The Budget Office this week released details of the pay raise that Metropolitan State University of Denver employees will receive starting in October, thanks to their collective efforts to boost fall enrollment.
All benefits-eligible staff and faculty members will see a flat dollar increase of $820 annually added to their base salaries, marking a permanent adjustment rather than a one-time bonus.
The MSU Denver Board of Trustees approved the Fiscal 2025 budget based on a projection that enrollment would decline by 1%, resulting in a drop in revenue. However, enrollment for the fall semester was up nearly 2% while undergraduate retention also improved.
In the event that enrollment numbers rebounded, the board and MSU Denver senior leaders committed to using revenue from better-than-expected enrollment to provide a permanent, flat dollar pay increase (as opposed to a percentage raise) to MSU Denver employees.
|
“Thanks to the hard work of faculty and staff across the University, that turned out to be the case,” said Chief Financial Officer Jim Carpenter. “MSU Denver employees have gone above and beyond to support our students, and this pay increase is one way we can recognize their contributions.” |
The flat raise applies to all full-time and part-time benefits-eligible employees.
Full-time employees will see the full $820 added to their base pay, while part-time employees will receive a prorated amount, based on the number of hours they work. The increase is in addition to a 2% across-the-board pay raise that all faculty and nonclassified staff members received in July.
How will the $820 be paid to employees?
Professional staff members:
Starting in October, professional staff members will see an amount equal to one-twelfth of the $820 ($68.33) added to their monthly checks. To ensure that each professional staff member receives the entire $820 increase for this fiscal year, $205 — representing the $68.33-per-month increase for July, August and September — will be added to the October paycheck. Starting in November, employees will see a $68.33 increase each month.
Full-time faculty members:
For full-time faculty members, $820 will be added to base pay. A majority of full-time faculty members are on 9-month contracts, from Aug.15 to May 15, paid across 12 months from Aug. 1 through July 31. To ensure that each full-time faculty member receives the entire $820 increase for this fiscal year, about $136 representing August and September, will be added to their October paychecks. Full-time faculty members will see a $91 increase each month after that through the contract period.
Affiliate faculty members:
Affiliate faculty members, who are not benefits-eligible but have historically received pay adjustments alongside other faculty members, will also benefit from the increase. This fall, they will receive a prorated amount of $410 in their December paychecks, based on the number of courses taught. In spring, affiliate-faculty pay rates will see an increase, again prorated by course load.
Other employee classes:
Not all employees will see this increase. Classified staff is excluded, having already received a state-mandated 3% raise this year, as are student employees and those not eligible for University benefits.
More information:
For more information on the flat dollar pay increase, the Budget Office has compiled a list of frequently asked questions, available on the Human Resources SharePoint site.
