Professional unclassified staff members who have been employed at Nicholls for at least one year will receive a pay raise for the first time in two years that averages about 5 percent, an average increase of $2,508 annually, Associate Provost Larry Howell said. The cost of pay raises for the 133 eligible non-faculty and non-clerical staff members to the University’s budget is $391,159, including benefits.

Though the professional staff did not get a pay increase at the beginning of the semester like faculty and unclassified employees, the effective date of the raise is July 1, 2006. Professional staff will be compensated for July 1 through Nov. 3, and the pay due from that time will be included on paychecks Nov. 10.

The eligible staff members’ pay was increased 2 percent across the board, 2 percent was awarded on merit, which was determined by vice presidents and 1.21 percent was given for adjustments. The adjustments were made for equity and to help make the University more competitive.

Associate Provost Larry Howell said to be better able to compete with other universities, salaries for all eligible staff holding bachelor’s degrees were brought up to a minimum of $30,000, and salaries were increased to $32,000 for all eligible staff holding master’s degrees.

The money for these pay increases was budgeted for this year, but because of uncertainty regarding fall enrollment, the raises were delayed, Howell said.

“We were expecting enrollment to be down by 300-400 students, and it (the raises) would not have been possible,” he said.

Enrollment was only down by about 70 students, he said, so after assessing the situation, the University decided to implement the pay increases.

Tuition and fees from fall enrollment generated almost $400,000 more than the expected $7.65 million, which made the raise possible.

Howell said he thinks the University is as competitive in pay as it can be but is still understaffed.

“If pay were higher, we might be able to attract more employees, but with limited resources, we do what we can with the people we’ve got,” he said. “With the exception of last year, we have given pay increases every year for the past 6 years.”

However, he said some of those increases were very small.