MARQUETTE — Salaries are at the forefront of many Northern Michigan University professors’ minds, said one of those professors at the NMU Board of Trustees’ meeting on Friday.

Brent Graves, a biology professor and president of the American Association of University Professors on campus, talked about NMU salaries to the board, stressing that more emphasis should be placed on the school’s instructional mission.

Graves said he addressed the board at the beginning of the 2018-19 year to suggest how NMU can sustain its recent successes.

One of those suggestions concerned President Fritz Erickson’s salary.

“Bringing Erickson’s salary to a competitive level encourages him to stay and continue to provide the leadership that contributes to our success,” Graves said.

The trustees in July 2018 approved a five-year contract for Erickson that carries a base salary of $385,000.

“That was a smart decision,” Graves said. “Similarly, budgeting for competitive salaries across campus is necessary to attract, retain and motivate the employees that implement President Erickson’s vision.”

His central message was that a positive attitude is essential to creating a university students want to attend, and conflict and controversy drive away students and reduce employee loyalty and motivation.

“We all need to work together,” Graves said.

He noted the AAUP contract will be renegotiated during the 2019-20 year, and the AAUP wants its members to be paid competitively.

Erickson’s salary, Graves said, is about the same as the president at Grand Valley State University, with the NMU leader’s annual compensation seventh from the bottom in a list of 15 universities in Michigan for 2018-19.

Regarding faculty salaries for all ranks for those universities for 2017-18, Graves said that to make NMU salaries comparable to those at GVSU, they would need to come up $2,600 on average, or 3.4%, and to put NMU faculty salaries to seventh from the bottom, they would need to increase an average of $7,000, or 9.2%.

“Where do we get the money to do that?” Graves asked.

He pointed out that in 2017, NMU spent a smaller portion of its budget teaching its students –38% — than any other public Michigan university other than research-intensive doctoral institutions.

Graves said total AAUP faculty salaries and benefits at NMU is $33.25 million, according to data from AAUP faculty lists.

“Obviously, if we invested resources in teaching our students sufficient only to bring us to the median of our peers, we could provide much more competitive salaries and hire quite a few more faculty to combat the significant understaffing of virtually all departments,” Graves said.

Other Michigan public universities have faced similar challenges but NMU is the only one to underfund its teaching mission, he said.

“This is not driven by changes in revenue, but by changes in priorities,” said Graves, who added investing in NMU’s instructional mission must be a priority.

“The board looks forward to these negotiations with a positive attitude, and take very seriously your concerns,” said Robert Mahaney, board of trustees president.

Also at Friday’s meeting, Cody Mayer, president of the Associated Students of NMU, requested the second Monday of October be recognized at Indigenous Peoples Day on all future NMU academic calendars, with Columbus Day still noted.

“Both days would be recognized on the day,” Mayer said, “and I find that to be a fair compromise for all parties.”

Mahaney said the board would take the request under advisement.

The NMU Board of Trustees also on Friday approved four new academic programs. Those that will begin with the fall 2019 semester are: certificate in applied workplace leadership, certificate in hospitality and tourism management, bachelor’s in social media design management and master’s in mathematics. A master’s degree in speech-language pathology will be introduced in summer 2021.

In other action at Friday’s meeting, the board:

≤ Agreed that the 2019-20 general fund budget continue at a level no greater than the previous year until a new budget is approved, except for increases required by existing or newly negotiated union contracts.

≤ Approved schematic design services for the Career and Engineering Technology Facility at a cost of $450,000. NMU selected four firms, from among 11 that submitted proposals, for on-campus interviews May 15-17. One firm will be selected to provide design services soon after and begin its work in June.

≤ Named Marguerite Moore of the School of Health and Human Performance the Mark R. and Eileen Lovell Professor, effective July 1.

≤ Conferred tenure to the following faculty members, effective Aug. 21: Brandon Canfield, Chemistry; Joshua Carlson, Psychological Science; Erin Colwitz, Music; Norma Froelich, Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences; Yuba Gautam, Health and Human Performance; Monica McFawn, English; Sarah Mittlefehldt, EEGS; and Madison Ngafeeson, Business.

≤ Promoted the following faculty members to the rank of professor, effective Aug. 21: Amy Hamilton, English; Michael Letts, Art and Design; April Lindala, Native American Studies; Jacqueline Medina, Health and Human Performance; Melissa Romero, Nursing; Gary Stark, Business; and Jeff Vickers, Music.

≤ Promoted the following faculty members to the rank of associate professor, effective Aug. 21: Erin Colwitz, Music; Norma Froelich, EEGS; Scott Jordan, Health and Human Performance; Monica McFawn, English; Yuba Gautam, Health and Human Performance; and Madison Ngafeeson, Business.

≤ Renewed the following charter school academy contracts through June 30, 2024: Francis Reh Academy, East Shore Leadership Academy and North Star Montessori Academy. George Crocket Academy was reauthorized for a term not exceeding two years, with an opportunity to add three additional years upon satisfying contractual obligations established by the NMU Charter Schools Office director.

≤ Agreed to delete the associate and bachelor’s degree programs in liberal arts and sciences, the master’s degree in training and performance improvement and the post-master’s certificate for family nurse practitioner.

≤ Appointed new Trustee Bridget Summers of Baraga to the board’s finance committee.

≤ Approved a revised Board of Trustees meeting schedule for calendar year 2019, moving the July meeting ahead by a day to July 17-18.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.