Campus officials forgo raises

Anticipating a cut in state appropriations, the Compensation Committee of Pitt’s Board of… Anticipating a cut in state appropriations, the Compensation Committee of Pitt’s Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to freeze the board’s salaries. The committee of five decided that seven officials won’t receive their annual raises next year. This decision came at the committee’s meeting, where Chancellor Mark Nordenberg recommended that all officers, including himself, forgo their pay increases. Nordenberg’s salary for the 2008 fiscal year is $460,000. The last time Nordenberg did not receive a raise was in the 1995-1996 school year, Nordenberg’s first year as Pitt’s chancellor. Earlier this year, the state notified the University that it might lose $8 million in state appropriations. Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Robert Hill said that Pitt has made accommodations to withstand this burden. The University might hold off on hiring faculty or choose not to fill vacant positions. ‘If the cuts get greater, we really have to consider more drastic actions,’ said Hill. The fiscal year ends June 30, 2009, and the departments will determine the other faculty members’ salaries in August. This year’s budget allowed for a salary increase pool of 4 percent, while the continuing faculty received an average raise of 5.2 percent.