The state Board of Higher Education will be looking at hiring a consultant to do a salary survey of faculty, staff and leadership of the state’s public colleges, on how they compare to regional and national salaries.
"We are in a battle for talent," said North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott.
Hagerott said this issue affects all University System employees.
"For example, they're trying to build a polytechnic institute at Bismarck State College," Hagerott said. "You've got to hire some digital science people. Well, guess what — digital scientists are in such demand."
Hagerott is helping the Navy on a task force on their education system.
"They have several digital science gaps at their colleges," Hagerott said.
Hagerott said this is a problem across higher ed — finding competitive salaries to get them to come to North Dakota.
"We just have wonderful, livable communities" Hagerott said. "Let's face it — if you're trying to recruit in these big cities after COVID, that's a hard sale. So we've got a beautiful place, but we have to have competitive salaries."
The Board recently hired Dr. David Cook as the new president at NDSU. He will be paid $420,000 per year. It makes him the highest paid president in the University System. The salary was negotiated.
Hagerott said the Board is looking at hiring a consulting group that does salary surveys. But he said there’s also a shortage of consultants.
"We tried to do something like this earlier in the fall," Hagerott said. "They couldn't even take our work, because they have a shortage of analysts."
Hagerott said this will be a big topic when the Board holds its retreat in early Summer.
