UW System Will Give Raises to Faculty in High-Demand Fields

The University of Wisconsin system will give more than 2,300 faculty in high-demand fields a pay raise this summer, The Cap Times reported. 

The State Legislature appropriated $27 million annually for the increases, which will be doled out with the “goal of focusing on market competitiveness of those faculty in high demand fields of study,” which include biomedical sciences, education, graphic design and veterinary medicine, the distribution plan states. To determine which fields are included, the system used Department of Workforce Development data on high-demand jobs that require a bachelor’s degree.

UW Madison will receive a third of the funding, with $9.6 million spread across 548 faculty members. UW Milwaukee will receive 12.6 percent—or $3.4 million. The remaining 11 campuses will receive between $1.3 and $7.1 million of the $27 million, with UW Superior allotted the lowest amount—$341,000. The distribution is based primarily on undergraduate credit hours. 

No faculty member will receive more than a 20 percent base-pay increase, according to the distribution plan. More than two-thirds—68 percent—of faculty within the UW system earned less than the median salary of their peers in recent years, The Cap Times reported. Former president Jay Rothman, who was fired in April, asked for additional funding for faculty salaries as part of his 2024 budget request to Gov. Tony Evers.