A memo from President Brian Noland:
Dear ETSU Faculty and Staff,
The ETSU Board of Trustees convened a special called meeting earlier today (Tuesday, June 15, 2021) to consider and take action on a series of agenda items. Given the significance of these announcements, I want to provide a brief summary update to members of the university community.
- Salary enhancements: I am pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees endorsed a one-time bonus of
$500 for all regular, non-temporary employees who were employed during the period
of April 1-May 30, 2021. The bonus will be reflected in your June 30 paychecks.
In addition, we are increasing the minimum starting wage from $9.25 to $10.15 per hour. This increase goes into effect on July 1 and will be applicable to employees who are hired into non-exempt positions classified at levels 1, 2 and 3, that earn below $10.15 per hour. Our Board of Trustees also endorsed a proposal to raise the minimum adjunct pay rate to $800 per credit hour beginning this fall.
As we move into the fall semester and have a clear picture of where our enrollment stands, we plan to bring additional compensation enhancement requests to our Board for consideration. These will include an across-the-board increase for all eligible full-time faculty and staff, as well as potential further improvements to the starting per hourly rate for employees.
Again, I want to thank Governor Lee, the Tennessee General Assembly, and our Board of Trustees for their continued support of our faculty and staff. During the past nine years, we have taken consistent steps to improve compensation for our employees, and this will remain a top priority as we soon move into the new fiscal year. - Naming of Building 60: Our Interprofessional Education and Research Center, which is located on the VA campus, will be named in honor of Dr. Wilsie S. Bishop, who retires later this month following 43 years of service to the institution. The Board of Trustees approved this recommendation earlier today. Bishop Hall is a primary teaching facility for students in our health sciences programs and is the hub for the institution’s interprofessional education and research activities. Dr. Bishop has been a longtime champion for interprofessional training at ETSU, going back to the mid-1980s when the university received a $6.1 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to launch our Community Partnerships for Health Professions Education Program. The naming of this building in Dr. Bishop’s honor serves as a lasting tribute to her great legacy and the profound way she has transformed this campus and the lives of our students, faculty, and staff.
- Election of New Board Officers: Our Board of Trustees elected new officers. It is my honor to congratulate Dr. Linda Latimer who was elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Steven DeCarlo was named Vice Chair, and Melissa Steagall-Jones will serve as a member of the Executive Committee. I want to thank Scott Niswonger for his outstanding leadership as our founding board chairman, and I am pleased that he will continue to serve as a trustee.
In closing, I greatly appreciate all that you do as members of this outstanding university community. Our next scheduled Board of Trustees meeting will be on Friday, Sept. 17. You can follow the work of our Board of Trustees at etsu.edu/trustees. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Brian Noland
President