Stephen F. Austin State University

Dear SFA Faculty and Staff:

I want you to be aware of three important steps we are taking to address the SFA Envisioned goal of Attracting and Supporting High Quality Faculty and Staff. Even with the global pandemic and budget reductions, it is important that we invest in our most vital resource, people. To this end, I wanted to update you on three important initiatives for furthering our goal to attract and support high quality employees.

1. With Board of Regents approval in April 2020, the university created and implemented the Lumberjack Education Assistance Program (LEAP). Many SFA employees and family members are currently accessing this program to further their educational goals. (http://www.sfasu.edu/hr/351.asp)
2. In recent months, SFA partnered with Hanover Research to conduct a Faculty Salary Analysis. The purpose of the Hanover study was to compare the average faculty salaries at SFA to those of peer institutions, and to understand the factors influencing faculty salaries by academic rank and discipline. We will use the results of the Hanover analysis to develop a plan that will allow us to close potential gaps between the average salaries of our faculty and those at peer institutions. The plan to address faculty salary issues will be developed with input from the Attracting and Supporting High Quality Faculty and Staff Committee, the Faculty Senate, and other important groups, with the goal of having a plan before the FY22 budget is developed in the spring of 2021. It is clear that we have work to do to address the salary gaps. While I know there are many uncertainties about the FY21 budget and the next biennial budget, we must have a plan in place so we can begin addressing faculty salaries, in a meaningful way, when budgets improve.

The Faculty Salary Analysis results are available to faculty and academic leadership:

1. Login to MySFA
2. Click on the “Research” tab
3. Scroll to the “Faculty Salary Study” section
4. Click on the summary link (PDF) and/or explore interactively with the multipage dashboard and filters.

Please contact Karyn Hall (khall@sfasu.edu) or Judi Kruwell (kruwelljf@sfasu.edu) with questions regarding the study.

3. Later in fall 2020, SFA will be working with Hanover Research to conduct a Staff Salary Analysis. The purpose of the study will be to compare the average staff salaries, by position type, to those of peer institutions, and to understand the factors influencing those salaries. Like with the Faculty Salary Analysis, we will use the results to develop a plan that will allow us to close potential gaps. Data will be gathered and analyzed later in fall 2020.

I look forward to making continued progress towards the SFA Envisioned goal of Attracting and Supporting High Quality Faculty and Staff.

Sincerely,

Scott Gordon
President