Undergraduate Professors Voice Complaints Over Low Salaries

Thirty-two senior professors of Yeshiva College and the Stern College for Women submitted a formal complaint to the University expressing their extreme disappointment with the "inadequate salary increments" received this year. The letter sent directly to University President, Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm on September 14, 1999 addresses the unfulfilled university commitment to bring salaries "into line with those of comparable institutions."

For yet another year, Yeshiva's most senior undergraduate faculty find their salaries lagging far behind that of professors working at comparable institutions. During the last academic year, the average undergraduate senior professor salary in Yeshiva was $67,343, a figure that lags far behind the $86,600 senior professors in comparable Amherst College receive. Every year the administration examines Yeshiva's salaries with comparable institutions in terms of size, geographic location, and other factors to determine where we reside in reference to other colleges. This year, Amherst was figured to be the most comparable school to Yeshiva.

Yeshiva University undergraduate salaries have suffered since the debt and inflation days of the seventies, and although the endowment since then has grown from practically nothing to over $734,174,298.00 in 1998 according to tax returns filed by the university, senior professors have not found themselves beneficiaries of Yeshiva's plentiful bounty, experiencing only a three percent increase in their salaries this year. The three percent raise barely compensates inflation rates in a year when even social security was raised two-point-four percent.

While large disparity between senior undergraduate salaries in Yeshiva and other institutions have existed for decades, the University previously showed signs of correcting the trend. In 1996, the administration recognized that senior professor's low salaries were indeed a serious issue and concluded that considerable raises were in order. In the first year of the salary increases, professors experienced an eight-percent addition to their base salaries, according to senior staffers. While that initial year's increase was a substantial one, the raises over the subsequent semesters have dwindled considerably to this year's meager three percent, according to university employees. One professor remarked, "I think the increase will cover gas money for my car."

Dr. Karen Bacon, Dean of Stern College for Women, explained that it is the administration's goal to raise faculty salaries, but she asserted that such an effort is hampered by the University's operating deficit. This is in stark contrast to Yeshiva's 1998 financial reports as documented in its 990 Tax Form, which records the University's total expenditures in the year ending June 30, 1998 as $118,650,697 less than its total revenue, a significant operating surplus.

The letter, which was also sent to Dr. Sheldon Socol, Vice President of Business Affairs at Yeshiva; Dr. Morton Lowengrub, Vice President of Academic Affairs; and Mr. David Gottesman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, came after frustrated faculty members were dealt another blow in their struggle for just salaries. With the creation of an honors college and a teaching load that surpasses that of many institutions, a decrease in the raise percentage was not expected. In fact, it came as a shock to many senior staffers who are facing pensions that are extremely low.

With money placed in retirement plans based on matching funds, professors maintain that they have "horrible pension plans to complement their insufficient salaries." This is of grave concern to faculty who have been here for many years. "I can't even think about retirement, because I can't afford it," said one professor who remembers the days of salary freezes and five course semesters.

Although the letter was only signed by senior professors, adjunct, assistant, and associate professors are not immune from Yeshiva salary woes. While Yeshiva College Dean Dr. Norman Adler acknowledges that the junior staff's salaries are initially "competitive," many professors expressed that their salaries do not remain so throughout their tenures at Yeshiva. "Entry level salaries are very competitive, but the longer you stay, the worse off you are when aligned with comparable institutions," remarked one junior faculty member. Because there is no payment scale or track, associate, assistant and adjunct professor salaries do not remain competitive as pay rates are not raised at increments similar to other institutions

In addition to the absence of the junior staff, the letter expressing faculty dissatisfaction was not signed by any professor who had personnel decisions pending. This was done, "To protect them [Professors with personnel decisions pending] from administrators who have the power to affect those decisions," explained a professor. This senior professor pointed to Dr. Sheldon Socol, as "the one most feared by faculty, and the administrator considered to have the most influence upon salary decisions."

"The fact that Yeshiva faculty are so poorly paid is surprising to some considering that they are among the hardest working liberal arts faculties in the nation," said one professor. The national average for courses taught in one semester is less than three, with many professors delivering one course per term. In Yeshiva however, a professor typically is required to teach up to four courses. Further adding to the frustration of teachers is the increasing workload they have experienced. Last year, many professors spent extra hours working on the creation of the Honors College, while others have done more committee work than ever before, with little compensation to show for it.

In order to survive in the academic world, professors must publish and complete scholarly works. However, with such a heavy workload during the academic year, such scholarly work can only be done during the summer, which then causes further financial loss to professors who can no longer spend their summer months lecturing.

Small departments with limited numbers of full time faculty members have become an increasing phenomena on campus. Over fifty percent of this semester's courses are being taught by less-than-full-time professors.

Last year, the University called for an independent review of the Yeshiva College academic departments. According to senior professors, the recommendations for all departments showed that the college was understaffed while the teachers were overworked and underpaid. "Dr. Socol has no excuse in this instance," said one faculty member. "We had independent people come in here and review us, he heard what they had to say, but just chose not to listen."

For years, the relationship between the administrators and the faculty has been strained. Since 1977, Yeshiva has been on the probation list of the American Association of University Professors for having one of the worst relationships between faculty and administration. "This type of outside negative publicity not only reflects the utter disregard that is shown for University staff in this instance, but also points to the complete chillul Hashem that is created when parts of the administration behave in inexplicable ways," said one high level administrator.

Many faculty members feel their poor salaries stem from their own inability to have any affect over administrative decisions. In fact, according to a number of professors, it was not until September that faculty discovered the inadequate adjustments within their paychecks.

The lack of faculty influence over salaries and other administrative decisions are manifest in a Supreme Court case that dates back twenty years. In the late seventies, Yeshiva faculty wanted to unionize to place themselves in position to negotiate with university management. The university filed an injunction to prevent this from occurring, and a case arose that the university took all the way to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that university professors are in actuality considered management, and therefore, are prohibited from unionizing against themselves.

"It is simply ironic that while the University fought so hard to call us management, we have no influence over anything. Either we are management or not, and it seems the University has rigged it so that we are nothing," vented one disgruntled professor.