Early Bird

Raises, stipends on the way for MSU Denver employees

Human Resources offers details of compensation increases approved by the Board of Trustees this month.

By John Arnold

September 27, 2021

The Department of Human Resources has released details of across-the-board salary increases that full-time faculty and professional staff members will be receiving beginning in October.

One-time stipends and a retention reward are also on the way for full-time faculty and professional staff members.

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., announced the compensation increases this month after the Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees approved them as part of a slate of larger strategic investments, including classroom upgrades, administrative-support systems and professional development.

“Our investments will focus first and foremost on our people – the tremendously talented and dedicated faculty and staff members who make everything we do for our students possible,” Davidson wrote in a letter to employees Sept. 3 after the board’s vote.

Salary increases for full-time faculty and professional staff members go into effect Friday and will show up in October paychecks. Details are as follows:

Salary increases for full-time faculty

• 1.75% increase based on pay from last academic year.
• Faculty members employed as of this past June 30 will be eligible for the 1.75% increase.
• After the 1.75% increase, adjustments based on salary data from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA) will be applied to bring MSU Denver faculty members to the minimum CUPA salary for their position, based on years of service.

Salary increases for affiliate faculty

• 1.75% increase will be effective in the spring semester.

Salary increases for professional staff

• 1.75% increase based on pay from this past August.
• Staff members employed as of this past June 30 will be eligible for the 1.75% increase.

Employees should keep an eye out for updated compensation letters, which the Human Resources Department will send via email in the next several weeks.

The Board of Trustees also approved one-time stipends for full-time faculty and professional staff members who have persevered in the face of many pandemic-related challenges over the past year and a half. Stipends will be paid based on the following parameters:

Stipends

• Full-time faculty and professional staff members employed as of last Dec. 31 will receive a $1,500 stipend to be paid in November.
• Employees who joined MSU Denver between last Jan. 1 and April 15 will receive a $700 stipend to be paid in November.
• Full-time faculty and professional staff members must be employed in November to receive the stipend.
• Full-time faculty and professional staff members hired prior to this past July and who continue to be employed with the University through next April 30 will receive a one-time Covid-19 retention reward of $500 to be paid in next April’s paycheck.