Guiding Statements for Compensation at Wilmington College
- It is essential that Wilmington College attract, recruit and retain highly qualified individuals within each area of the College; thus, compensation must be competitive with external labor markets.
- In addition to relevant market analysis, compensation will be monitored to ensure consistency with Wilmington College’s strategic plan, core values, priorities and commitment to equity.
- Wilmington College commits to internal equity and will consistently monitor compensation for compliance. The College also pledges to ensure that there is no discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by the Wilmington College Statement of Non-Discrimination.
- Wilmington College’s compensation policy will remain consistent with the judicious expenditure of college funds entrusted to us by students, their parents, and donors, and with fiscal responsibility.
- Wilmington College’s compensation policy and procedures will ensure transparency and accountability within the constraints of principles of compensation confidentiality.
Salary Administration for Faculty
Salary administration for academic faculty shall be developed in accordance with the following guidelines:
- On or before December 15 of each year, the Academic Dean/Dean of the Faculty/Dean of Faculty shall make available to the Faculty Council a summary of full-time ranked faculty salaries for the current academic year; at minimum, this summary shall identify the range, median and mean salary of faculty at each rank.
- The Board of Trustees establishes the percentage of the College budget to be used for salaries. The Board bases its decision on the recommendation of the College President, who consults with the Budget and Planning Committee in developing a proposal for salary adjustments and/or increases.
- A method for distributing the salary pool dollars (based on the Board's established percentage) shall be developed by the Academic Dean/Dean of the Faculty in consultation with the Faculty Council; it shall take into consideration across-the-board increases, promotion increases, and equity increases. This method of distribution shall be established and recommended once the salary pool is approved by the Board of Trustees in its April meeting. The President makes the final decision on salary distribution.
- The Academic Dean/Dean of Faculty recommends to the President initial salary of appointees; the President gives final approval. Decisions about starting salaries will be made based on internal equity and market considerations
Goals for salaries for full-time academic faculty shall be established by the Academic Dean/Dean of Faculty in consultation with the Faculty Council. The College’s goal for faculty salaries shall be set at or above 100% of the corresponding group mean of academic ranks in our set of normative peer institutions. If our normative peer group changes, the goal will be to achieve at or above 100% of the corresponding group mean of academic ranks in our new set of peer institutions.
Salary Adjustment for Promotion in Rank
In addition to any annual salary increases, faculty who are promoted in rank shall receive an increase in their base salary beginning the year in which the promotion takes effect. To ensure promotional equity, this increase shall be $2000 when promoted to associate professor and $2500 when promoted to professor.
Increases for Completion of the Doctoral Degree
Full-time ranked faculty shall receive a one-time bonus of $1,000 upon completion of the initial doctoral degree in a field directly related to their area of responsibility. The doctorate must be an earned doctorate from an accredited institution, or an acceptable foreign equivalent.
Equity Adjustments
For each faculty rank, a salary range and a mid-point will be determined using salary data provided by the Office of Human Resources. Each year, the Academic Dean/Dean of Faculty will monitor faculty salaries to determine whether internal inequities exist where faculty salaries are substantially below those of faculty with similar rank, experience, and qualifications. If inequities are found to exist, equity increases will be made in order to bring the salaries of the affected faculty members into the salary range for that rank and within a specified amount of the median for that rank. Assuming comparable experience, qualifications and time in rank, at the Assistant Professor rank, salaries should be within $2000 of the median of the rank after 5 years in rank and thereafter. At the Associate Professor rank, salaries should be within $3000 of the median of the rank after 5 years in rank and thereafter. At the Professor rank, salaries should be within $4000 of the median of the rank after 5 years in rank and thereafter.
Review
The administration of faculty salaries will be reviewed annually for progress towards goals. Additionally, monetary amounts for salary adjustment, bonuses, and equity will be reviewed at least every three years.
Administrator and Staff Salary Administration
Salary administration for College Administrators and Staff shall be developed in accordance with the following guidelines:
- The Board of Trustees establishes the percentage of the College budget to be used for salaries. The Board bases its decision on the recommendation of the College President, who consults with the Budget and Planning Committee in developing a proposal for salary adjustments and/or increases.
- A method for distributing the salary pool dollars (based on the Board's established percentage) shall be developed by the President and the Vice President for Business and Finance; the method shall take into consideration across-the-board increases, promotion increases, and equity adjustments. This method of distribution shall be established and recommended once the salary pool is approved by the Board of Trustees in its April meeting. The President makes the final decision on salary distribution.
Guidelines for salaries for all administrators and staff shall be established by the President, and Vice President for Business and Finance in consultation with the Director of Human Resource. The College’s goal for salaries is to be at or above 100% of the corresponding position mean for our comparison data sets which establishes the pay practice range.
Staff positions are separated into groups based on relative job content. Within these groups, jobs that resemble one another--those with similar general duties and responsibilities--are assigned to the same classification and given the same classification title and description. A salary range is established for each group based on salary survey data. The College annually establishes a market pay practice line based on data for benchmark positions (positions at Wilmington that match positions included in salary surveys). The pay practice range is derived from survey data specific to regional and national higher education employers and survey data covering a wide range of employers locally and regionally. The pay practice range represents the Median market pay rate—the rate paid to experienced and capable persons who meet substantially more than the job minimum requirements. Salary range minimums and maximums are established based on the pay practice range.
Staff members are normally paid at least the minimum of the salary range to which the job is assigned. Salaries for staff members who are relatively new to their occupational categories are at or near the minimum of the salary range depending on level of experience. Ideally, salaries for staff members who are fully qualified and whose experience and performance reflect full mastery of their positions will be at or near the upper pay limit of the salary range (full market rate). Normally, only staff members whose performance has been consistently superior over an extended period have salaries between the beginning pay rate and the maximum of the salary range. The hiring range for new staff members is between the salary range minimum and the upper pay limit. Persons whose salaries are at or near the salary range minimum will generally be those with relative inexperience in the field of expertise. Exceptionally well-qualified candidates may be hired at or near the upper limit of the pay range. Decisions about starting salaries will be made based on internal equity and market considerations. Salary offers that exceed the pay range may occur in rare circumstances and must be authorized by the President and Vice President for Business and Finance. In all cases, however, all salary increases are dependent upon the availability of funds. Increases typically become effective with the beginning of the fiscal year, unless specified otherwise. An employee whose performance is not meeting expectations should be reviewed frequently (and at least every three months) with the objective of improving performance or documenting the decision to terminate. In such cases, salary increases may be delayed pending improved performance. Performance deficiencies should be thoroughly and objectively documented in writing and discussed with the employee.