Hopes & Aspirations High

Dear Colleagues:

One of the foundations of our Hopes & Aspirations High vision is becoming an employer of choice. But what does that really mean? To me, it means creating a culture where our faculty and staff members are appreciated, where they find purpose, and where they are fairly compensated for doing meaningful work. My goal is for TXST to be a place where you can better achieve your highest potential, where you are fulfilled in doing your life’s work, and where you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself. This will take an ongoing commitment to continual improvement and to meeting your needs while helping you reach your goals.

In my last Hopes & Aspirations High update, I emphasized the connection between our students and our mission. While they represent our “why” behind what we do, you represent our “who” and our “how.” I would be remiss not to acknowledge that the work all of you do is a tall order, especially in a year when we have so much going on, like our 125th anniversary and our role as the state’s first host of a presidential debate. In the day-to-day busyness of these and other initiatives, it can be easy to lose sight of the profound impact you are having on the lives of our students and in the broader community.

I want you to know that I see and deeply appreciate the work you do to support and educate our students, whether that is in the classroom or behind the scenes. Your work has ensured that they (and TXST) have shone brightly this year. Your efforts, passion, and expertise drive us forward. Today, I write to share some of the accomplishments and initiatives designed to support you and to propel TXST toward our goal of becoming your employer of choice.

1. Investments in Staff and Faculty Members

Since my arrival as TXST president, we have made significant progress to improve total compensation for staff and faculty members and to increase the number of employees.

Growing compensation

In FY2023, we dedicated nearly $28 million to permanent pay raises (a 7.2% increase over our FY2022 salary pool).
For FY2024, we again made similar investments by creating a $5.6 million performance-based merit pool for eligible employees; providing a cost of living adjustment of 2% to regular staff and faculty members who earned under $100,000 (base salary) per year; implementing a $30,000 minimum salary for full-time employees; and dedicating $1.75 million to provide market-adjustment increases to the salaries of faculty members who were underpaid according to market comparisons.

Increasing the Number of Employees

Compared to two years ago, we have 142 more benefits-eligible faculty members and 215 more benefits-eligible staff members, representing an overall increase of 10%. I heard you loud and clear that we needed more hands to do the work of this great university, and I hope you are starting to see that help is on the way (even though I am keenly aware that there is much remaining to do here).

Looking toward FY2025, we are planning to add even more positions and to create more salary increases, which will help us make progress towards ensuring all employees earn market-competitive salaries.

Instructional Faculty Title Series
This coming fall semester marks a significant milestone as we will invest more than $2.2 million in the creation of a new faculty title series consisting of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor of Instruction titles. This career path provides long-deserved recognition for the work our teaching-emphasis colleagues have done over the years. It also creates new advancement opportunities for these faculty members, ensuring that their talents and contribution to student success are recognized.

We will take a phased approach to fully fund the new faculty title series. During the first year, all lecturers and senior lecturers will be eligible to be considered for the title of Assistant Professor of Instruction. A committee has developed guidelines that will allow qualified lecturers to be appointed to the rank of Associate Professor of Instruction or Professor of Instruction in the first year of implementation. Appointment guidelines are available in individual departments and the portal for those who choose to enter the new faculty title series is currently open with a deadline of May 15, 2024. In year-one of the rollout, Associate Professors of Instruction and Professors of Instruction will receive a 7% increase in salary. In year-two of the rollout, Professors of Instruction will receive another 7% increase in salary. Just as is the case for tenure-line faculty, all appointments to Associate or Full professor of Instruction are subject to approval by the Provost and the President.

Salary Compensation Study
The data-gathering portion of the compensation study, which began in 2023 with the goal of bringing all employee salaries up to market-competitive levels over the next several years, is almost complete. We will update all staff position descriptions across the university by the end of May, and then, we will use these data to inform our decisions on how to allocate salary increases as we look toward Fall 2024.

2. Opportunities to Keep Growing - Educational Support and Professional Development

Just like we encourage our students to become life-long learners, TXST believes in fostering opportunities for continuous learning and growth for employees and their dependents.

This year, we implemented a program to provide a 25% undergraduate designated tuition benefit for dependent children of eligible employees. During Fall 2023 and Spring 2024, the dependent tuition program saved TXST parent employees over $100,000! Because of its success and popularity, I am glad to report that this benefit will increase to 50% beginning with the Fall 2024 semester.

This is a good time to remind you that the “Academic Release & Tuition Support” initiative allows qualifying employees to receive paid class leave or release time, and all employees may request to have designated tuition and fees waived. Since Fall 2022, more than 600 TXST employees have had designated tuition waived through these programs.

I also encourage you to take advantage of the many no-cost opportunities TXST offers to further your professional developments, such as the more than 5,000 courses available at no charge to you on LinkedIn Learning, the Presidential Leadership Academy, and our Employee Development Day.

3. Offering Remote Work Flexibility

While the nature of the work we do requires most of us to serve in person on our campuses, there are some jobs that can be efficiently performed remotely. To that end, we have created some of the best policies among universities in Texas to help balance the needs of TXST employees while still providing our students with the support and services they need and expect. Last year, for example, we granted 51,576 hours of short-term remote work and approved 1,578 long-term remote-work assignments.

As a relatively new TXST employee myself, I want to take a minute to tell you about some of my favorite university benefits.

We can elect to join the State of Texas Teachers’ Retirement Plan. This is one of the best-funded and most secure defined-benefit retirement plans in the country. Defined-benefit retirement plans are virtually non-existent in the private sector these days.
We offer compensatory time for our exempt employees – this is rare in higher education.
Eligible employees can work with their supervisor to take up to 2.5 hours of time off with pay per week to participate in wellness related activities.
Our Student Recreation Centers offer membership for $25 per month for eligible employees.
Staff members can receive both university and State of Texas longevity pay.
Energy conservation days on our campuses during the holiday and spring breaks add time off in addition to our 15 official days of holiday in each fiscal year.
Several employee recognition programs award leave with pay or monetary awards.
Last year, we created a new, steeply discounted employee meal plan for the San Marcos campus that never expires and costs just $5.50 plus tax per meal.

Please take time to familiarize yourself with these benefits and the many others on the TXST Human Resources website.

4. Staying Connected

One of the most important factors in being an employer of preference is keeping lines of communication open. Much of the progress outlined in this email started with an employee suggestion or idea. Among my favorite experiences at TXST these past two years has been time spent talking with faculty and staff members, through “Coffees with Kelly” and through other formal and informal events and meeting opportunities. I continue to learn so much from you, and I am looking for more ways for us to connect as individuals and as a community.

This year, I launched the Deeds of Valor Award as a complement to our long-standing Employee of the Month program to recognize TXST employees who go above and beyond in service to others. Employees are nominated by their peers, and I have the honor of presenting one award per month to some amazing individuals. When we launched the program, the response was overwhelming with hundreds of nominations on the first day, which is a testament to the caliber and quality of our employees. Not only do I get to know the recipients, but I meet the teams that serve alongside them. It warms my heart to see the dedication that so many of you bring to our mission to serve, inspire, and educate.

My appreciation for all of you comes in many forms – sincere words, recognition, and action are all important. We are working together to create a place where you, and many other outstanding dedicated professionals, know you are valued and see a steadfast commitment to continuous improvement, to streamlining processes, and to enhancing services that support you to grow and flourish.

I am deeply grateful to you for all you do to shape the future of TXST.

Kelly Damphousse
President

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