ETSU Board approves pay raises for employees
During its quarterly meeting held earlier today, East Tennessee State University’s Board of Trustees approved across-the-board pay increases for full-time, benefits-eligible employees and committed an additional $3.2 million to bring employees’ salaries closer to market rates and comply with the new requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
“Over the past decade, this institution has made tremendous improvements on nearly every measure of success,” ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland said. “We have improved retention and graduation rates, boosted enrollment, increased research productivity and external funding awards, transformed the campus’s physical environment, and been recognized nationally as a Great College to Work For®. However, our employees’ salaries continue to lag behind our peers. This year marks the third in a row that we have provided significant pay increases to help move our workforce closer to market rates, and we are committed to continuing work to close these gaps.”
The board approved raising the university’s starting hourly wage for full-time, benefits-eligible employees to at least $15 — a nearly 10% increase over last year and a 31% increase over the starting wage in 2022. The board also approved a 3% increase for all full-time, benefits-eligible employees, capped at $7,000 per person. The $7,000 max does not apply to employees of Quillen College of Medicine or Gatton College of Pharmacy. Additionally, ETSU will set aside $3.2 million that will be used to enhance compensation in strategic areas, such as IT, where the competition for talent is intense.
“Our success is driven by our people,” Noland said. “We must ensure that we continue to attract and retain employees of the highest caliber.”
For information about ETSU Board of Trustees meetings, visit etsu.edu/trustees.
East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.
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