YSU Officials OK pay raises, mull paying for shortfall

Kent State's president has donated $264,865 of her salary to scholarships.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University officials have approved $2.78 million in administrative, faculty and staff raises, including fringe benefits, this year.
About $175,000 of that will go to the 122 full-time administrators, not including President Dr. David C. Sweet. The administrative raises, which are retroactive to July 1, were instituted by Sweet in a memo dated Sept 10.
Most administrators were given a 3-percent raise. Those who have more responsibility this year than last, such as John Habat, vice president for administration, received larger raises.
Habat, who was promoted to vice president from special assistant to the president in June, was given a 7.8-percent raise. His salary will increase from $120,134 to $129,500.
Lower than many
Sweet stressed that YSU still pays its administrators a lower salary than many other universities in Ohio. He said YSU needs to give administrators a fair salary so they will want to help provide YSU students with a quality education.
"Our students, I believe, are getting a quality education, which is my goal," Sweet said.
On Sept. 25, the YSU trustees voted to increase Sweet's salary 6 percent from $192,000 to $203,520. Sweet's annual housing allowance also was increased 38.9 percent from $36,000 to $50,000.
The raises were retroactive to July 1.
The university could have a $1.8 million budget shortfall this year as a result of state budget cuts and the reallocation of state funding to universities. Trustees included $2 million for raises in the university's 2003-04 budget, which was approved in June, so the administrative raises do not require further action by the trustees.
That was supposed to be enough to cover the raises that would be given to YSU's classified employees and faculty in new contracts negotiated in August. The final contracts, however, called for the faculty and employees to be given $780,000 more than trustees had expected.
Funding the shortfall
Trustees haven't decided how to pay for the budget shortfall. Some of the money, however, could come from a tuition increase.
YSU tuition went up 8.9 percent this fall, the biggest one-time increase in at least a decade. Tuition also jumped 5.1 percent last fall and 5.5 percent last spring.
Annual tuition at YSU is $4,996, the lowest among Ohio's 11 largest, four-year, public universities.
Joseph Nohra, the chairman of the YSU trustees, stressed that the trustees don't want to "put the cart before the horse" by increasing tuition now. He said university officials still could come up with the money for the raises.
The state also hasn't finalized its reallocation of funds.
Nohra added that he feels Sweet earned his raises by helping to increase YSU's enrollment.
"He certainly has produced in the way we've asked him to produce," he said.
Walt Ulbricht, YSU's executive director of marketing and communications, has stressed that Sweet still earns less than the presidents of Kent State University, the University of Akron, the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Cleveland State University.
Presidents' donations
Dr. Carol A. Cartwright, Kent State University president, received a 5-percent raise this year and will be paid $244,743. It was her first raise since July 2000.
During her 11-year tenure, Cartwright has donated $264,865 of her salary to Kent State scholarships. She has pledged to donate an additional $17,458 before she leaves the university.
Dr. Luis M. Proenza, University of Akron president, was slated to receive a 3-percent raise this year and be paid $265,101. In response to cuts in state funding, Proenza decided to donate the $7,721 he was slated to receive as a result of the raise to student scholarships.
Sweet said he would ask Proenza about the donation during a meeting of university presidents next week.
hill@vindy.com