COLA and merit update

July 8, 2022

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

As we begin the new fiscal year, I wish to extend sincere thanks and appreciation to our faculty and staff for the extraordinary work and perseverance that has characterized the many accomplishments of the past year. Throughout 2021-22, the efforts that you have made in furthering our University’s mission and its impact have been nothing short of remarkable. Thank you for all that you have done over this past year in looking out for one another, in adjusting when circumstances and conditions required us to show flexibility, patience and understanding, all the while pursuing the excellence that makes our institution such a special place.

Turning to the new fiscal year that began on July 1, eligible employees will see welcomed changes to their pay. Classified staff who began employment prior to July 1 will see a legislative cost of living adjustment (COLA) on their semi-monthly paycheck beginning July 25. Faculty employed prior to July 1 will see COLA and for those eligible, a merit award, on their August 1 monthly paycheck.

COLA and merit will not fully address the increasing costs that many are experiencing. Still, after many years without merit, we are grateful to have returned to a process whereby our faculty are rewarded for meritorious performance in support of our mission. Classified staff merit continues, as in the past years, throughout the year on an eligible staff member’s merit date. See information below for more details on both COLA and merit.

Merit and COLA are now visible on your Profile in Workday. From your profile, select Overview>Worker History. The Compensation Change event(s) will be listed near the top. Click on the hyperlink for the event to reveal more details that include the starting base salary amount, the reason of “merit” or “COLA” and the ending base salary amount.

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)

Legislatively approved COLA of one (1) percent is being awarded to regular continuing classified staff and faculty employed by NSHE hired before the July 1, 2022 start of the fiscal year. Classified staff represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), bargaining units A, E, and F will receive a three (3) percent COLA on July 1.

Faculty COLA adjustments are calculated using base salary after any merit or promotional amounts received on the same date, unless specified in a new offer.

Merit Awards for Faculty

A merit program for academic and administrative faculty has been restored. Merit was last available in 2014. There is no legislative appropriation for the merit awards, so funding must come from internal sources. It is estimated that 27 vacant positions were used to fund merit.

The Faculty Senate submitted a plan for merit distribution and we were able to fund the version of that plan that resulted in the highest figures for all faculty. Faculty hired or promoted on or before September 1, 2021 were eligible for a merit score in the Spring 2022 evaluation process. For more information about the merit review process, visit the article on Merit Process for July 1, 2022 or speak to your supervisor.

In every way, the University appreciates and is very grateful for the achievements and accomplishments that you have all contributed to over this past year. Your unwavering commitment to our University’s excellence has lifted us all, and serves as a reminder of what we are capable of accomplishing when we work together for shared goals and for a shared future.

Thank you again for all that you’ve done, and as well, for what is still to come for our University.

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President