Faculty Pay Equity Proposal by the Faculty Senate - approved 11/21/2025

Faculty Equity
Arkansas State University

approved on 11/21/2025

1. Purpose:

a. Arkansas State University recognizes that a commitment in maintaining competitive, equitable salaries is key in recruiting and retaining faculty at an R2 research institution.

b. Arkansas State University further recognizes that the faculty equity review process needs to be automatic, and the burden of an equity review process should not rest on the individual faculty member.

2. Definitions:

a. Faculty Salary Equity – Faculty within a given rank, with a similar time-in-rank, similar credentials, similar productivity over time, and qualifications, should be paid similarly and according to factors relevant to their academic position.

i. Inequities between, and productivity of, similarly ranked tenure and non-tenure track faculty should be considered when determining if an inequity exists. Care should be taken to minimize both salary compression (new faculty making significantly more than current experienced faculty—should be remedied by raising salary of the experienced faculty) and minimize any bias (explicit or implicit).

b. Equity Review – Automatic, systematic, statistical, and annual process of reviewing salaries and identifying salary inequities/pay gaps.

c. Faculty Equity Review Committee – Tenured faculty appointed by the dean with equal representation from each of the academic units subject to annual review.

d. Committee Structure

i. Three-year, staggered appointments.
ii. Equal time off the committee for prior members before reappointment.
iii. One tenured member appointed from each of the college/academic units represented. A representative may be non-tenured if an academic unit subject to review does not have tenured faculty.

3. Process:

a. Faculty at Arkansas State University shall have their salaries automatically reviewed annually.

i. The Provost and EVCAA will make a good faith effort to annually increase the availability of funds to address faculty salary inequities.
ii. HR will provide faculty under review with salary, most current CUPA Data, which grouping of CUPA data is utilized for review, etc. to each faculty member under review. HR will also find a secure location within the A-State website wherein faculty can check their equity status.
iii. If inequities are found, the faculty will be listed according to size of inequity and made equitable according to available funds. In the case of a tie in the amount needed to become equitable, the faculty with the lower base salary will be placed higher on the list.

b. The increases applied for equity shall not impact the faculty members ability to receive merit pool funds or COLA, if available, in the same fiscal/academic year.

c. If a faculty member believes they have a salary inequity outside of the review process, they may submit for and independent review by the DPRTC and Faculty Equity Review Committee by providing appropriate documentation that an inequity exists in their situation. If the committee chooses to review the decision, they will ask for the same information used by the Provost to make their decision. Upon review, if the committee disagrees with the decision, the committee will generate a letter as to why the committee disagrees.

d. Faculty receiving tenure or promotion, along with a raise for the promotion, are not eligible for an automatic review in the year of tenure or promotion.

4. Methodology for Equity Review:

a. Faculty under review or upon request for review, shall have their salaries compared internally to the current CUPA Data available to Arkansas State University, and to peer and aspirant institutions.

i. Arkansas State University realizes its faculty are outstanding and thus the institution will strive for as close to full CUPA equity as possible given resource constraints.
ii. Review of faculty will occur in the fall semester by December 15 of a given fiscal year; results provided in the spring semester by April 15 of a given fiscal year; salary adjustment will be applied during the next fiscal year.