PORTLAND ( AP) — The University of Southern Maine is under fire for handing out raises as high as 41 percent to 44 employees at a time of fiscal constraint.
The $242,000 in raises this year come to light as the university faces $5.1 million in projected budget cuts in the coming year at campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston.
Faculty and other employees across the University of Maine System haven’t had cost- of- living raises since 2009, and system administrators recently offered the faculty union a 0.5 percent increase after faculty members worked a year without a contract.
Ed Collom, a sociology professor and president of the faculty union, says he is angered by the raises.
President Selma Botman tells The Portland Press Herald the raises were necessary to keep the university competitive.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less