September 22, 2025

Salary increase guidelines

This message was sent to faculty and staff from Chancellor Austin Lane on Sept. 19.

Dear fellow Salukis:

On Sept. 18, the SIU Board of Trustees approved a salary increase plan for fiscal year 2026. The plan includes increases as identified through the recent Compensation 2030 study conducted by CBIZ consulting firm. When we began the study over a year ago, we knew that we had employees that were well below the market in terms of salary and in many cases were also compressed in pay. The study helped us identify these affected individuals. This year marks the first step in providing increases that will ensure all employees are at pay grade minimums in addition to adjustments addressing issues of pay compression. Employees will receive a minimum 1% increase if they are not provided with an increase of at least 1% as a result of the study. This adjustment will be applied according to the following guidelines for employees who are not represented by a collective bargaining agreement. 

  • The effective date of the increases for employees will be Oct. 1, 2025.
  • Increases to base salaries will be calculated on the employee’s base salary in effect on Sept. 30, 2025.
  • Salary increases for employees paid with non-state funds are to be handled in the same manner as increases for employees paid from state funds, subject to any restrictions on grants and contracts against which the employee is employed.

Human Resources will host a series of open forums next week to provide employees with an overview of the new compensation structure that will be rolled out as result of the Compensation 2030 study. HR will also review the template communication that employees will receive, which will explain how they fit into the new structure and what their specific pay increase will be. 

The forums are geared towards non-represented staff and their supervisors. The forums will be held via Teams, and the links to attend are below. The same information will be shared at each session, so employees should attend only one session. These sessions are optional, and no registration is required. Employees will receive individualized communication that will include their specific increase amount after the completion of the final forum and no later than the close of business on Friday, Sept. 26. If you have questions about the forums or the rollout plan, please contact siu.employmentservices@siu.edu. 

The upcoming increases for non-represented staff are a part of the overall investment made for all of our people, including those in collective bargaining agreements that have been previously negotiated. Non-tenure track faculty received a 3% increase for FY26, and tenure track faculty received a 2% increase and will also reopen wage discussions in March to negotiate the distribution of $1.2 million that was earmarked to address compression – as informed by the Compensation 2030 study. 

I want to thank each of you for all you contribute to SIU Carbondale. I am also grateful to our trustees for supporting this important investment in our people. This salary increase is just one step in our broader commitment to equity and fairness. Through the Compensation 2030 project and our partnership with CBIZ, we will continue working to ensure our employees are valued and supported.

Go Dawgs!

Austin A. Lane
Chancellor