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The Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) heard an update from the chancellor’s task force on faculty compensation, finalized yearly priorities, were updated on a performance evaluation of a member of academic affairs leadership, and more during its monthly meeting on Oct. 2.

Update from Chancellor’s Faculty Salary Task Force

CU Boulder has long ranked low compared to��Association of American Universities (AAU) public peers when it comes to faculty compensation. This discrepancy led the issue to be identified as one of the top priorities for the BFA after a 2024 membership survey.

"In my conversations with the chancellor, I suggested that we talk about this and figure out what to do, and he came up with the idea of, ‘Well, what do the faculty want us to do? What are the ideas from our faculty?’ and that is why this compensation task force (the Chancellor’s Faculty Salary Task Force) got started," said Shelly Miller, professor emerita of mechanical engineering, the former BFA chair, and the task force’s co-chair.

The task force, co-led by Miller and Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives Ann Schmiesing, was charged with making recommendations regarding compensation enhancement options and strategies, with an initial focus on tenure-track/tenured faculty and teaching professors. They delivered a presentation to the BFA on the group’s work to date.��

The task force began meeting in May 2025, and spent the summer gathering information about salaries as well as reviewing the university’s general compensation philosophy. Three specific subgroups were also formed to examine compensation levers, retention and promotion raise practices, and teaching loads.

The compensation levers subgroup looked at what sorts of levers the university already has and what enhancements are needed. One draft recommendation from this subgroup is to develop a faculty-specific compensation strategy, which will be a "comprehensive, transparent and equitable approach to faculty pay."

The retention and promotion raises subgroup found that there were differences across the colleges and schools with how faculty retention and promotion raises are handled. Their draft recommendations include the establishment of clearer guidelines; a systematic, five-year review to make sure the processes are effective, transparent and fair; and a more complete collection of data to inform policy.

The teaching load subgroup came about because, "We also needed to better understand the main function that we’re all here to do, which is to teach students, and how this is associated with compensation," said Miller. They were tasked with collecting information on standard teaching loads, course load adjustment policies and practices, and faculty workload distribution, emphasizing that they are not charged with recommending that teaching loads be raised or lowered.��

The report is not yet finalized, pending some final data gathering and review of draft recommendations, and will be delivered to the chancellor in November.

Administrator performance review

Academic Affairs leaders undergo a review by the BFA on the basis of their five-year performance cycles. This year focused on the position of vice chancellor and senior vice provost for academic planning and assessment. Katherine Eggert has been in this role since 2018, spearheading projects like the Buffs Undergraduate Success (BUS) initiative and the university’s COVID-19 response, among others.

The evaluators used both a quantitative and qualitative approach to discuss Eggert’s performance, distributing a survey and interviewing those who work closest with her.

The report found that Eggert does a commendable job with the role with many satisfied by her work, but suggested that the position is overtaxed with responsibilities, being too broad for one person to manage. They recommended a restructuring of the role’s responsibilities.

Those who conducted the review noted that her work has been essential to campus, according to Tim Kuhn, a communications professor and part of the committee that conducted Eggert’s evaluation. He also said that the review noted her careful listening to constituents and her bringing a vision to the role.��

In other BFA action

• The Climate Science and Education Committee reiterated their request from the September meeting that individual units invite the Climate Action Plan committee to discuss what units can do to support the plan.
• The BFA solidified their priorities for the upcoming academic year, which include faculty compensation, sustainability and academic freedom.
• The BFA voted to forward a resolution to the BFA membership to urge the CU Boulder chancellor and the CU president and regents to help establish a Mutual Academic Defense Compact among all Colorado institutions of higher education to support any member institution under direct political or legal attack. The CU system, in a statement provided to the BFA, noted six current major areas of coordinated effort in responding to federal policy, including legal efforts organized by the Colorado Attorney General to "defend against federal lawsuits and funding cuts.” The statement noted that CU leadership “has spearheaded campus declarations included in multiple lawsuits filed by the AG, and many other state attorneys general and other higher education associations, to halt federal actions detrimental to our work."
• The BFA voted to sign on to a letter drafted by CU Student Government, and co-endorsed by Staff Council, that calls for the placement of a planned statue of former CU Boulder football coach Bill McCartney in an area away from central campus—which Chancellor Schwartz has already directed, according to BFA Chair Alastair Norcross of philosophy —and for creating a scholarship for students, staff and faculty, awarding $1,990 to individuals who have made great strides to promote community belonging. The dollar amount is a nod to McCartney’s achievement of leading the CU Boulder football team to its only football national championship in 1990.
• Finally, the BFA voted to create a working group that will work with Eggert and units across campus to make recommendations for the implementation of the common curriculum.

Learn more about the BFA and previous actions on��the BFA website.