Virginia Tech Instructional Faculty Salary Equity Study 2014-15

The Virginia Tech Instructional Faculty Salary Equity Study was modeled after similar analyses conducted at like institutions. In both of those cases, the linear regression analyses approximated a methodology recommended by NSF and developed by AAUP (Paychecks: A Guide to Conducting Salary Equity Studies for Higher Education Faculty, by Lois Haignere, AAUP, 2002). In the Virginia Tech study, the regression analyses were supplemented with a hierarchical analysis that incorporated nested information (a faculty member is in a department and that department is in a college). The intent behind this multi-pronged approach was to support a more holistic understanding of compensation patterns at Virginia Tech (VT).

One-thousand three-hundred fifty-four full-time tenured/tenure-track instructional faculty were included in the analysis. Instructional faculty on leave without pay, or not working in academic departments were not included in this population. Nine-month equivalent salary was the independent variable in the models. Gender, minority status, years at Virginia Tech, years in rank, rank, and department were the primary factors considered. From the analyses, we were able to conclude that as mediating factors are introduced into the models, the influence of gender, as well as race/ethnicity, on salary seems to dissipate to negligible levels. In addition, years at Virginia Tech, years in rank, rank, and college seem to be the best predictors of salary.