MCC adjunct salaries up 45 percent by 2014
Members of McHenry County College’s adjunct faculty union will get 45-percent raises on average over the next four years under a new contract approved by the board on Thursday.
The contract covers about 180 faculty members and will kick in next month. In a news release, the college said the salary increases will cost about $390,000, or about one percent of the college’s educational fund budget for next year.
Adjunct Faculty Association Vice President Peter Ponzio said the current base salary for adjunct faculty members with a bachelor’s degree is $1,584 for three credit hours taught, which generally equates to one class. That rate will increase to $1,815 starting in August, and by academic year 2014-15 it will be up to $2,400, Ponzio said. That’s a 52 percent increase.
On average, given varying levels of seniority, faculty members will see an increase of 45 percent, he said.
The raises will allow MCC be more competitive with other colleges in the area, Ponzio said. “We realize we had to make it affordable for the college, but this way we can get people to stay at MCC,” he said.
The average pay at Elgin Community College, Harper College, College of Lake County, and Rock Valley College is $2,505 per course, while average pay at MCC is currently $1,707 per course, the college’s news release stated.
The new contract also provides for “greater professional development opportunities” for adjunct faculty members, a more formal evaluation process and more flexibility regarding the number of hours taught by faculty, college officials said.