Pay Equity Study Commissioned

The University of Denver has begun a pay equity study. This voluntary study, commissioned by Chancellor Chopp, has been established to determine whether there are systemic inequities impacting our non-union benefited faculty and staff salaries based on gender and underrepresented minority status.

The University of Denver deeply values its community of stakeholders – the faculty, staff, students, alums, and friends. It is in this community that the university defines itself, its mission, and future direction. The DU employees, in particular, are central to our support of our students, our research, and our community engagement. While compensation is not the only driver for our employees, we know that the fair and equitable framework by which compensation is set is critically essential. Ensuring that we have an equitable approach towards compensation is a principle that DU deeply embraces.

To this end, the University has employed the services of a third-party vendor, Gallagher, to conduct the study, guided by an administrative team with input from a University Advisory Committee.

About the Advisory Committee

The advisory committee is comprised of nine faculty members, seven staff members, two deans, and a representative from ODI. The members are listed below:

Faculty:

• Rosanna Garcia, Associate Professor Marketing, Daniels College of Business
• Paul Kosempel, Teaching Associate Professor PLP
• Lisa Martinez, Associate Professor Sociology and Criminology, College of Arts Humanities and Social Science
• Markus Schneider, Associate Professor Economics, College of Arts Humanities and Social Science
• Mary Stansbury, Lead Faculty, Morgridge College of Education
• Andrea Stanton, Associate Professor Religious Studies, College of Arts Humanities and Social Science
• Lolita Tabron, Assistant Professor Morgridge College of Education
• Scott Toney, Teaching Associate Professor Business Information and Analytics, Daniels College of Business

Staff:

• Merisa Bissinger, Director of Budget and Operations (University Libraries)
• Rosalynn Feagins, Director, Financial Analysis
• Allana Forté, Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment (Admissions)
• Kirk Jones, Assistant Dean, Business and Operations (College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences)
• Christopher Pena, Director, Data Mgt.
• Molly Smith, Instructional Support Specialist (University College)
• Gary Starling, Associate Vice Chancellor, IT Infrastructure and CISO

Women’s Leadership Council:

• Shelly Smith-Acuña, Dean, GSPP

Dean of Colorado Women’s College:

• Ann Ayers

Office of Diversity and Inclusion:

• Kristin Deal, Special Projects Coordinator

The charge of the advisory committee is to offer advice on such aspects of the project as vendor selection, approach, study results, and study communication to the campus community. The Advisory Committee has already convened twice to begin work on this critical initiative.

In its initial work, the committee evaluated RFPs from four firms, ultimately selecting Gallagher to conduct the pay equity study.

About the vendor

Gallagher is one of the world’s largest human capital, insurance brokerage and risk management services firms. Opening its doors for business in 1927 as Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Gallagher is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, IL, with operations in 33 countries, extending its client service capabilities to more than 90 countries through a global network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Since 1961, Gallagher has helped clients overcome business barriers and create new opportunities to cost-effectively attract, retain and productively engage the best performers in their field.

Gallagher’s Human Resources & Compensation Consulting (HRCC) group empowers clients to attract talent, manage staff, develop leaders, and reward success to produce an engaged and productive workforce. Gallagher’s HRCC team has a holistic focus on employee and organizational well-being. It’s the guiding principle that informs every aspect of Gallagher’s comprehensive approach to benefits, compensation, retirement, employee communications and workplace culture.

After reviewing RFPs from four firms, the Pay Equity Advisory Committee chose Gallagher as the vendor to conduct the study on the basis of their high reputation for their work in higher education, as well as their commitment to diversity and inclusivity.

Process and Next Steps

The pay equity study will be conducted in several phases. Over the summer, we are working on ensuring all employee data is accurate. In the fall, Gallagher will conduct the first pay equity analysis by department, salary grade, gender, ethnicity, and age. Informing these decisions will be market competitiveness. The outcome of this study is anticipated to be complete in Winter Quarter 2020. At the end of the study, the committee will work with University leadership to strategize on addressing the findings. We will publish periodic updates in the Bridge to keep the community up to date on our progress.

Contact

Contact HR.Compensation@du.edu with any questions or comments you may have about this study.