Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.69
Liaison John Pumilio
Submission Date July 23, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Colgate University
PA-9: Employee Compensation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.97 / 3.00 John Pumilio
Director of Sustainability
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of employees:
971
+ Date Revised: Oct. 6, 2014

Number of staff and faculty covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements:
971
+ Date Revised: Oct. 6, 2014

Does the institution have employees of contractors working on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations?:
Yes

Number of employees of contractors working on campus:
95

Number of employees of contractors covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies and/or collective bargaining agreements:
95

A brief description of the sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements covering staff, faculty and/or employees of contractors:

Colgate’s compensation program provides salary and benefits that are competitive with the external labor market in order to attract, retain, and motivate a diverse, talented and effective staff.

Administrative Compensation
Each administrative position at Colgate has its own salary range that is determined using data obtained through the annual College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Administrative Salary Surveys. These data are supplemented by other available market data to ensure that the ranges are competitive.

Ranges are also created for positions that are unique to Colgate or for which no external data are available by comparing those positions to other Colgate positions with similar levels of responsibility and scope for which appropriate salary ranges exist.

Technicians Pay Program
The technical staff includes those positions that require specialized knowledge or skills acquired through experience or academic or vocational training such as computer programmers, technicians, and lab assistants.These positions are recruited from local and sometimes regional markets. Wages for technicians are market-based using data collected by a third-party consultant. The survey group includes our reference groups schools (many of these jobs are specific to higher education) as well as several local colleges and employers. The survey data is updated every three to five years and is used to set unique salary ranges for each position.

The technical staff pay system also includes a five-tier title and promotion structure. Merit is incorporated into the system by providing the opportunity for a "fast-track" promotion when a supervisor or department makes the case that based on exceptional contributions, learned skills, or taking on significant additional duties, a given technician should be promoted earlier than the five-year interval, but at no more frequent intervals than three years.

Support Staff Career Progression Program
The Support Staff Career Progression Program is designed to provide career growth opportunities to staff members within their current jobs, to identify potential promotional opportunities, as well as to link pay opportunity to what individuals actually do on the job.

The foundation of this program is the Skill and Competency Model. The model establishes an individual's pay opportunity through an assessment of skills and competencies demonstrated on the job. This ensures that the attributes and behaviors of the staff member link with the requirements of the job.

Each support staff position has a skill band and a corresponding salary range based on an assessment of the position. This will be reviewed annually, but will probably not change significantly unless the staff member demonstrates dramatically different levels or types of skills and competencies.

Buildings & Grounds
The starting wages, steps, and wage increases of this group are established by union contract. Contract-negotiated salary levels are informed by pay rates and increase percentages from local colleges also represented by SEIU Local 200 United (Syracuse University, Hamilton College, and St. Lawrence University). We also use other local published survey data that are available.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (assessing employee compensation)?:
Yes

Number of staff and faculty that receive sustainable compensation:
950

Number of employees of contractors that receive sustainable compensation:
95

A brief description of the standard(s) against which compensation was assessed:

Colgate’s compensation program provides salary and benefits that are competitive with the external labor market in order to attract, retain, and motivate a diverse, talented and effective staff. Colgate University is located in Madison County. The current census data, for Madison County, indicates the living wage for a family of four is $10.60 per hour/$20,670 annual. Colgate uses the county living wage standard to guide our compensation rates for employees. As a result, no employee at Colgate earns less than the living wage.Colgate provides a generous benefit package to employees that are valued between 30% - 40% of salary.

Administrative Compensation
Each administrative position at Colgate has its own salary range that is determined using data obtained through the annual College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Administrative Salary Surveys. These data are supplemented by other available market data to ensure that the ranges are competitive.

Ranges are also created for positions that are unique to Colgate or for which no external data are available by comparing those positions to other Colgate positions with similar levels of responsibility and scope for which appropriate salary ranges exist.

Technicians Pay Program
The technical staff includes those positions that require specialized knowledge or skills acquired through experience or academic or vocational training such as computer programmers, technicians, and lab assistants.These positions are recruited from local and sometimes regional markets. Wages for technicians are market-based using data collected by a third-party consultant. The survey group includes our reference groups schools (many of these jobs are specific to higher education) as well as several local colleges and employers. The survey data is updated every three to five years and is used to set unique salary ranges for each position.

The technical staff pay system also includes a five-tier title and promotion structure. Merit is incorporated into the system by providing the opportunity for a "fast-track" promotion when a supervisor or department makes the case that based on exceptional contributions, learned skills, or taking on significant additional duties, a given technician should be promoted earlier than the five-year interval, but at no more frequent intervals than three years.

Support Staff Career Progression Program
The Support Staff Career Progression Program is designed to provide career growth opportunities to staff members within their current jobs, to identify potential promotional opportunities, as well as to link pay opportunity to what individuals actually do on the job.

The foundation of this program is the Skill and Competency Model. The model establishes an individual's pay opportunity through an assessment of skills and competencies demonstrated on the job. This ensures that the attributes and behaviors of the staff member link with the requirements of the job.

Each support staff position has a skill band and a corresponding salary range based on an assessment of the position. This will be reviewed annually, but will probably not change significantly unless the staff member demonstrates dramatically different levels or types of skills and competencies.

Buildings & Grounds
The starting wages, steps, and wage increases of this group are established by union contract. Contract-negotiated salary levels are informed by pay rates and increase percentages from local colleges also represented by SEIU Local 200 United (Syracuse University, Hamilton College, and St. Lawrence University). We also use other local published survey data that are available.

+ Date Revised: Sept. 15, 2014
+ Date Revised: Oct. 6, 2014

A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, full-time employees:

Colgate’s compensation program provides salary and benefits that are competitive with the external labor market in order to attract, retain, and motivate a diverse, talented and effective staff. Colgate University is located in Madison County. The current census data, for Madison County, indicates the living wage for a family of four is $10.60 per hour/$20,670 annual. Colgate uses the county living wage standard to guide our compensation rates for employees. As a result, no employee at Colgate earns less than the living wage.

Administrative Compensation
Each administrative position at Colgate has its own salary range that is determined using data obtained through the annual College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Administrative Salary Surveys. These data are supplemented by other available market data to ensure that the ranges are competitive.

Ranges are also created for positions that are unique to Colgate or for which no external data are available by comparing those positions to other Colgate positions with similar levels of responsibility and scope for which appropriate salary ranges exist.

Technicians Pay Program
The technical staff includes those positions that require specialized knowledge or skills acquired through experience or academic or vocational training such as computer programmers, technicians, and lab assistants.These positions are recruited from local and sometimes regional markets. Wages for technicians are market-based using data collected by a third-party consultant. The survey group includes our reference groups schools (many of these jobs are specific to higher education) as well as several local colleges and employers. The survey data is updated every three to five years and is used to set unique salary ranges for each position.

The technical staff pay system also includes a five-tier title and promotion structure. Merit is incorporated into the system by providing the opportunity for a "fast-track" promotion when a supervisor or department makes the case that based on exceptional contributions, learned skills, or taking on significant additional duties, a given technician should be promoted earlier than the five-year interval, but at no more frequent intervals than three years.

Support Staff Career Progression Program
The Support Staff Career Progression Program is designed to provide career growth opportunities to staff members within their current jobs, to identify potential promotional opportunities, as well as to link pay opportunity to what individuals actually do on the job.

The foundation of this program is the Skill and Competency Model. The model establishes an individual's pay opportunity through an assessment of skills and competencies demonstrated on the job. This ensures that the attributes and behaviors of the staff member link with the requirements of the job.

Each support staff position has a skill band and a corresponding salary range based on an assessment of the position. This will be reviewed annually, but will probably not change significantly unless the staff member demonstrates dramatically different levels or types of skills and competencies.

Buildings & Grounds
The starting wages, steps, and wage increases of this group are established by union contract. Contract-negotiated salary levels are informed by pay rates and increase percentages from local colleges also represented by SEIU Local 200 United (Syracuse University, Hamilton College, and St. Lawrence University). We also use other local published survey data that are available.

+ Date Revised: Sept. 15, 2014

A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, part-time employees:

Recent state legislation raised the minimum wage in New York to $8.00 per hour, effective on December 31, 2013. Accordingly, the new Minimum Wage Orders reflect this change, as well as future scheduled raises in the state minimum wage to $8.75 per hour as of December 31, 2014, and to $9.00 per hour as of December 31, 2015.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular) staff:

Recent state legislation raised the minimum wage in New York to $8.00 per hour, effective on December 31, 2013. Accordingly, the new Minimum Wage Orders reflect this change, as well as future scheduled raises in the state minimum wage to $8.75 per hour as of December 31, 2014, and to $9.00 per hour as of December 31, 2015.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular, adjunct or contingent) faculty:

To calculate faculty salaries for summer work, use a maximum of 2/9 (= two months) of the academic year salary, keeping in mind that July 1 is the date of annual salary increases.

Estimate annual salary increases at 3.1%.

Use the following rate to calculate faculty fringe benefits: 28.6% of salary.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid student employees (graduate and/or undergraduate, as applicable):

Rate of pay for undergraduate students is established by our Financial Aid Department. In 2014, the rate of pay for the lowest earning student interns was $8.55 per hour.


The local legal minimum hourly wage for regular employees:
8 US/Canadian $

Does the institution have an on-site child care facility, partner with a local facility, and/or provide subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of faculty and staff?:
Yes

Does the institution offer a socially responsible investment option for retirement plans?:
Yes

The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable compensation policies and practices is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Besides full-time faculty and staff, Colgate contracts with Sodexo. Sodexo employs 95 people (60 full-time; 35 part-time). All are unionized and earning above minimum wage (including part-time employees).


Besides full-time faculty and staff, Colgate contracts with Sodexo. Sodexo employs 95 people (60 full-time; 35 part-time). All are unionized and earning above minimum wage (including part-time employees).

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.