UNR Budget: Misplaced Priorities and Diverted Resources

Growth of Executive Staff and Compensation

Part 3 in a series of articles on the budget situation at UNR. This installment addresses the diversion of resources to create new or upgraded administrator positions and to increase executive salaries. 

President Sandoval has attributed the freezing of 100 positions at UNR and 5% budget cuts for each department on campus to the underfunding of Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) by the Legislature. However, during the past period of budget cuts the number of executive-level positions has been increased and their average salaries have been raised well beyond the COLAs and merit raises available to rank-and-file faculty and staff. As documented here, the estimated cost of new executive positions and executive raises between Fall 2020 and Fall 2023 over and above COLAs and merit pay is $4.5 million annually. Each $1 million diverted to administration represents about ten new faculty positions that cannot be filled [1]. 

The data on UNR employees and salaries used for this report have been obtained from public records requests to NSHE at the end of October each year since 2020. NFA has also documented statewide faculty salary trends at NSHE institutions.

Growth in Executive Positions and Salaries

Table 1 shows the number and average salaries of executive-level UNR employees from 2020 to 2023. The combined number of vice presidents, vice provosts, and deans at UNR was 21 in October 2020, with an average base salary of $257K. By the beginning of the Spring 2024 semester, only five of those 21 individuals hold the same position. Only three of the eleven academic deans from 2020 are still in their positions. 

However, in Spring 2024 UNR has a total of 27 vice presidents, vice provosts, and deans (+6 positions / 29% increase). As of November 2023, their average base salary was $313K (24% increase). Only 15% of the salary increase can be attributed to COLAs and average merit increases since 2020. Some of the new executive positions also come with new support staff. 

For comparison, at UNLV the total number of vice presidents, vice provosts, and deans rose from 32 to 36 (12.5%) and their average base salary rose from $269K to $300K (11.6%) from Fall 2019 to Fall 2023.

UNR Executives and Administrative Faculty Range E - Number
Positions	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022	Fall 2023
Deans, Vice Presidents, Vice Provosts	21	24	24	27
Other executive-level personnel	57	53	55	64
Total	79	78	80	92
UNR Executives and Administrative Faculty Range E - Average Salaries
Positions	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022	Fall 2023
President	$449,489	$500,000	$505,000	$565,600
Deans, Vice Presidents, Vice Provosts	$252,872	$250,580	$275,875	$313,226
Other executive-level personnel	$186,576	$190,140	$189,918	$206,806
All	$207,796	$212,710	$219,643	$241,938
Source: NSHE public records. Notes: Averages of annualized base salaries only, other compensation not included. Vacant positions not included in counts. Analysis by NFA 12/2023.

Considering all executive-level employees (Executives and Administrative Faculty Range E) at UNR, table 1 shows that:

• The total number of executive-level employees rose from 79 to 92 (+13 positions / 16% increase) between Fall 2020 and Fall 2023, including net new positions and filled vacancies. 

• Promotions of directors or other positions to Vice President, Vice Provost, or Dean did not result in fewer lower-level executives. 

• In Fall 2020, the total base salaries for 79 executives was $16.4 million.  The 15% in regular increases (COLAs of 1% on 7/1/2022 and 12% on 7/1/2023 and two average merit raises of 1%) would have raised their salaries by $2.5 million to $18.9 million. 

• By Fall 2023, the total base salaries for 92 executives was $22.3 million, a net increase of $3.4 million beyond COLAs and merit for continuing positions. 

• Adding the 34% fringe rate gives a cost of $4.5 million per year as an ongoing annual expense for the added executive positions and executive raises.Each $1 million diverted to administration represents about ten new faculty positions that cannot be filled [1].

Table 2 lists the six new vice president, vice provost, and dean positions that were created, including:

• Two new senior vice provost positions were created with salaries of over $260,000 each.

• The Vice Provost for Information Technology position was upgraded to Vice President for Information Technology, while doubling the salary from $223K to $446K.

• A Director for Government Relations and Community Engagement was hired in December 2020. By Fall 2021, the position had been upgraded to Vice President, Government Relations and Community Engagement, who now has a staff including a Director, Government and Community Relations and a Manager, Government and Community Engagement.

The NFA has submitted public records requests to determine which Vice President positions were filled using a search including faculty representation on the screening committee as required by UNR Bylaws.

New or Upgraded Executive Position	Previous Position	Prior Salary*	2023 Salary
Vice President, Legal Affairs and General Counsel	General Counsel	$233,181a	$282,250
Vice President, Information Technology	Vice Provost, Information Technology	$222,916a	$445,760
Vice President, Governmental Relations and Community Engagement	Director for Government Relations and Community Engagement	$189,500b	$259,567
Senior Vice Provost, University Projects and Strategic Initiatives	New position. Incumbent was formerly Associate Dean.	$160,311b	$260,127
Senior Vice Provost	New position. Incumbent was formerly Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.	$164,800a	$265,332
Dean, Honors College	Director of the Honors College	$128,750a	$181,388
Source: NSHE public records. New executive position titles between July 2020 and December 2023. *Prior salary is for incumbent or former holders before position upgrade or promotion as of (a) Fall 2020 or (b) Fall 2021.

... continued in part 3B