Under the Tax Reform Act of 1986 many university employees are no longer able to make tax deductible contributions to an IRA. Several alternative plans of action are discussed including tax-deferred annuities. Tax planning strategies are offered. (MLW)

Collaboration of faculty and staff with administration to design flexible total compensation programs that can be "customized" to their particular needs is discussed. The implementation of the Ford Motor Company's Employee Involvement Program when designing the Taurus automobile is described. (MLW)

The University of Missouri completed the first year cycle of applying incentive pay to the university teaching hospital. The efforts to formulate and implement the program are described. Program characteristics, measuring performance, eligibility and award size, performance objectives, scales, and weights, and planning for incentives are…

A discussion of the economic impact on employers of wrongful discharge litigation by former employees addresses the types of damages a plaintiff may receive, remedies, deductions from front pay, reinstatement, punitive and exemplary damages, injury to professional reputation, constructive discharge, and attorney's fees. (MSE)

New methods of structuring college faculty compensation systems are needed to involve, motivate, reward, and recognize individual and group behaviors. Compensation systems of the future should support the institution's core values, recognize that success results from interdependent relationships and not only individual accomplishments, and include…

Higher education faces many of the economic challenges of the corporate world. As financial pressures increase and the workforce changes, the campus human resource manager must understand these forces and actively promote change. Strategies include emphasis on training, cost reduction in operations, improved compensation, improved productivity,…

Survey of 35 public and private colleges and universities investigated prevalence and characteristics of merit pay programs for faculty and support staff. Results include information on compensation program coverage (faculty, staff, collective bargaining groups, percentage of total workforce), percent of funds awarded solely on merit, desired…

Complexity of employee compensation policy is examined as it applies to colleges and universities. It is argued that sound compensation policy helps the institution attract and retain qualified, skilled employees. New approaches that shift the focus from job to employee are outlined, and their implications for institutions of higher education are…

Reviews the process by which California State University implemented a new systemwide classification and compensation structure for information-technology professionals in 1996, and describes the compensation structure, union negotiations, and lessons learned. The new plan features more flexibility, room for growth in job classifications and…

Discusses what the compensation manager at a diverse college or university can do with scant resources to meet the varied compensation needs of the institution. Offers as an example the University of Florida system, which has a flexible policy that incorporates new concepts into training programs and offers new options in consultations. (MSE)

The new financial environment for retirement emerging in the 1980s is marked by increased individual responsibility for financial well-being, a changed workforce, and the need to contain costs. The trend will be away from the group approach and toward cafeteria-style benefit programs, providing greater freedom of benefit choice. (MSE)

A survey of 43 large universities nationwide investigated overall human resources staffing levels and staffing in five areas: personnel recruitment, benefits administration, compensation, management, records, and labor relations. Twelve tables and two figures present detailed findings in these areas. Trends from 1986 to 1991 are also noted. (MSE)

A survey of 109 faculty in a private university investigated attitudes about merit pay. Results suggest need for changes in the design, implementation, and evaluation of merit pay systems. Recommendations are made for faculty input, accommodation of departmental preferences, group incentives, performance standards, professional development,…

Connecticut State University has achieved success in recruiting and retaining information technology (IT) workers through six strategies: modifying the administrative structure to make positions and salaries more attractive; grooming students for IT positions; promoting benefits of university employment; transferring state civil-service employees;…

A study at one public university investigated the annualized rate of salary/wage increase of employees from the time of hiring until July 1992. It examined promotion patterns, equity adjustments, employee degree acquisition, and certification of clerical workers. The study underscored the wide variation in earnings growth rates due in large part…