Survey Says ....

Salary Disparity and the college budget come to the forefront

Another issue that arose from the surveys was a perceived disparity in salaries.

“And if the college doesn’t get a clue and start paying their classified employees a better salary (I have an Associates Degree and the housekeepers make almost as much as I do.....) they will lose a great population of hardworking people who have been dedicated to the college for a long time. We are the ones at the ‘bottom’ making all of the magic happen for the students, supporting the professors, etc. The administrators make far too much money, and receive ridiculous bonuses and this doesn’t bode well from our viewpoint,” said one responder.

Another employee said that their raises have stopped because they were told that “they make too much money.”

They said, “This was very insulting to me knowing that I have gone above and beyond my job responsibilities, have always gotten great evaluations, and positive feedback from students, staff and external stakeholders but I make too much. Several salary studies have been done in my time at the college yet none have amounted to anything. Several organizational studies have been done and again not followed. To me these studies would be more important than ever given everyone here is new(and making more money than predecessors who were highly experienced). Experience should count for something.”

Administrative salaries

During their November 2022 meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved extending Chancellor Pittman’s contract through June 30, 2027.

Kevin Martin says that the Board takes its role in hiring and evaluating the chancellor, who he deemed the Board’s “sole employee” very seriously.

“Dr. Pittman goes through an extensive evaluation process each year, which is outlined in Board Policy,” Martin says. “Generally during a midyear check, the Board has a discussion about any contract extensions and we initiate the conversation with the Chancellor. The Board has been very pleased with the performance and direction the College is heading.:

Chancellor Pittman is set to receive a near 13 percent raise this year compared to last year. Pittman’s 2022 salary was listed as being $304,281 and his 2023 salary is set to equal a total of $343,227, marking a $38,946 increase. General Counsel Lucy Singer and IT Security Director Matthew Gioia are set to receive 18.39 percent raises this year, and for the 2023 year are set to earn $169,179 and $117,861, respectively.

The top earners behind Pittman are Vice Chancellor Andrew Langrehr and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Christine Davis, who both are set to receive raises of 7.63 percent, thus clearing the way for them to make $197,930 and $182,909, respectively. Right behind them is Chief Operating Officer Hart Nelson, who is set to earn $177,581.

Meramec Campus President

Feleccia Moore-Davis is also set for a 7.63 percent raise, and will make a total of $170,715. This is the exact same amount that Forest Park Campus President Julie Fickas is set to make this year, but both are behind Florissant Valley Campus President Elizabeth Perkins, who is set to make $173,939.

Other administrators are also set for raises. Outside of Pittman, Langrehr and Davis, the largest raise percentage increase went to Vice President of Student Success Julie Massey, who received a 10.96 percent raise, bringing her 2023 salary to $120,000.

Overall, the college will spend a total of $5,387,177 paying its salaried employees. Pittman said that the College continually analyzes salaries based on available market data that allows them to compare the different levels of employee groups in the College with similar positions at other organizations in the St. Louis market. He also said that STLCC recently utilized a third-party vendor to do a market analysis on its professional positions unit and will soon be getting underway with a market study for the unit and non-unit classified positions.

“As demonstrated by the last study, he said, “the College has adjusted compensation for employee groups as needed to align with the area market, and we typically, at least since I have been here, have offered competitive salary increases for all employee units each year, or an increase based on compensation agreed to in negotiations with specific bargaining units.”

He continued, “For the faculty, we have historically had the highest salaries for all community colleges in Missouri, as more than one-third of our full-time faculty make well over $100,000 per year based on recent W-2 data.”

Regarding his own salary, Pittman said he believes he is one of the lower paid administrators when compared to similar size colleges.

“Regarding my salary, again, the board takes market data into consideration. While I do not have exact data, I would estimate I am one of the lower paid administrators of similar size colleges and universities in the St. Louis market, however I truly appreciate that the board continues to make efforts to keep this position competitive in our area,” Pittman said.

Martin clarified the Board’s influence over salaries.

“The Administration presents the Board with recommendations. However, we have many unions that we negotiate with on a good faith basis,” he said. “Each union group determines the salaries of their members through this process. The Board has final approval on such. As a college, we continue to examine and compare our salaries to that of others to remain competitive. This includes not just salaries but also our rich benefit package. The market is currently in a phase that we haven’t seen lately and the Administration is working to present to the Board some possible adjustments in the near future.”

How STLCC got involved with the St. Louis Business Journal

“The College works closely with the St. Louis Business Journal on a variety of initiatives and sponsorships to reach the business community, a critical audience for our Workforce Solutions Group as well as all our career programs. Aligning with companies who need well educated workers is a critical part of serving the many key constituents of our service region,” said Pittman.

Pittman himself was a panelist last Friday for the organization’s most recent workforce development panel, and said that STLCC was featured prominently in the Business Journal’s most recent Workforce Development Guide.

“For the College,” he said, “the purpose of participating in the Best

Place to Work Survey aligns with our new strategic initiative of becoming a “Best Place to Work” in St. Louis as will be illustrated in the Strategic Plan. While we were not expecting to win the competition this year, we wanted to establish a baseline of information to allow us to assess where our strengths and opportunities are, and to assist us with planning to improve the workplace for the future.”

Regarding the results, Pittman said, “While many of us think STLCC is a great place to work given the overall score of the survey – data reflected that 61% of survey respondents reported they were moderately to highly engaged – for the other 39%, we realize that COVID, prior years of very tight budgets, turn-over caused by a tight labor market, and likely other factors have contributed to dissatisfaction and concern to some about the value of employees at STLCC.”

He continued, “We are greatly concerned that only 26% of the respondents feel that senior leaders of the organization value people as their most important resource. Hence, we have developed plans going forward to listen to and address concerns as appropriate to the mission of the College.” Pittman then noted that the “Engage and Listen” plan is available to anyone who would like to review it.

Martin said, “We believe we are a great organization to work at, but also acknowledge we always have room to improve. This is one reason why we began this process. It is a formal way to gather additional feedback on celebrations and opportunities. We need individuals to provide honest, real feedback about the organization. Although this survey is anonymous, we value the information it has provided and allows us to create plans to better engage our stakeholders to meet their needs. We look forward to this becoming an annual thing.”

An extended version of this story is available at meramecmontage.com.

Behind The Scenes of Spirit Week

A Q & A with Campus Activities Board member Giavarra Azhar Abdullah

MACY GILLICK STAFF WRITER

The Campus Activities Board promotes events for students throughout the academic year. Recently, the organization has been planning activities for a “Spirit Week” to be held later this month. Member Giavarra Azhar Abdullah describes the next upcoming event and the work that went into it, as well as what motivates her to be apart of the organization.

Q: When is Spirit Week and what are the themes?

Abdullah: The Spirit Week will be April 17th to April 20th. Monday is PJ Day, Tuesday is Western Day, Wednesday is Dress Like You’re on Vacation Day and finally Thursday is Decades Day.

Q: What goes into planning events like spirit week?

Abdullah: This is a two part answer. The first thing that goes into planning events is meeting with the team to discuss and share ideas. Collaboration, communication, and listening are needed to plan and have successful events. The second part of the answer would be executing the plan. This includes potential dates and times of when to hold the event, delegating tasks to board members, deciding who will be the main person in charge of each event, and what the event will look like.

We are able to come up with different themes and match a day of the week with each theme. After going through all the details of the event, we start on advertisements and potential prizes for students. Right now, everything is ready including flyers and prizes. Now we are waiting for a date closer to the event to distribute the flyers and advertise the event.

Q: Why are you involved in this club?

Abdullah: I believe that there should be an equal balance, focus, and emphasis on extracurricular activities and academics. I’m the type of person who needs to be involved in activities in order to do well in school. I have always participated in many extracurricular activities.

I wanted to help the Campus Activity Board provide students with activities they need to do well in school, and feel connected to the STLCC community.

Q: What are the benefits of being in a club?

Abdullah: [The] first perk is meeting new people and connecting with students. I’m part of four different clubs here at STLCC, and I’ve met many great people due to involvement in clubs. Second, I think it’s fun. Finding a club that interests me allows me to explore things outside of what I’m majoring in. Also, for those who plan on transferring, universities want to see your involvement in extracurriculars outside of academics, and it can show them what else you’re interested in beyond academics.