Ball State raises pay for professors

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - Ball State University trustees have approved a 3.5 percent increase in salary funding for faculty and professional staff.

The increase will take effect July 1.

The Star Press reports ( http://tspne.ws/IQIZmT ) trustees approved the increase Friday following complaints about comparatively low pay and unequal raises for faculty compared with those for the president and athletic director.

A national survey published by the American Association of University Professors and The Chronicle of Higher Education put Ball State's average salary of $85,000 for a full professor in the bottom 5 percent compared to similar schools nationwide.

Last summer, trustees increased President Jo Ann Gora's salary by 10 percent, from $392,040 to $431,244. Trustees on Friday approved a salary of $235,000 for new athletic director William Scholl. His predecessor had been paid $185,840.