Hinds full-time faculty to get 5 percent pay raises|[05/02/07]

Published 12:00 am Thursday, May 3, 2007

While full-time teachers at Hinds Community College will see pay raises of at least 5 percent, part-time professors will not, Hinds officials said Wednesday.

In a letter to the board of trustees, Hinds president Clyde Muse said that faculty members can expect an average pay increase of 6.8 percent, or about $3,000. The pay raise will take effect July 1.

In addition, administrative, non-teaching professionals will receive raises of at least $1,500 or 5 percent, said Hinds vice president for business services, Russell Shaw.

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The word from Hinds comes on the heels of an announcement by Wayne Stonecypher, head of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, that tuition at the state’s 15, two-year colleges will not increase, thanks to $39 million set aside by the Mississippi Legislature.

&#8220Both plans were aimed at the lower portion of our salary schedules,” said Shaw. &#8220Last year, the college gave a 5 percent increase in pay, which only gives a moderate increase for those employees located on the lower end of the scale,” he said. Before that, it had been several years since pay was increased, said Shaw.

&#8220This plan was crafted to offer a fair percentage to all and make the salaries at the bottom a little more competitive,” he said.

Classes at Hinds are $870 per semester for full-time students and $85 per semester hour for part-time students.

In Vicksburg, there are 36 adjunct faculty and 34 full-time instructors, said Hilton Dyar, head of the campus here.

About 700 college and 450 high school vocational students attend classes at the facility on Mississippi 27.

&#8220Unfortunately, there are no plans to increase adjunct pay at this time,” said Shaw.

&#8220I know there has been considerable talk about trying to raise” adjunct salaries, said Dyar. But, even with recent funding, he said, there just isn’t enough money to go around.

And, &#8220for many, money is not the primary concern,” he said.

Hinds adjunct math teacher John Harrison agrees.

&#8220I don’t think there’s any of us that I can think of that are doing it because they have to have a job or they have to have the money,” said Harrison, who has taught at Hinds since 2000. &#8220It’s something that I enjoy.”

Full-time instructors make between $30,000 and $57,000 annually, depending on their education and experience.

Adjunct teachers are paid $500 per semester hour, earning $1,500 for a typical three-credit course. There is no limit to the number of courses an adjunct can teach per semester.

Maintaining a high number of adjunct teachers is necessary to meet the demand for classes, said Dyar.

&#8220One of the big selling points of the community colleges is that we take education to the people,” Dyar said. &#8220If we’re going to be educating the people of our community, we need to make it affordable.”