WVU Parkersburg’s BOG approves Staff Compensation Structure Update

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 20, 2024) — WVU Parkersburg administration introduced a policy change to the Board of Governors that would update the Staff Compensation Structure, allowing the college to recruit more staff candidates.

A resolution was passed during the September 2023 BOG meeting to update the Faculty Compensation Structure. During the September meeting, WVU Parkersburg Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration Alice Harris commented that it was time to update the Staff Compensation Structure in the future. It has not been revised since 2017.

“What’s been happening over the last two or three years is that we’re offering entry-level rates that aren’t competitive with what somebody can earn at McDonald’s or some other place,” said Harris. “Of course, money is important for people and having a pay scale that allows us to attract quality applicants is also important for us. So, we’re taking on the task of trying to increase that scale to make it more reflective of what is currently happening.”

From the 2017 compensation structure, administrations added the governor-mandated pay raises for state employees to come up with the new compensation structure. A basic entry level position at WVU Parkersburg would start at $9.85 an hour on the old compensation structure, where the increase would have a basic entry level position starting at $12.97 per hour. Harris said this would account for an average of a 4.5% increase in wages over the past seven years.

Existing staff who do not meet the minimum of the proposed staff compensation structure will be brought up to the minimum of the new scale. Staff who have five or more years of service at the end of the fiscal year, will receive a wage increase of up to the 25 percentile of the new scale or $5,000 annually, whichever is less.

WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Torie Jackson said the update to the new compensation structure will approximately affect 30 current employees.

Harris said the cost of bringing staff in compliance with the new compensation structure is approximately $230,000.

Cody Irick, BOG staff representative, said that this update to the compensation structure is very well received and very much appreciated by staff.

The board approved the resolution to update the staff compensation structure unanimously. It will go into effect immediately.

During the President’s Report, President Dr. Torie Jackson discussed the visit from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and WVU Parkersburg’s next steps as a college.

Jackson said HLC has not yet provided an official report of its visit, but WVU Parkersburg received good remarks during the exit meeting with HLC. Jackson said that WVU Parkersburg was described as a campus with teamwork and optimism. She also said that the HLC team were “envious of some of our processes and financial stability.”

“The HLC Review Team said we knew our mission and we put it into action. That speaks volumes as a community college, as a community partner and as a community leader; we are able to bring life-changing educational experiences to our students,” said WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Torie Jackson.

Jackson said WVU Parkersburg is planning for strategic growth moving forward. She highlighted the expansion of the Riverhawk Farm, updating the Jackson County Center to include an Applied Technical Center and the WVUP Incubator and Technology Center.

The next Board of Governors meeting will take place on April 23, 2024.