UW-Madison commits $12.5M to faculty and staff raises | The Locally Times
Published · The Locally Times
University leadership approved $7.5 million for base pay adjustments and $5 million for performance bonuses, with raises effective November 29.
University of Wisconsin-Madison leadership has approved $12.5 million in compensation funding for the current fiscal year, according to an October 6, 2026 university announcement. The university states the funding is intended to maintain salary market competitiveness, reward and retain high-performing faculty and staff, increase compensation for lower-paid employees, and address salary compression and parity concerns. The central compensation fund allocates $7.5 million for base-building pay adjustments for eligible faculty, academic staff, university staff and limited appointees, with the remaining $5 million dedicated to employee performance bonuses. The central funds supplement a 2% pay increase for Universities of Wisconsin employees that took effect in July 2026. Pay adjustments become effective on November 29, 2026, and all performance bonuses will be paid by December 2026. Each school, college or division is being asked to outline its processes for employee eligibility and distribution of the central funds and to share that information with employees in its unit. Units are encouraged to review their budgets and allocate funds to address salaries for positions that are not centrally funded. To receive the base adjustments or one-time bonuses, employees must be in good standing on position-specific compliance requirements, have served at least six months in their current position, not be serving a probationary or performance evaluation period, and have met performance expectations in their last evaluation. Supervisors are required to complete performance evaluations for the employees they supervise, and additional criteria may apply at the college, school or divisional level.