic Administrator
   • Academic administrators include the Provost, Deans, assistant or associate deans, assistant or associate provosts, department heads, and directors of schools.
2. Search and appointment process for Academic Administrators 
   • The search process for an academic administrator shall follow the guidelines for hiring academic administrators set forth in Op7.10.
   • An academic administrator shall be appointed for a fixed term of years not to exceed five years in length.
3. Reappointment of Academic Administrators
   • As a general rule, an academic administrator may be reappointed to up to two additional terms of up to five years each (15 years in total service in a specific position).
   • All reappointments for academic administrators who are department heads and directors of schools shall be done only after receiving input from faculty, other academic administrators, and any relevant advisory committees through a formal evaluation process. The full-time faculty within the department or school may vote on whether or not to reappoint the department head or director of the school during the evaluation process and the results will be considered in the reappointment process.
   • In exceptional circumstances, an academic administrator may be reappointed to additional three year terms beyond the fifteen year maximum. In the case of a department head or director of a school, the reappointment would be approved only if 60% or more of full-time faculty within the department or school vote to recommend an additional term to his or her dean.
4. Compensation of Academic Administrators 
   • The initial salary of an academic administrator shall be comprised of the following three elements which shall be set forth in the academic administrator’s appointment letter:
     • Faculty salary component--The salary the individual would earn as a highly-qualified member of the regular faculty, consistent with the salary range of faculty of the same rank in the academic unit, his or her academic experience and expertise, national CUPA or other relevant salary data for rank and position, his or her prior achievements, and his or her standing in the academic discipline;
     • 12-month salary adjustment—an additional 2/9ths of the faculty salary shall be added to the academic administrator’s salary to account for the full-year administrative contract. For administrators with less than a 12-month appointment, the adjustment should be prorated; and
     • Administrative component—Additional compensation to adjust for additional responsibilities and to reflect the market value of the administrative position.
   • Internal and external candidates for an academic administrator position should generally be given equivalent compensation.
   • The Board of Governors shall approve the salary of all academic administrators.
5.  Compensation upon Return to Faculty 
   • The compensation of an administrator assuming or resuming a faculty appointment shall be determined as follows:
     • An academic administrator returning to faculty shall be paid his or her faculty salary component, adjusted by the Provost to provide for fair placement into the department salary structure and to account for equity adjustments and changes in market forces relevant to the academic discipline and any across-the-board salary increases provided for the relevant time period including cost of living increases as well as recognition of the individual’s experience as an administrator.
     • The 12-month salary adjustment and administrative component shall no longer be included in the faculty salary.
   • The written rationale for the final determination of the faculty salary component shall be prepared by the Provost and provided to the returning faculty member.
   • The faculty member may appeal the determination of final faculty salary component to the President. The Board of Governors shall then approve the salaries of all academic administrators who return to faculty.
6. Post-Administrative Instructional Development
   • In recognition that an academic administrator who has been out of the classroom for an extended period of time may need time to update his or her teaching and/or research prior to returning to a full-time faculty position, such a person will be eligible for a 50% reduction of faculty teaching load for one academic year or one semester of paid leave at the reduced faculty salary outlined in paragraph 5 above if the following criteria are met:
     • The individual has served in an administrative capacity for one full term of at least four continuous years;
     • The individual submits a plan to his or her supervisor for instructional development during the leave or reduced load which the supervisor approves; and
     • The individual agrees to remain at the university for at least one year after the leave or reduced load is complete.
7. Departmental Assignment 
   • A returning academic administrator should generally be assigned to the department which granted him or her tenure. Exceptions should only be made in exceptional circumstances and when the returning faculty member has the background and training commensurate with the existing faculty in that department.
   • Assignments related to teaching should be consistent with University workload policies; however, when teaching assignments are differentiated according to research productivity, the returning academic administrator should be given a reasonable amount of time to develop a research agenda before his/her teaching load is modified based on deficiency in research achievements due to his/her administrative assignment.
8. Principles for the Appointment and Compensation of Academic Administrators
   • The following principles should be taken into consideration when making the appointment and compensation decisions set out in this policy:
     • Retreat policies should be aligned to the University purpose to educate students.
     • Compensation packages, including hiring, retreat or severance packages, should reflect good stewardship of university resources.
     • It is important to attract capable administrators. They should be compensated according to market value as determined by job descriptions.
     • Missouri State University should compensate its employees for the job they have at that time. There should be no automatic link between salaries earned as an administrator and the salary earned upon return as a faculty member.
     • Administrative duties should be recognized as valuable to the University when determining salary upon return to faculty. The time an individual spends in administration reduces the time that can be devoted to scholarship and teaching.
     • An administrator’s post-administrative appointment to a department/cost center should not be a financial burden to that unit. 
     • For some administrators, especially those with non-academic backgrounds, severance agreements are more appropriate than retreat options.