2004
NC State Faculty Salary Equity Study
(based
on Fall 2003 Salaries)
University Planning and Analysis
Overview
In 2001, NC State allocated more than $700,000 in salaries and benefits
to remedy salary inequities reported in the "North Carolina State
University Report on the University-Wide Salary Equity Study," an
analysis based on fall 2000 salaries conducted by Haignere, Inc. This
year's study, conducted by University Planning and Analysis based on fall
2003 salaries, indicates that, for tenure-track faculty, the disparity
between female and white male salaries has been reduced on average by
about two thirds to -$297. The disparity between minority male and white
male salaries has been reduced by more than half to -$1,276.
Because there is still a disparity, more remains to be done to improve salary equity for female and minority male faculty. It is important to note that this study reflects the circumstances of the faculty population as a whole, and individual salaries should be evaluated for remedy based on the merits of each situation.
Methodology
The 2004 NC State Faculty Salary Equity Study replicated portions of Haignere,
Inc.'s study. An executive summary of that report is posted on the Office
of Equal Opportunity's website at http://www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/epa_resources/sal_eqty_execsum.html.
Both studies employed a regression methodology similar to previous faculty salary equity studies at NC State. A regression equation is used to predict what the salaries for females and minority males would be if their career attributes (such as rank, degree, and previous experience) were rewarded in the same way as those of white males. Meritorious performance is not a factor in this analysis.
The difference between the predicted salary and a person's actual salary is called the salary residual. The average residual for a gender/race group measures the difference between the actual salaries of those in the group and the statistical estimate of what they would have been paid if they had been white males. A negative residual indicates that, on average, the actual salaries of faculty members in the group (e.g., minority males) are lower than the salaries of white males. A positive residual means that, on average, the actual salaries of those in the group are higher than those of white males.
The regression model employed the following variables.
· Race/gender - white male, female, minority male
· Highest earned degree - PhD, First Professional, Master's,
below Master's
· Tenure status - tenured, on track, non-tenure track
· Administrative title - if one exists
· Rank - professor, associate professor, assistant professor,
instructor, lecturer
· Rank modifier - visiting, adjunct (only for analysis presented
in Table 2)
· Previous experience
· Years at NCSU before current rank
· Years at current rank
The study population included all full-time faculty in academic departments who are permanent, temporary, or on leave with pay as of September 30, 2003. Administrators (e.g., department heads and deans) whose primary responsibility is not instruction are excluded as are faculty outside of the ten colleges (e.g., extension faculty). In some cases, certain administrators were included because the unique nature of their responsibilities more closely resembled those of faculty than administrators (e.g., Coordinators in Physical Education and CHASS; Program Directors in Textiles, Management, and Design; Directors in Veterinary Medicine, Education, Natural Resources, CHASS, Design, Engineering, and CALS.)
Limitations of
this Study
Several factors may confound this analysis. The faculty populations in
fall 2000 and fall 2003 are different, because some faculty left the study
population, others entered it, some were promoted, and a few changed colleges
or changed reported ethnic status or gender. In addition, it is not possible
to separate increases made for equity concerns from those salary increases
made for other reasons (e.g., counter offers, promotions in rank). Finally,
this study does not address issues of salary adequacy or market-appropriate
salaries; whether faculty groups are over- or underpaid relative to their
colleagues at other institutions was not considered in this analysis.
Results
for Tenure-Track Faculty Members
The first regression analysis included only faculty who are tenured
or on the tenure track whose title does not include a rank modifier, such
as Visiting, Clinical, Research, or Distinguished/Titled. This analysis
corresponds to the data presented in Figure 19 in the University Report
prepared by Haignere, Inc., which was used as the basis for the 2001 remedy.
The residual for females has improved from -$1167 in 2000 to -$297 in 2003, which suggests that the salary disparity between females and white males has decreased by about two thirds.
A similar pattern is observed for minority males whose residuals improved from -$2,424.00 in 2000 to -$1276 in 2003. Although minority males are still, on average, paid less than if they were white males of equivalent status, the gap has decreased by about one half.
Results for All
Faculty Including Non-Tenure Track and Adjunct Faculty
A second analysis probed the salary equity of non-tenure track faculty,
including those with rank modifiers (such as Visiting) indicating adjunct
instructional duties. It was not possible to conduct a regression analysis
exclusively on this vital population due to wide variations among colleges
in the numbers of faculty in this group. However, inferences can be drawn
about salary equity within this vital group by comparing the residuals
from the tenure track-only population to those of the entire faculty.
Differences can be attributed to the addition of non-tenure track faculty
into the regression model.
Females in this expanded, 2003 population have an average residual of -$296, which is very close to the average of the tenure track-only faculty (-$297). This suggests that there is very little difference in the disparity between non-tenure track females compared to their white male counterparts, since adding the non-tenure track faculty to the analysis had a minimal impact on the average residual.
The residual for minority males in the combined tenure track and non-tenure track group is less negative (- $495) than the residual for tenure track only minority males (-$1276). This suggests that non-tenure track minority males experience less salary inequity than the tenure track minority males.
Tenure track or non-tenure track status does not appear to account for an important portion of the overall variance in salaries. However, it is important to note that the inclusion of non-tenure track faculty in the analysis population resulted in an increase of 124 female faculty and only 15 minority male faculty. This fact should be considered when drawing conclusions about the salary equity of minority males and their white counterparts.
The
Cost of Additional Remedy
The results presented in this study suggest that the University's
investment in 2001 of $600,000 (salaries) plus more than $100,000 (benefits)
made a notable improvement in salary equity for females and minority males
relative to their white male colleagues. To address the remaining inequity
among tenure-track faculty (i.e., bring the residuals up to zero), the
University would need to invest about $270,000 in salaries, plus benefits.
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