Faculty say "no thank you" to raise

Date:  May 29,
Editor: D'Lyn Ford  (505) 646-6528, dlford@nmsu.edu

Some New Mexico State University faculty said "no thank you" Thursday to a proposed pay increase.

In a resolution sent to interim president William Conroy, representatives of NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service faculty said they stand in opposition to a pay increase proposed by former president J. Michael Orenduff.

The Cooperative Extension Service (CES) includes more than 100 NMSU faculty members, located on campus and in all 33 counties. Jointly with county governments, they administer 4-H programs and education programs involving agriculture, home economics, and community development.

The CES budget review task force stated in its resolution that accepting a pay raise when none was appropriated by the state would create serious personnel reductions in CES.

"We barely have a critical mass of faculty to conduct our programs now," said Jerry Schickedanz, associate dean and director of CES. "Under the circumstances, the only way we can pay for mandated salary increases is to eliminate positions."