04.01.50 Merit Increase

The purpose of this document is to explain the policy and procedures used within the CLAS department to award merit pay raises.

01. POLICY

01.01.   Unless otherwise mandated by the Texas Legislature or the Texas State Board of Regents, the primary way to award permanent faculty salary raises at Texas State University is the Academic Affairs merit policy 04.01.50, supplemented by department performance evaluation policies as outlined in this CLAS PPS and in the department’s policy and procedure statements for the annual review of faculty.    

01.02.   All merit raises from funds allocated to CLAS will be recommended by the department chair in accord with this department PPS and AA/PPS 04.01.50. These recommendations will be based on the annual review of faculty as conducted in accord with the approved policies.  

01.03.   Merit awards should be based on meritorious performance for the identified evaluation period, normally three years. Merit increases should be based on the faculty member’s assigned duties, past performance, and career path (i.e. tenure track, clinical, practice, lecturer). The merit process is not the appropriate vehicle to redress perceived salary inequities prior to the current merit cycle (University PPS 04.01.50).

02. PROCEDURES

02.01.   An annual performance evaluation will be conducted for all merit-eligible faculty regardless of whether funds are available for merit raises. Any faculty member whose performance fails to meet departmental expectations will be subject to actions prescribed for continuing and non-continuing faculty in AA/PPS No. 04.02.10, Performance Evaluation of Continuing Faculty and Post-Tenure Review and AA/PPS No. 04.02.11, Performance Evaluation of Non-Continuing Non-tenure Line Faculty.

02.02.   Faculty members are asked to submit their annual activity reports and their  student evaluations for the previous academic year by the assigned date in January.   

02.03.   The Personnel Committee evaluates all merit-eligible faculty based on the criteria and process outlined in the CLAS policy and procedure statements regarding annual evaluation of faculty.

02.04.   The department chair will evaluate the materials submitted by each merit-eligible faculty member independently of the Personnel Committee ratings and in accord with the CLAS policy and procedure statements regarding annual evaluation of faculty.

02.05.   The department chair will make recommendations for merit raises to the dean, based in large part on Personnel Committee and chair ratings over the most recent three years.

02.06.   The department chair will communicate to each faculty member the approximate recommended salary increase, though raises are not final until the final decisions by the dean and provost.

02.07.   After receiving the chair’s preliminary recommendations, faculty who believe their accomplishments have been overlooked or undervalued may, within five working days, request a meeting with the chair. At this meeting, the chair shall explain the reasons for the level of merit or for denying merit, and the faculty member may ask the chair to reconsider the preliminary decision on the basis of accomplishments or achievements. After reconsidering the accomplishments of all faculty who requested a review of their activities, the chair/director will proceed to make final merit recommendations to the dean.

02.08.   Once merit raises are approved at the College and University levels, the chair will confirm, in writing, the amount of the salary increase to the faculty member. 

02.09.   Individual appeals of the chair’s final merit recommendation may be made to the college dean. If the dean upholds the chair’s recommendation, he or she shall be required to explain why to the appealing faculty member. The college dean’s decision is final.

02.10. Merit increases are subject to the availability of funds for such raises, as determined by the president. 

02. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

03.01. This policy was approved by vote of the faculty on April 25, 2018.