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Do IT this week: Layering
By Carol Biliczky
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 05:42 p.m. EDT, Oct 14, 2009
Kent State will tuck a little something extra in some faculty members' paychecks in December: bonuses approaching $3,000.
Some 821 tenure or tenure-track faculty will get about $2,500 to $2,800 each, according to Kara Robinson, president of the tenure-track unit of the American Association of University Professors at Kent State.
''We had an exceptional year,'' KSU President Lester Lefton said. ''The university is happy to share with some of the people who made it happen.''
Robinson, a reference and instruction librarian, said she was ''surprised with this kind of return and very pleased.''
Lefton and other administrators identified fundraising, freshmen retention and research as keys to making KSU a destination for high-achieving students.
In the new AAUP contract last year, Lefton suggested sharing the income from progress in these areas with faculty.
The tenure-track unit of the AAUP agreed to the experiment, but the nontenure-track unit turned it down in favor of other items it sought in negotiations.
In academic jargon, tenure is a virtual lifetime appointment. Some full-time faculty at Kent State have tenure or are eligible for it; some do not.
The university met all three benchmarks this fall, so tenure and tenure-track faculty will share in the $1.35 million in research awards, $175,000 in donations and $500,000 to $800,000 for freshmen retention.
Final determinations are being made as to how much each faculty member will get.
The bonuses will bypass the majority of employees at Kent State, though.
The AAUP's tenure-track represents less than 20 percent of the 5,000 full-time employees who work at Kent State's eight campuses. Administrators, secretaries, admissions counselors and advisers are excluded.
Lefton said he has had to address questions from employees who felt left out.
''The truth is, and I don't want to sound cynical, everyone got raises at Kent State this year, and that is not true at most state universities,'' he said. ''I think we should all be grateful for the relatively good times at Kent State.''
Robinson said she did not know if the success pool motivated her fellow faculty to work harder. That ''is open to further study,'' she said.
Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.
Kent State will tuck a little something extra in some faculty members' paychecks in December: bonuses approaching $3,000.
Some 821 tenure or tenure-track faculty will get about $2,500 to $2,800 each, according to Kara Robinson, president of the tenure-track unit of the American Association of University Professors at Kent State.
''We had an exceptional year,'' KSU President Lester Lefton said. ''The university is happy to share with some of the people who made it happen.''
Robinson, a reference and instruction librarian, said she was ''surprised with this kind of return and very pleased.''
Lefton and other administrators identified fundraising, freshmen retention and research as keys to making KSU a destination for high-achieving students.
In the new AAUP contract last year, Lefton suggested sharing the income from progress in these areas with faculty.
The tenure-track unit of the AAUP agreed to the experiment, but the nontenure-track unit turned it down in favor of other items it sought in negotiations.
In academic jargon, tenure is a virtual lifetime appointment. Some full-time faculty at Kent State have tenure or are eligible for it; some do not.
The university met all three benchmarks this fall, so tenure and tenure-track faculty will share in the $1.35 million in research awards, $175,000 in donations and $500,000 to $800,000 for freshmen retention.
Final determinations are being made as to how much each faculty member will get.
The bonuses will bypass the majority of employees at Kent State, though.
The AAUP's tenure-track represents less than 20 percent of the 5,000 full-time employees who work at Kent State's eight campuses. Administrators, secretaries, admissions counselors and advisers are excluded.
Lefton said he has had to address questions from employees who felt left out.
''The truth is, and I don't want to sound cynical, everyone got raises at Kent State this year, and that is not true at most state universities,'' he said. ''I think we should all be grateful for the relatively good times at Kent State.''
Robinson said she did not know if the success pool motivated her fellow faculty to work harder. That ''is open to further study,'' she said.
Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Posted 05:53 PM, 10/14/2009
Like merit/demerit pay, this so-called bonus pay is nothing more than a divide and conquer tactic to make sure that only subservient faculty are rewarded and promoted. As a result, quality education at KSU sinks even deeper at public expense, if that is possible.
Akron, OH
Posted 06:19 PM, 10/14/2009
Spirit,
Give me a break. The bonuses are a great thing for employees. Many businesses use similar incentives and they're always well received by employees. Kent State is a quality university. Seriously...grow up.
akron, oh
Posted 07:26 PM, 10/14/2009
Don't let ODrama and the "Pay Czar" find out about this. They want to control every penney everyone makes.
Akron, oh
Posted 07:51 PM, 10/14/2009
Johnsmith2009,
I couldn't agree with you more! KSU is a quality university and I think it is essential to honor the people that work hard to keep it that way!
Finally, an article about people being rewarded financially in our troubled economy!
Some of the readers will never be pleased with any type of news- good or bad!
akron, oh
Posted 08:21 PM, 10/14/2009
State colleges in Ohio are 50% more expensive than the national average on top of rather high property taxes.
Maybe they could give back to lower public schools?
akron, oh
Posted 08:22 PM, 10/14/2009
@avedakevin79: you are absolutely right. People being rewarded for what they do is the capitalist, American way. That's why I brought up the "Pay Czar", it is ludicrous that people would not want good work rewarded and even worse to want the government deciding who can earn and the amount they can earn.
akron, oh
Posted 08:47 PM, 10/14/2009
timing is everything. hard to hear when you're laid-off
Akron, Oh
Posted 10:58 PM, 10/14/2009
Unfortunately at The University of Akron and other state universities in Ohio, part-time faculty are unable to bargain for better working conditions because of an arcane provision of the collective bargaining law (ORC 4117) that excludes part-time faculty from the definition of state employees for collective bargaining purposes.
The result is astounding: the percentage of part-time faculty to the entire instructional staff at The University of Akron is now about 60%. Part-time faculty are limited to earning between $600 and $1,000 per credit hour, which would translate into $14,400 to $24,000 per year in gross income--if they were permitted to teach a full load in both the fall and spring semesters. As it is, they are limited to one course below full-time status so that they may be denied benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance.
Many part-time faculty teach at multiple institutions just to make ends meet. Some are even on public assistance such as Medicaid and Food Stamps. Learn more about this issue at the New Faculty Majority website at http://www.newfacultymajority.info.
Akron, Oh
Posted 11:01 PM, 10/14/2009
Ohio Senate Bill 129 has been introduced by Senator Strahorn. Please call your state senator and ask them to support SB-129, which would include part-time faculty under the definition of "State Employees" for collective bargaining purposes. The law does not require anyone to unionize: that would be up to individual faculty groups to decide. All it does is to permit them to bargain under Ohio law. This, alone, affords part-time faculty with a certain measure of bargaining power through which concessions might be granted in lieu of unionization.
Highland Square, OH
Posted 11:21 PM, 10/14/2009
yawn....Did I hear someone say Kent State and "quality education" in the same sentence?
Get an engineering college. Then we can talk.
Kent, OH
Posted 02:10 AM, 10/15/2009
I am very happy that some of the faculty members at KSU are getting bonuses, as I feel that the majority of my former professors there had a positive impact on my career today.
And to UAEngineering: The standards for UA are a lot lower than KSU, but thanks for the laughs, lol. Your school is good for engineering and law, and when a grad school or company sees a transcript/resume' with KSU on it as compared to the cute University of Akron, they usually look at the KSU one as more professional.
akron, oh
Posted 07:34 AM, 10/15/2009
I guess this is good for the teachers at Kent. Since many have lost their jobs and or have been laid off locally.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:54 AM, 10/15/2009
@Spirit - I agree with you. I find most (not all) people in acidamia could not make it in the real world. I bet 80% of those who teach could not practice in reality what they teach. On a different note, is this why KSU rasied their tuition this year?
Akron, OH
Posted 09:14 AM, 10/15/2009
KSUPreMed:
I disagrees with you. UA's business school has higher standards and its accreditation is also better than KSU's. I have spoken with many business professional and they unanimously stated that they would hire a UA business graduate over a KSU business graduate. I chose UA because its business school is far superior than KSU.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:37 AM, 10/15/2009
@KSUPreMed, I am pretty sure the majority of employers consider KSU and Akron on par with one another, unless they graduated from one of the schools.
barberton, oh
Posted 10:02 AM, 10/15/2009
It doesn't appear that KSU is having a recession ;however, the ones who really make the numbers happen are the staff members (secretaries, axullaries, etc.), but they didn't recieve any type of pay increases due to hard econimical times. This is a slap to other workers who don't make as much money as faculty. Everyone should get a piece of the pie.
Stow, OH
Posted 10:18 AM, 10/15/2009
majyk...that's just not true. It is a well documented fact that Kent's undergraduate admission requirements are more selective than UA's. I know lots of people who went to UA because they couldn't get in at Kent. Oh, and in the Accounting department where I'm employed, which is at the 2nd largest employer in Ohio, we have 14 KSU grads (all business majors) and 1 UA grad...and 2 of the KSU grads are the bosses. I think you've deluded yourself!
Posted 10:47 AM, 10/15/2009
The KSU vs UA entry requirement argument is laughable, and so is the concept that graduates of one of those two schools is more likely to be successful than the other based on the school alone. You're comparing one state school to another. It's not like either one is bordering on ivy league.
akron, oh
Posted 11:04 AM, 10/15/2009
YOU GUYS ARE FIGHTING OVER THINGS THAT ARE UNIMPORTANT. EVERYONE FEELS THEY DESERVE MORE MONEY. both schools have little prestige and high credit prices. lets just have good, affordable higher education.
akron, oh
Posted 11:55 AM, 10/15/2009
@UAEngineering,
Get an Architecture program...then we'll listen.
Posted 12:12 PM, 10/15/2009
Ah. As usual, those who don't need the extra money are the ones who are going to receive it. Nice. Especially during these times.
Akron, OH
Posted 01:01 PM, 10/15/2009
To all the knuckleheads arguing about KSU or UA being better: really? You're all trying to shine turds. I'm have two bachelors' from KSU. I'm here to say that it's a mediocre education at best. I would say that UA is probably about the same, although I don't have personal experience. Both have a few really good programs. UA has law, engineering (as an arrogant poster already pointed out), chemistry and more. KSU has nursing, fashion, psychology and more.
My point is, you get out of education what you put into it. Stop trying to shine turds.
Akron, OH
Posted 01:03 PM, 10/15/2009
lol, gotta stop working doubles. Really, my secondary education taught me better than that, no reflection on KSU. I meant to say "I have two bachelors'..."
akron, oh
Posted 01:38 PM, 10/15/2009
ur cool Zombie, being from somewhere else; I was trying to nice. average at best.
uniontown, oh
Posted 01:53 PM, 10/15/2009
What makes an institution like Kent State "have a good year"? How about a good staff and good students who want to go there in the first place. Is this campus a publicly traded company that counts it's success on profit and loss statements? Instead of giving the professors the bonus how about thanking your students by reducing tuition a few bucks. No? Oh, I know now " We got ours, now you go get yours" Typical administration hot air.
akron, oh
Posted 03:06 PM, 10/15/2009
Kent read..
Kent write...
Kent State!
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 04:51 PM, 10/15/2009
College Equation:
Kent State's "good year" = My ever-increasing tuition bill
Not only are the tenured getting bonuses, but President Lefton received a nice little pot of gold himself!
Highland Square, OH
Posted 05:42 PM, 10/15/2009
@ ZombieKoala...
I was joking. You're completely right. If someone was going to judge both Kent and Akron as a whole, they'd find that both schools are about even. That isn't whats important. The real significance is dictated by comparing the strengths of individual colleges within each university. Akron has a engineering, law, polymer, and more recently,bussiness. Kent has fashion, and whatever else...(hah jk, there are a lot of strong programs).
Kent and Akron are about on par with eachother in terms of quality of education. The only reason you might see Kent ranked a little higher is because Akron implements open enrollment admissions policy. That means Akron will accept kids who basically failed throughout highschool(read: inner city kids). Those open enrollment students aren't admitted into any of the actual colleges at UA, but have to fight their way into a college and to get a degree(most drop out). Essentially anyone who gets into Kent can get into Akron, and the reverse is for the most part true(the main exception being the open enrollment students). So as far as comparing actual graduates from each university; there is no difference whatsoever.
@ Flash Fan
Well, personally, as an engineering major, I find business majors are the biggest partiers on campus anyway. And their job prospects don't look much better than their work ethic. But I digress...
It would make sense that your company has more KSU employees. Akron's b-school has only been nationally ranked recently, so it's much stronger than it ever has been before. I'm willing to bet in ten years you might see quite a few more Akron grads.
Then again, I don't care much for most of those rankings anyways. It's just a way to sell magazines.
Highland Square, OH
Posted 05:42 PM, 10/15/2009
@ stleo
Thatta baby
Lefty Lemmingville, Oh
Posted 06:03 PM, 10/15/2009
Was the Jihadist Julio Pino a recipiant?
akron, oh
Posted 07:11 PM, 10/15/2009
I'm happy both of you can communicate without cave-paintings
Canton, Oh
Posted 08:34 PM, 10/15/2009
ha ha ha @ stleo. I am KSU - '95 that always makes me laugh.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:44 AM, 10/16/2009
@ZombieKoala,
Are you working doubles? Maybe you need to taper that with drinking a few doubles.
Get some rest!
:0)
Posted 11:18 AM, 10/16/2009
Kent admits 77% of applicants. Akron admits 82%. (From Forbes list of the nations top colleges). For someone to criticize Akron's admissions policy vs Kent's over that 5% is funny. Also, UAEngineering is right. Just because someone gets into a University on a probationary basis doesn't mean they're going to stick around. Each degree granting college (which house the program of your major) has GPA requirements to get into the program.
