Salary Procedures and Payment Schedule
At Berea, salary levels of full-time faculty are the result of careful consideration of each person. That consideration takes into account rank, years of professional service, national patterns within the various disciplines, professional accomplishment, and above all, assessment of individual performance and general contribution to the College. The criteria for evaluating performance are the same as those used in promotion and tenure questions. Each year salaries within each rank are analyzed and compared, in an effort to identify any inequities that may have developed over time, and to guard against salary discrimination based on gender, race, or other irrelevant factors.
Procedures for determining salary increments for the following year begin in November when the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty meets with each Division Chair. In that session the Division Chair routinely reports on the work of each division member, commenting on notable developments and calling attention to any situation that may justify special salary consideration. By January the early deliberations of the Budget Committee have established the amount of funds available for salary distribution for the coming year. Within those limits, and taking into account information and suggestions from Division Chairs, the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty develops recommendations for individual salary increments. Those recommendations are forwarded to the President who, after reviewing them, discusses them with the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty. During those discussions, usually held in late February or early March, the President decides on an appropriate increment for each person. The total budget for faculty salaries, along with salary and wage totals for other divisions of the College, is then factored into the institutional budget developed by the Budget Committee and submitted to the Board of Trustees. The Board considers and acts on that budget at its meeting in late May. Faculty members are advised, usually early in June, of their salaries for the coming year pending budget approval by the Board. Following receipt of this information any faculty member with questions regarding his or her salary is invited to confer with the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty.
For all faculty, except some with regular summer responsibilities, the new salary goes into effect on September 1 and is first reflected in the paycheck received at the end of that month. The base salary is paid in twelve equal monthly installments, with payment made on the last working day each month.