December 1, 2005

Faculty and Staff
University of Hartford

Dear Colleagues,

Last spring, the Provost and I charged a task force composed of administrators, full-time faculty, and part-time faculty to study the compensation of our part-time faculty.  The task force began its work by determining an appropriate comparison group.  Based on feedback from department chairs, the task force identified the top five institutions with which the University of Hartford competes for part-time faculty.  Using the part-time faculty compensation at those five institutions as benchmarks, the task force recommended a three-year plan to increase part-time faculty compensation at the University of Hartford.  

I am pleased to announce that I have approved the following compensation plan recommended by the task force.  First, the minimum compensation for part-time faculty will be increased to $900 per credit hour in the Spring of 2006, to $950 per credit hour during the 2006-07 academic year, and to $1,000 per credit hour during the 2007-08 academic year.  Second, beginning in 2006-07, additional funds will be allocated to each college to account for market conditions among the disciplines.  In any given year, the total amount of funds allocated for this compensation plan will be divided so that two-thirds of the funds will be used to increase the minimum compensation for part-time faculty and one-third will be used to address market conditions between the various disciplines.  

This plan demonstrates the University’s desire to enhance the compensation of our part-time faculty for their work and to recognize their dedication to our students.  The task force will continue to monitor the compensation levels of our part-time faculty.  In particular, I have asked the task force to study the situations in which part-time faculty are compensated based upon student contact hours, rather than credit hours, and to make its recommendations to me this spring.      

Sincerely,



Walter Harrison
President