- The AAUP noted in the Rider News that Moody’s indicated Rider’s recent faculty raises lagged inflation. Unlike many colleges and universities across the country, Rider has not had a wage freeze, and Rider faculty pay has been and remains highly competitive.
- The most recent AAUP national salary survey shows all faculty ranks at Rider in the top 10% of pay among more than 400 master’s level colleges and universities. The University reviews this data because it is the AAUP’s and widely publicized. Our primary comparison for all employees including faculty is to a more similar peer group, as discussed below.
- Faculty pay is at the top end for similar universities as well. Rider’s primary source to benchmarks faculty and administrative pay is 34 private colleges with similar enrollment and financial resources, adjusted to reflect Rider’s high cost location. This 2013 benchmarking also shows that collectively, faculty pay is well above the middle of the comparison group, at 116% of the peer median. This survey shows 63% of faculty paid in the top 10% versus peers of the same rank and discipline. 89% of Rider faculty are paid in the top 20% versus the 34 peers.
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- Vice President Karns compares Rider to either private or public Universities, depending on which better suits her purpose. Universities that have had wage freezes during recent years have been, for the most part, in the public, not the private sector.
Recent Rider faculty wage increases have lagged behind both inflation and the average national wage increases in private universities. If in fact the University faces a worsening financial situation, it is not due to increases in faculty compensation.
We believe using the statement "well above the middle of the comparison group" is inaccurate and misleading. The 34 colleges used in this peer comparison are not identified, and 116% of the peer median means 16% above the median (at the median would be 100%). A more accurate way of stating this would be 16% of the median or in the 58th percentile.
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