Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! All faculty and staff will receive an adjustment to base pay. For some, that will be a 2% cost of living adjustment (COLA). Those who would still fall below the minimum in the salary range for that position (after factoring in COLA) will receive a base salary adjustment. In some cases, this base salary adjustment will not bring an employee all the way to the minimum salary range for their position, but it will result in significant progress toward that goal given the overall budget. As an institution, we are using the budget this year to adjust base salaries by targeting those employees whose pay is lowest when compared to the new salary ranges. Employees NOT receiving such an adjustment will receive a defined salary base increase on their November check (the 2% COLA).

This plan is a multi-year process. In the upcoming years, faculty and staff may receive further base pay adjustments to align their pay within the new ranges.

University-wide communication, including access to the new salary schedule, will be available the week of October 7, with letters detailing individual employees’ salary adjustments sent out the next week.

Any questions following the individual notification should be directed to deans/managers/supervisors.

• Faculty will realize half of their adjustment reflected on an additional payroll scheduled for November 8. For example, if an employee is scheduled to receive a COLA adjustment of $1,200 to their base, then half of that amount will be provided to the employee in November as part of the additional payroll. If the employee is receiving a base salary adjustment to move them closer to the minimum (e.g., $3000), then the employee will receive half of that amount in November on the additional payroll.
• Monthly paid staff will realize a quarter of their adjustment reflected on November 8. For example, if an employee is scheduled to receive a COLA adjustment of $1,200 to their base, then $300 of that amount wil be provided to the employee in November as part of the additional payroll. If the employee is receiving a base salary adjustment to move them closer to the minimum (e.g., $3000), then the employee will receive $750 of that amount in November on the additional payroll.
• Biweekly paid staff will realize a quarter of their adjustment reflected on an additional November 1 payroll.

The Faculty Salary Committee presented college and department teaching Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes. CIP codes are a U.S. Department of Education taxonomy used to classify academic programs. Academic Affairs validated or adjusted these codes that are used for CUPA (a nationally recognized HR organization for colleges and universities) reporting. Market reference points and minimums were set by teaching discipline and rank.

For faculty, the consultants identified a group of 32 regional and national peer institutions for which to compare. The identified institutions had similar missions, Carnegie status, student population, etc., and were located across the nation, not just in the southeast. These institutions include those that provided salary information to CUPA. Salary data are reported by nationally recognized CIP codes. The salary table was built by including the minimum salary, the median/midpoint salary, and the maximum salary for any given faculty position and associated CIP code. The salaries reported are based on a 9-month faculty base salary. 

The salaries used for comparisons were based on a 4/4 teaching load for tenured and tenure-track faculty (with some discipline-specific exceptions), while instructors were based on a 5/5 load. 

For staff, the consultants identified a group of 16 regional peer institutions for which to compare. These institutions include those that provided salary information to CUP. The salary table was built by including the minimum salary, the median/midpoint salary, and the maximum salary for positions. The new salary ranges for staff do not include defined salary step raises. 

Important to note is that Jax State has not had an updated salary schedule/table in approximately a decade. By implementing an updated salary table/schedule, Jax State can better understand the number of employees below the minimum salary range for peer institutions and more easily identify a plan to address that. The salary tables/structure for faculty/staff will soon be publicly available. 

Jax State is working to adjust employees below the salary minimums on the November paycheck. No staff will lose money!!!!  As mentioned earlier, employees not receiving a base salary adjustment will receive a defined salary base increase (COLA) in November.

The overall goal this year is to move as many employees as possible to the minimum. Some may be too far below to reach the minimum this time, but they will be prioritized in the next phase. For instance, if someone is 40% below the minimum, then the goal this year will be to move them as close to the minimum as possible, given the overall budget available. 

As part of the implementation process, managers/Deans/supervisors in collaboration with HR will consider the appropriateness of positioning new hires within the salary ranges based on experience, skills, and abilities. Additionally, reviews of existing employees will continue, so that they remain a priority in the future, as we work to align appropriately with the salary table based on their experience.

The Compensation Study reviewed the market competitiveness of salaries at Jax State, and the structure created is based on market competitiveness, so that we have more competitive salaries when recruiting faculty, staff, and administrators. Base adjustments based on performance or merit were not part of the study.

Faculty who were notified in March of their promotion amount for their new rank will continue to receive that amount. This group includes those who also achieved the rank of Distinguished Instructor and Distinguished Professor. The increase went into effect September 1, 2024, and will be realized on the October 1 paycheck. This approach has been the practice for the past several years. In previous years, promotion increases were realized on the November 1 paycheck.

As part of the compensation study, faculty who were promoted were reviewed at their new rank. For example, if a faculty member were promoted to professor rank this fall, then the faculty member was compared to the ranges for a professor for their specific discipline.

The following example may help illustrate the process:

Peter is a faculty member who was promoted to professor, effective this fall, with his pay change occurring on his October 1 check. His new rank resulted in a base pay change to $70,000. During the compensation study, Peter was reviewed at his new rank and pay. If Peter is found to be at the minimum salary range for a professor in his discipline, Peter will receive a 2% increase on the $70,000 base salary.

If Peter is found to be below the minimum with the minimum being $75,000 for his rank and discipline, then every effort will be made to move Peter to the minimum, given the overall budget. In other words, he will receive more than the COLA, even though he may not reach the minimum in this first phase of adjustments.

No. The structure is based on 9-month base salary for faculty. Department Head and other supplement recommendations were received and will be addressed in a future phase of the study.

There were conversations with division managers during the ENGAGEMENT phase. Additionally, discussions are being planned with the newly formed Staff Council similar to conversations with the Faculty Salary Committee.

If an employee’s existing salary is below the minimum of the new pay grade, efforts will begin to move the salary to the minimum.

The study will analyze JSU’s current compensation levels relative to the market, but no staffing or organizational structure decisions will be made as a result of this study. It is possible that some titles may change and be consolidated to reflect market practices and accurate job levels and job descriptions, but these activities will not result in adding or eliminating any jobs.

Administrators will receive either a base salary adjustment or COLA. Higher paid administrators were less of a priority during this phase in terms of base salary adjustments.

Effective January 1, 2025, the new minimum salary for which an employee can be designated as exempt from overtime requirements will be $1,128 per week or $58,656 per year. The new federal ruling raises the salary threshold required to qualify for exemption from overtime to $58,656 per year (up from $43,888 per year). This means that staff members below the $58,656 salary threshold will be considered bi-weekly employees who are eligible for overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 per work week, effective January 1, 2025.

Jax State is already proactively looking at salaries and specific job codes. While some adjustments may occur, they will be based on many factors so employees should not automatically expect a salary increase due to the federal legislation.

The Clarity Consulting Group. was created like many successful ventures: a few people realized that the information and experiences they had accumulated were valuable, and they knew that sharing their knowledge would be a true service to their communities. Every Clarity consultant has at least 10 years of higher education administration, government, or corporate leadership experience.

Conversations/meetings will continue with the Faculty Salary Committee as well as the Staff Council. Priorities for the next phase will be discussed and identified collaboratively. New priorities will not override or replace the continued priority of ensuring faculty and staff who do not reach the minimum salary for their position this year are addressed again next year.