News > February 21, 2008

By Molly Nevola | Staff writer

The proposed budget for the 2008-2009 school year, which will be examined by the Board of Trustees this April, assumes an 80-student increase in the incoming class size and a desire to bring faculty salaries to a competitive level — an issue that remains elusive to many members of the faculty.

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According to Provost Jill Tiefenthaler, the university is awaiting the consideration of the budget by the Board of Trustees in April before solidifying plans to increase the class size by 80 students.

According to Student Trustee Carolyn Harbaugh, the enrollment growth for the fall class was based upon the number of students that the university is able to accommodate without straining facilities or “sacrificing the Wake Forest experience.”

The budget has been prepared by the Trustees with the assumption of these additional students. “There have been a number of rumors regarding a massive expansion of the student body,” Harbaugh said.

“However, such a growth is certainly not on the horizon for the near future and, in my opinion, is unlikely ever to occur.”

Harbaugh noted that the Board is dedicated to preserving the intimate learning environment for each student.

He also said that he doesn’t think the university will ever grow to a point where this would be in jeopardy.

Yet, the 80-student increase will definitely have a large impact on campus life.

Even the small increase in class size will require more campus housing, according to Vice President of Student Life Kenneth Zick.

Tiefenthaler said that any enrollment growth that may be approved will be carefully managed.

“We are mindful of all that must be considered when enrollment growth is discussed,” she said. The administration recognizes that campus housing is at capacity and will be renovating its residence halls, particularly converting Faculty Apartments into residences for students to accommodate these changes. As for faculty salaries, Tiefenthaler merely emphasized some of the same points she made in a recent letter to the faculty: that the trustees remain strong in their commitment to the university faculty.

“The trustees are sincere in their desire to bring our faculty salaries to a competitive level,” she said.

Tiefenthaler expressed appreciation for the quality of teaching and scholarship at the university and an understanding of the importance of offering appropriate compensation to teacher-scholars.

Tiefenthaler said that faculty compensation, along with staff compensation, will be considered by the trustees in April, when they review several facets of the university’s budget.

But an uncertainty regarding faculty salary changes exists amongst both faculty and students alike.

Professor of Classical Studies Robert Ulery, who will assume the role of department chair next year, said that the faculty salary changes seem to involve less of a pool for the department chair to influence the salary and more of what the provost, deans and administration decide to allot to faculty increases.

“It’s really very vague to me,” Ulery said.

Additionally, a staff member who asked to remain anonymous described the response to the news of a possible faculty salary increase as dismal.

Currently, students are just as far in the dark as faculty members in regard to expenditures by the university.

“It sends a concerning message to students and staff alike to trumpet large social expenditures without also addressing publicly the source of such funds and what is being done to deal with more existential concerns such as raising funds for faculty salaries,” senior Bryan Keith said.

As student trustee, Carolyn Harbaugh has observed trustee meetings for the duration of the school year.

She said that one of the major goals of the Board of Trustees is to provide faculty with better compensation.

Harbaugh admitted to feeling hesitant at first about some of the changes that would potentially take place but felt more confident as the semester progressed.

“I can honestly say that when decisions are reached by this Board of Trustees, they are always made with the university’s best interest at heart,” Harbaugh said.

Last March, the Board of Trustees approved a $289 million budget for the 2007-2008 school year, 8.3 percent above the previous year’s budget.

The budget supported a salary increase for faculty and staff, causing the new funds available for faculty salaries to rise by 10 percent.

After this budget increase, President Nathan O. Hatch said that due to a renewed emphasis on merit salary awards, not every faculty member would receive a certain percent raise.

Staff salaries increased as well.

Those working at the minimum rate of $8.50 an hour received a 13 percent increase to $9.62.

As the current issues become more public, and once the trustees have acted later in the spring, Tiefenthaler said that she will continue to address them.