Dear Colleagues,

As I travel the state and interact with various constituents and policymakers, I find many occasions to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of NIU faculty and staff. Each and every one of you live out a commitment to our students and our region on a daily basis. I have made it my top priority to recognize that commitment by doing my best to improve salaries.

Today I want to formally confirm our plan to award additional 1% increments in January 2006. While dollars cannot reflect the full measure of your contributions, please know that salary enhancements remain at the top of my agenda and that of our governing board.

You may recall that uncertainties about state support resulted in a two-step salary hike plan for FY06. The first phase was implemented this past summer in the form of a 3% general increment. The second phase proposed an additional 1% salary increment, contingent on budget stability. By implementing this second step, NIU salary hikes will average 4% in FY06 - a figure that remains very competitive among Illinois public universities.

I also want to take this opportunity to tell you about two other recent developments related to employee compensation:

First, we continue to look for every possible opportunity to improve the competitiveness of salaries for our civil service employees. To that end, I want to announce a supplemental increase (beyond the previously-mentioned 1%) for employees in a wide range of civil service classifications. We’ve been working together since FY99 to accelerate the salary “catch-up” process for operating staff. This year’s additional increment for civil service employees came out of collaborative efforts that involved the Operating Staff Council and various divisions and colleges of the university.

Second, NIU is updating pay rates for faculty who are promoted from associate to full professor. Four straight years of budgetary instability have greatly affected our ability to offer strong financial incentives for some of NIU’s most promising teachers and researchers. By enhancing the salaries of promoted faculty, NIU is investing in a future that depends on the best minds we can produce.

Shortly after we all return from holiday break, our elected officials will return to Springfield to continue negotiations on a very limited state budget. Like so many states around the country, Illinois’ financial picture remains uncertain. I recently presented a budget proposal for FY07 to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. That plan attempts to repair some of the damage done by recent budget cuts, with an emphasis on accessibility and responsiveness to regional needs. We are and wish to remain the kind of university our region wants and needs. To that end, we are asking for more money to fund new faculty positions and academic programs. As always, you have my word that our pursuit of top NIU goals and objectives - including salary enhancement - will be aggressive. Beyond that, we will continue to educate policymakers about the full range of NIU contributions to quality of life in the northern Illinois region.

Thank you again for all you do, and for your continuing support for Northern Illinois University. Best wishes to all of you for a happy and healthy holiday season.

John G. Peters
President
Northern Illinois University