OSU president to seek faculty supplemental pay

<br>STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma State University President David Schmidly will seek a one-time payment for employees who are heading into their third year without a pay raise. <br><br>Schmidly plans

Wednesday, October 15th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma State University President David Schmidly will seek a one-time payment for employees who are heading into their third year without a pay raise.

Schmidly plans to ask OSU regents to approve the $1.6 million supplemental pay at their meeting Oct. 24 in Miami, Okla.

A total of 5,397 full- and part-time employees would be eligible for the pay. Part-time workers would receive a proportional amount of the $500 based on how many hours they work.

Funding for the supplemental pay will come primarily from leftover state funds from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, said OSU spokesman Nestor Gonzales said. OSU departments that generate their own revenues also contribute funds to the supplemental pay.

``We felt that we could best use these funds to reward our hard-working faculty and staff who have not had a pay increase in more than two years,'' Schmidly said in a statement.

Schmidly said OSU presidents, provosts, vice presidents, the university athletic director, and coaches under long-term contracts chose not to receive the supplement.

Schmidly said the supplemental payment will recognize employees who have worked ``diligently and selflessly throughout a difficult economic period to forward the university's educational mission.''

If the supplemental pay is approved, all employees within OSU who have a continuous employment date prior to July 1, 2003, an active pay assignment on Nov. 17, 2003, and have not received a merit raise in the last two years will be eligible.

Schmidly pledged to make pay raises for faculty and staff ``a continuing priority'' despite fewer dollars available to higher education because of an economic downturn.