Annual Merit Increases

University and SPS guidelines concerning annual salary increases for bargaining unit and non-bargaining unit full-time continuing contract faculty (C-Faculty) for the coming academic year are set forth below. Also provided are the criteria to be used to evaluate performance and determine individual salary increases. The Annual Merit Increase (AMI) pool for FY2026 is 2.5% for C-Faculty earning below $150k, and 2.0% for C-Faculty earning $150k and up to $300k. C-Faculty earning above $300,000 across all titled positions are not eligible for a merit increase.

The criteria for evaluating faculty should conform to SPS's Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion, and Grievance (ARP) Policy Guidelines. The ARP Policy specifies three areas of faculty responsibility:

• Teaching: including but not limited to: developing, creating, and teaching new courses; developing curricula; program review or revision; and advising, including supervising independent studies and internships.
• Service and Administration: these are key components of faculty engagement and all faculty are expected to contribute to these areas. For faculty whose responsibilities are primarily administrative, greater weight will be given to performance in this area.
• Scholarly Work, Creative Production, and Professional Activity: Professional engagement encompasses a range of activities that may strengthen a faculty member's professional profile, further fields of knowledge, enhance teaching excellence, and/or advance the mission of SPS.

Determinations for faculty members who have had challenges meeting specific objectives and have been evaluated accordingly should be supported with a written rationale.

At the time of promotion, Continuing Contract faculty (including bargaining unit and non-bargaining unit continuing contract faculty) will receive a minimum increase of 10% of current base salary, inclusive of AMI.

• Annual Faculty Activity Report (FAR) Submission: Each full-time faculty member is asked to submit an Annual Faculty Activity Report (FAR) to their Associate Dean, which addresses each of the criteria outlined above. As part of the FAR process, the Associate Dean submits a written evaluation for each faculty member. 
• Review and Recommendation: The SPS Dean and the Vice Dean of Faculty then meet with every Associate Dean to discuss the FAR reports and their evaluations. Based on these conversations, Associate Deans submit AMI recommendations to the Dean for review and final approval. There is no salary review committee at SPS.
• Notification: Once SPS receives approval of the AMI submission, electronic letters are generated using a template and emailed to full-time faculty, with a copy to Mike McCaw, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Appointments in the Office of Academic Appointments. These letters are typically sent in early August, in advance of the new academic year, and will direct faculty to the SPS website for faculty AMI process guidelines. Faculty members in the 0% salary tier will not receive a letter.
• Individual Notification: Individual faculty members will be informed of the amount and composition of their increase prior to letters being issued.

This year's process will include both bargaining unit and non-bargaining unit full-time continuing contract faculty. Visiting faculty do not typically receive an AMI. However, the Dean’s Office will consider requests from academic units on an exception basis.