After reading Professor Beard’s letter of Feb. 16, I called Dr. David Strand, vice president and provost at Illinois State University. He informed me that there has been no discussion whatsoever at ISU about $2,000 and $3,000 salary increases for “all faculty, promoted and still teaching” at ISU. On the contrary, ISU, like NIU, will implement the policy recently approved by the Board of Regents which provides for a $2,200 increase for promotion to full professor and a $1,500 increase for promotion to associate professor. ISU faculty previously promoted to associate and full professor will also receive an adjustment. However, Dr. Strand pointed out that these adjustments will be provided only for those associate and full professors who have been promoted to these ranks while at ISU. Faculty members who joined the university as associate or full professors will not be eligible for the increment. Dr. Strand informed me that 424 of the approximately 1,000 faculty at ISU will receive adjustment.

The NIU program will apply to all faculty holding the rank of associate and full professor—not just those promoted at NIU. Hence, we will be providing adjustments for more than 550 faculty. Moreover, the ISU program is, so far as I know, a one-time adjustment and not, as at NIU, part of a multi-year effort to achieve faculty salaries that are competitive with national norms. The NIU program also preserves the merit ratings which have long been an essential component of our annual evaluation process. Finally, the ISU program represents an effort to address “dry promotions,” a situation which, in contrast to NIU, has, I am told, always existed at ISU.

I hope this letter serves to clarify the promotion adjustment programs currently being implemented at NIU and ISU.

Kendall L. Baker

NIU vice president and provost