1. Basic Philosophy
   
   At Point Loma Nazarene University, people are more important than things. Its history is written in the deeds of dedicated and committed people, and its future hinges on the quality of the relationships rendered to the people it purports to serve. Thus, people are the paramount priority at the University, and a deep abiding commitment to persons must be reflected in its policies. All University policies attempt to put people first and exist to create an ordered space where faculty can freely conduct activities and pursue relationships in order to carry out the educational mission of the University.
   
   The University's compensation policies reflect its commitment to the people who serve as its employees and professionals. The welfare of the individual faculty or staff member, as well as their dependents, is a primary concern of the institution. Therefore, the two components included in the term "compensation"--salary and fringe benefits--are maintained at the highest possible level consistent with the resources of the institution. The adoption of a compensation policy and appropriate salary levels is the ultimate responsibility of the Board of Trustees.
   
   
2. Basic Policy
   
   There are two types of factors involved in converting the underlying philosophy of compensation into a basic policy of compensation: internal and external. Internal factors have to do with the adoption and administration of compensation policies which assure that appropriate relationships among salaries paid to employees is maintained. External factors relate to establishing the level of compensation. Such factors as comparability with appropriate institutions and local living costs must be included.
   
   
   1. Internal Considerations
      It is crucial that programs of compensation be administered in a fair, objective, and equitable manner. To assure that this ideal is actualized, clearly defined policies with sufficient specificity have been adopted. The responsible administrators are charged with implementing these compensation programs within the parameters of these policies. Mechanisms have been developed to assure that recipients of the benefits have appropriate and effective avenues of input into the development of compensation policies which affect them.
      
      
   2. External Considerations
      Selecting and justifying external comparators are immensely complicated. This difficulty not with- standing, it is imperative that objective external criteria be considered when levels of compensation are established. The nature of the institution clearly indicates that a distinction be made between professional and office and campus services employees of the University. While it is appropriate to define external comparators for these groups, the geographic scope of the comparators should relate to the market from which the employees are brought. Office and campus services personnel are primarily employed out of the local market, while professionals tend to be employed from a national market. Thus salary levels for office and campus services personnel are established through comparison with salary levels of similar positions in the general San Diego area. External comparators for professionals are selected to reflect the distinguishing characteristics of Point Loma Nazarene University, a private, church-related, liberal arts university, in San Diego, California.
      
      
   3. Internal-External Linkage
      The University's ability to obtain the necessary resources to sustain its compensation policies is the obvious link between internal and external considerations. The institution, its Board of Trustees, and its administration have adopted a commitment to people as a paramount priority. Every effort is made to assure that this priority is not subverted.

3. Faculty Salary Administration Policy

The policy for administration of faculty salaries is divided into two main components--internal considerations and external considerations.

1. Internal Considerations
   The policies which follow are designed to implement the Basic Policy for salary administration which is found in Section II above. Some of these policies are new; others have been in operation for a number of years. The definitions, procedures, and policies contained herein are consistent with practices in other institutions of higher education.

1. Definitions
   1. Basic salary: A faculty member's nine-month contract salary.
   2. Total Compensation: Basic salary plus calculable fringe benefits.
   3. Salary Scale Base: The salary paid Instructor for Step I.
   4. Growth Step: The incremental change from one step to the next within any rank.
   5. Raise: The increase in the salary scale base from one year to the next.
      
2. A Description of the Faculty Salary Scale
   1. The scale is a modified step scale; i.e., the salary at each step is determined by using the factor given. The base salary amount assigned to Step I generates the amount of salary for each step of each rank.
   2. There is an overlapping of the salaries of adjacent ranks.
   3. There is a maximum salary paid in each rank.
   4. There is a "slow-down" in the growth steps at the last steps in each rank.
   5. Higher ranks have larger growth steps.
   6. The highest salary paid to a full professor is 2.225 times that paid to a Step I Instructor.

4. The Faculty Salary Scale

This is the basic chart used to determine faculty salaries. The factor at any step is to be multiplied by the "base salary" (step 1 of Instructor) to obtain the salary for the step.

5. Placement on the Salary Scale

1. Placement on the salary scale implies the completion of at least a master's degree. A faculty member not possessing at least a master's degree will be paid 90 percent of the step for which their experience and rank qualified them. In calculating the step for initial placement, each individual begins on Step 1, plus steps for advanced degrees beyond the master's, and steps for related prior experience.
2. Credit for prior experience will be given using the following guidelines.
   1. Actual years of university teaching at other institutions will be evaluated at one step per year at rank with no maximum.
   2. Teaching experience below the university level and allied experience will be evaluated at one step per two years' experience with a maximum of six steps allowed. This maximum does not apply in areas where the allied experience is directly related to the teaching field; i.e., Pastoral Theology and Educational Administration.
   3. Clinical experience for nursing faculty will be credited one step per calendar year up to a maximum of five years. Clinical experience beyond five years will be credited one step per two years. The clinical experience must be in an area related to our nursing curriculum. At least two of the years counted one for one must be within the last five years.
3. Because of the high cost of living in San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University has fixed minimum steps in the ranks of Instructor and Assistant Professor (for the purpose of determining salary only). The minimum step for an Instructor is step 6. The minimum step for an Assistant Professor is step 10. If the initial assessment places an incoming faculty member on a lower step, he/she will be compensated at the minimum step until the years of service and education place him/her beyond the minimum step.

6. Effects of Promotion
   
   Promotion from one rank to the next will cause a faculty member to move from a step in one column of the salary scale to a step in the next column. This movement will take place as follows:

   Instructor to Assistant Professor
   Step	moves to	Step
   1-3		4
   4		5
   5		6
   6,7		7
   8		8

   Assistant Professor to Associate Professor
   Step	moves to	Step
   4-8		9
   9		10
   10		11
   11		12
   12,13		13
   14		14

   Associate Professor to Professor
   Step	moves to	Step
   9-14		15
   15		16
   16		17
   17		18
   18		19
   19,20		20
   21		21

   These rank advancements are the smallest possible to assure a minimum salary increase for the promotion of .02, .025, and .03 respectively.
   
   
7. Step Advancement

1. With each year of experience, the faculty member advances one growth step on the salary scale.
2. Additional growth steps are granted with the completion of the following stages in a doctoral program:
   1. One step for 30 hours beyond the M.A.
   2. A second step for 60 hours beyond the M.A.
   3. One additional step for the completion of the doctorate.
3. The doctoral degree thus moves a faculty member a total of three growth steps.
4. A faculty member with a C.P.A. would receive one additional growth step.
5. A "two-year" M.F.A. receives one additional growth step.
6. There are no growth steps beyond those listed at each rank. A faculty member reaching the final step for his/her rank receives only the raise in salary due to any increase in the base (Step 1, Instructor).

8. External Considerations
   
   PLNU's faculty salaries are set at a minimum of the 80th percentile of the salaries in the AAUP IIB category as published in the magazine Academe. The 80th percentile is calculated in the manner described below. In the event that PLNU becomes an AAUP IIA school, the salaries will be set at a minimum of the 50th percentile of AAUP IIA schools using the same method of calculation.

1. The method for calculating the base salary for the next year:

1. Determine the PLNU average Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor salaries for the current academic year (these should be the salaries reported to IPEDS on the form IPEDS-SA or a similar form).
2. Determine the PLNU number of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors for the current academic year (these should be the numbers reported to IPEDS on the IPEDS-SA or a similar form).
3. Determine (by looking up in Academe) the AAUP IIB 80th percentile salaries for Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor for each of the previous four academic years.
4. Use the PLNU number of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors for the current academic year to compute a weighted average of the salaries for each of the four years of data from Academe.
5. Use the PLNU number of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors for the current academic year to compute a weighted average of the salaries for PLNU for the current academic year.
6. Fit a least squares regression line to the four AAUP IIB weighted averages. From this line predict the weighted average for the next two years.
7. Compute the percent increase in the base salary by determining the percent increase from the PLNU current year weighted average to the average for the second year predicted by the least squares regression.

9. Procedures to be used

1. It is the responsibility of the Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services to gather the information and calculate the change in the base salary annually.
2. At least two weeks prior to any reporting of results, the Faculty Status Committee will have access to this information and an opportunity to discuss the calculations with the Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services.
3. The proposed change in the base salary is then reported to the President, the Provost, and the Faculty Status Committee. Upon approval by the Board of Trustees at their fall meeting, the change in base salary is reported to the faculty.
4. A detailed, step-by-step procedure for all of these calculations has been developed and is kept in the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services.
   

Additional Information

The establishment of the general level of faculty salaries is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the President. These recommendations are a part of the budget process. Individual faculty salaries are established by the President upon the recommendations of the Provost who is charged with the responsibility of administering faculty salaries in accordance with the (a) policies, (b) salary scale, and (c) adopted "base salary."

Contracts for most faculty are for nine months of service to the University. Contracts for most administrative officers are for eleven months of service. The contract period (year) begins on the 16th day of August each year. For nine-months contracted faculty, the contract period closes with the due date for turning in final grades in the spring semester (currently the Wednesday after the last day of final examinations).

Contract salaries are paid semimonthly in 24 equal payments whether the contract period is nine, ten, or eleven months. Eleven month salaries are without vacation time and are considered to be equivalent to year round employment with time off for vacations and holidays.
 
Remuneration for summer session teaching is in addition to the regular contract, except in the case of those holding full-year or eleven- month contracts. In this case, no additional remuneration is allowed. Eleven-month contracted individuals normally teach each summer. Those holding a ten-month contract may be compensated for summer teaching unless that teaching is included as a part of the expectation for the extended month of service. In all cases, the expectations and obligations accompanying a ten or eleven-month contract should be developed with the appropriate college dean and the Provost and updated annually with each new contract.