Compensation and campus safety highlight Faculty Senate meeting

Discussion of the ongoing Compensation and Total Awards Study was among the highlights of the March 1, 2023, University of Louisville Faculty Senate meeting. Representatives of the study’s advisory committees and compensation committee provided the senate with an update on the project’s timeline and clarified what the study entails.

UofL is conducting the study in partnership with Segal, a human resources consulting firm with expertise in higher education, to provide fair and equitable faculty (nonclinical) and staff compensation programs as identified in the university’s 2019-22 strategic plan. The university will use the results of this study to:

• Provide opportunities for career development and advancement;
• Provide a comprehensive and competitive compensation and benefits package; and
• Follow “best practice” philosophy and align the university’s job and pay structure with the market.

According to Mary Elizabeth Miles, vice president for human resources, the two-year evaluation is on schedule to finish in July, at which time the committees will report findings to university vice presidents, deans and vice provosts for implementation strategies. Cherie Dawson-Edwards, vice provost for faculty affairs and an associate professor for the Department of Criminal Justice, added that the market assessment for the faculty portion of the study will finish in March and noted that the study only considers faculty base pay – not administrative supplements.

Learn more on the Compensation and Total Rewards Study webpage.

Col. Steven Green, director of public safety and chief of the University of Louisville Police Department (ULPD), provided an update on department initiatives. Green said that more RAVE alerts are being sent due to a recent decision to include incidences of crime on the outskirts of UofL’s campuses. While on-campus crime rates remain stable, ULPD felt it important that visitors to/from campuses be made aware of any safety concerns in the immediate areas.

Learn more about ULPD services on the department’s website.

In other action …

• The senate approved a measure to close the Master of Arts degree in teaching of art history due to lack of enrollment. There are no students currently enrolled in the program, so no teach-out plan is necessary.
• Senator Michael Cunningham introduced a matter to consider revision of Red Book rules that apply to how faculty are consulted in the selection of university senior administrators. The Red Book Committee will consider the matter.
• Senate President Eugene Mueller asked senators to send him their thoughts on how to address the emergence of artificial intelligence-generated programs, such as Chat GTP.

Committee reports and other information from the March 1, 2023, UofL Faculty Senate meeting are available on the senate’s webpage. The next meeting of the UofL Faculty Senate will take place Wednesday, April 5, at 3 p.m. in the Elaine Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library, Belknap Campus.