Last year brought major changes to the higher education landscape. Turnover reached a peak, prompting more attention than ever to retention and recruitment, while looming policy changes in overtime pay and Title IX regulations further complicated long-term planning. And, though it may feel like unprecedented change is the new normal, timeless HR topics like onboarding... View Article
On December 15, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)’s Region 31 announced it will pursue a complaint against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Pac-12 Conference and the University of Southern California (USC) for violating the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by misclassifying student-athletes as non-employees, unless the matter is settled. On February 8,... View Article
Editor’s note: This blog post, originally published in April 2019, has been updated with additional resources and related content. Salary benchmarking is not one-size-fits-all — especially when you’re looking at groups as varied as administrators, professionals, staff and faculty on a college or university campus that is unique in its combination of Carnegie class, affiliation,... View Article
CUPA-HR has released its data on overall higher ed pay increases, as well as changes in workforce size for 2021-22. Higher Ed Pay Increases Have Not Kept Pace With Inflation The soaring inflation rate has far outpaced pay increases for the higher education workforce. According to findings from CUPA-HR’s annual workforce surveys for 2021-22, overall... View Article
In a recent members-only article from the winter issue of Higher Ed HR Magazine, Britni Elder, associate vice president for human resources and risk management at the University of Central Arkansas, shared tips and resources higher ed HR practitioners can tap into to get ahead of the resignation curve and not only hold onto employees,... View Article
Throughout 2021, HR practitioners have proven their resilience time and again by positively impacting higher education not only in response to the ever-evolving pandemic, but also in building more flexible, diverse and inclusive workplaces. CUPA-HR captured many of these higher ed success stories, as well as leadership advice, helpful resources and workforce data trends in... View Article
Today, March 24, is Equal Pay Day. Originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity, Equal Pay Day is meant to bring awareness to how far into the year women working full-time must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. One way CUPA-HR strives to build awareness around pay equity is by... View Article
Between pivoting with the COVID-19 pandemic, confronting racial issues, making strides toward more equitable workplaces, and managing already hectic workloads, higher ed HR has had its hands full this year. Yet in the middle of it all, resilient HR pros continue to find ways to positively impact the higher education landscape. As 2020 comes to... View Article
On November 9, CUPA-HR and 18 other associations submitted comments regarding the Department of Labor (DOL)’s Interim Final Rule (IFR) entitled “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States.” DOL’s IFR was unveiled on October 8 and went into effect immediately — preventing the regulated community, including... View Article
On October 8, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued an interim final rule effective immediately, which raises the DOL prevailing wage levels under the four-tiered wage structure. The ruling will increase the DOL prevailing wage as follows: Level I from the 17th percentile to the 45th percentile Level II from the 34th percentile to the... View Article
On September 15, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing titled, “Compensating College Athletes: Examining the Potential Impact on Athletes and Institutions.” The hearing was part of ongoing Senate discussions on potential federal legislation to permit student-athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness (NIL) while participating in National... View Article
Today, August 26, is the 100th anniversary of Women’s Equality Day. On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted, giving American women the right to vote (although not all women were free to exercise that right). While the adoption of the amendment was a paramount victory for women in... View Article
Which of the following statements are true for higher education? Black employees are underrepresented in administrative and faculty positions, the positions with the highest pay. Most Black higher education employees are in staff positions, the positions with the lowest pay and lowest pay equity. When Black employees hold administrative positions, they are paid less relative... View Article
According to findings from CUPA-HR’s Benefits in Higher Education Report — Paid Time Off, Tuition Reimbursement, and Retirement, associate’s institutions have some of the most generous retirement benefits in comparison to doctoral, masters or baccalaureate institutions. The 403(b) plan is the most popular retirement plan for both private institutions (where 92 percent offer it) and... View Article
As higher education leaders plan for possible delays in campus openings, the staff who service the infrastructure of the campus and maintain its upkeep may be most at risk of being furloughed or losing their jobs. According to the recently released CUPA-HR 2020 Staff in Higher Education Annual Report, it is critical to consider expected... View Article
Professional leadership positions in higher education often serve as the pipeline to higher-level administrative positions. For this reason, it is crucial to examine representation among these positions. CUPA-HR’s recently released 2020 Professionals in Higher Education Annual Report surveyed 396 professional positions. Of those positions, 38 percent are leadership positions that require supervising others or directing... View Article
As colleges and universities strive to create a more equitable and representative workforce, there has been increased emphasis on recognizing and exploring the pipeline that leads to leadership positions. The 2020 CUPA-HR Administrators in Higher Education Annual Report, released today, highlights data collected on the pipeline for three key positions: institution president/CEO, provost/chief academic officer... View Article
As the COVID-19 public health emergency continues, policymakers are providing new financial assistance to workers impacted by the outbreak. One form of assistance is additional unemployment compensation for both previously eligible individuals and new classes of workers. Questions remain, however, about which workers qualify to receive such benefits, including whether students who perform work for... View Article
Even as HR leaders across the country are helping their institutions navigate telework arrangements, paid leave and other COVID-19 challenges, they are looking ahead to what’s next. How will enrollment numbers and institutional budget be affected in the coming months, and what will the impact of those changes be on workforce planning? Never has data... View Article
This year, March 31 has been designated by the National Committee on Pay Equity as Equal Pay Day. The date illustrates the gap between salaries for men and women in the U.S. by showing how many days past year-end women who work full-time must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. CUPA-HR... View Article
According to data from this year’s Faculty in Higher Education Annual Report, representation of both women and minorities decreases with progression in rank. The decrease is not limited to faculty who were promoted long ago but is seen even in faculty promoted within the past year. Pay Equity Lessens as Rank Progresses While the data... View Article
Higher ed faculty require years of education but often work beyond typical retirement ages; jobs are stable, and turnover is very low; the pipeline for new hires is fundamentally limited; and competition for positions occurs nationally. As the workforce ages, this may create unique challenges for the management of a faculty workforce. To help higher... View Article
As the year quickly winds down, we hope you’ll take some time to read about some of the great work your HR colleagues are doing at colleges and universities around the country. CUPA-HR’s Higher Ed HR Magazine and Higher Ed Workplace blog highlight new and innovative ways to do HR (from institutions and organizations who have been there,... View Article
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation raising the minimum wage to a specific amount over the next several years, and many workers at the staff level in higher education institutions in those states will be impacted. According to just-released findings from CUPA-HR’s Staff in Higher Education Survey, around one in four... View Article
On May 21, CUPA-HR, joined by 18 other higher education associations, filed substantive comments in response to the Department of Labor (DOL)’s proposed update to the salary threshold for the “white collar” exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)’s overtime pay requirements. DOL’s update formally rescinds the 2016 rule, proposes increasing the current level... View Article
The Department of Labor (DOL) in March released details of its proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)’s overtime pay requirements governing exemptions for executive, administrative and professional (or “white-collar”) employees. Findings from CUPA-HR’s 2019 Professionals in Higher Education Survey shed some light on which higher ed-specific professional-level positions are most likely to... View Article
Only 5 percent of deans of medicine in the nation’s colleges and universities are minorities. Women make up only a quarter of pharmacy deans, and only three in 10 law school deans are women. Among engineering deans, only about 20 percent are women or minorities. Just-released findings from this year’s Administrators in Higher Education Survey... View Article
Market-based pay is a staple of the corporate world to attract and retain the best and brightest talent, and many higher ed institutions are moving in this direction as well. It’s especially valuable when you’re hiring locally or regionally. If you’re wondering how to get started with a market-based compensation strategy, here are a few... View Article
Another year down, and a new one underway! As you jump back into your work in this new year, we hope you’ll take some time to read about some of the great work your HR colleagues are doing at colleges and universities around the country. CUPA-HR’s The Higher Education Workplace magazine and Higher Ed Workplace blog highlight new and innovative... View Article
How competitive are your institution’s salaries? How equitable is pay among your workforce? One quick way to identify potential trouble spots is with comparison ratios, or compa-ratios for short. A compa-ratio is one of the most common metrics for pay. Simply stated, a compa-ratio compares an individual employee’s salary to the midpoint of a given... View Article
One CUPA-HR member institution was recently the subject of a Department of Labor wage and hour investigation. While the university wishes to remain anonymous, its experience can serve as a learning opportunity for other institutions. “It seemed to come out of nowhere,” according to a member of the university’s HR department. “And the investigation got... View Article
Presidents and provosts in U.S. colleges and universities tend to change jobs frequently; in fact, administrators in higher education overall tend to have fairly short tenures, with a median of five years in their position. Data from CUPA-HR’s 2017-18 Administrators in Higher Education Survey show that presidents have been in their current position for a... View Article
While tenure-track faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities enjoy slightly higher salaries at most ranks than do non-tenure-track faculty, those working off the tenure track are seeing bigger increases year over year than their tenure-track counterparts, according to findings from CUPA-HR’s 2017-18 Faculty in Higher Education Survey. Among this year’s findings: During the last... View Article
We’ve been speaking with HR practitioners at colleges and universities around the country to find out how they’re using data and analytics to drive decision-making on campus. Here, Don Lerew, HRIS and payroll manager at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, tells us how he uses data to help develop compensation strategies and ensure pay equity and... View Article