Pay Increase Continues Jayhawks Rising Progress

Barbara A. Bichelmeyer, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor; Jeff DeWitt, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice Chancellor for Finance; and Mike Rounds, Vice Provost for Human Resources, Public Safety, Facilities and Operations
Friday, June 30, 2023, 1:16 p.m.
KU Lawrence Faculty and Staff Graduate Teaching Assistants, Graduate Research Assistants and Graduate Assistants

Dear Colleague,

Thank you for your great work over the past year and for your preparations for the coming academic year.

KU is working toward market-based pay as part of our Jayhawks Rising objective to Increase Workplace Satisfaction. For the second straight year, we are pleased to announce a pay increase for most KU Lawrence and Edwards Campus employees. Our thanks to Governor Laura Kelly and the state legislature for including partial funding for pay increases in the FY24 budget allocation.  

Eligibility by Employee Groups

  • KU faculty and staff in an active status today (June 30), including those on leave, will receive a 2.5% pay increase effective Aug. 20. The increase will be reflected on the Sept. 15 paycheck.
  • Graduate Research Assistants and Graduate Assistants with an active appointment effective Aug. 18 will receive a 2.5% pay increase effective Aug. 20. The increase will be reflected on the Sept. 15 paycheck.
  • Before a pay adjustment can be allocated for Graduate Teaching Assistants, the university and the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition (GTAC) will need to reach an agreement on new compensation terms and have all terms approved by GTAC, KU and the Kansas Board of Regents. Additional information will be shared when it is available.
  • Wage increases for student hourly employees will follow the established university process. Additionally, the student hourly minimum will increase to $10/hour effective Aug. 1.
  • Leaders of affiliate units, such as the Kansas Union and KU Athletics, will determine wages for employees in those units.

Our Commitment to Market-based Pay

A priority of our five-year financial plan is to build pay increases into our annual budget. If you haven’t already, we encourage you learn more by watching the latest video presentation about our financial plan.

We recognize the importance of regular pay increases, even as we continue complex work to eliminate the structural deficit. We have completed a staff salary market study and a faculty study is underway to address pay disparities and to move our compensation into closer alignment with market rates.

We appreciate all you do to ensure the success of our students, our academic programs and our research community. Thank you for all the contributions you make that help us progress toward our vision to be an exceptional learning community that lifts each member and advances society.

Respectfully,

Barb, Jeff and Mike

Barbara Bichelmeyer
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Jeff DeWitt
Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice Chancellor for Finance

Mike Rounds
Vice Provost for Human Resources, Public Safety, Facilities and Operations