November 18, 2021
Colleagues,
We are pleased to share that the State of North Carolina budget has passed the General Assembly and Governor Roy Cooper has signed the budget into law. We are thankful that the Senate, House, and Governor reached an agreement that will support public higher education.
The UNC System Office and our team are still analyzing all of the details, but here’s what we can share:
- All eligible state employees will receive a 5% raise (2.5% this fiscal year, 2.5% in FY 23). The UNC System will provide implementation guidance to all University human resources departments and the raise is expected to be implemented in January 2022.
- A $1,000 bonus will go to eligible State employees and an additional $500 bonus to certain categories of employees, including those with an annual salary of less than $75,000. Eligible retired state employees will not receive raises, but they will get 5% cost-of-living adjustment bonuses over two years: 2% this fiscal year and an additional 3% in FY 23.
We realize that you have questions regarding eligibility for increases and bonuses, and how these will be paid. We will provide additional details upon receipt of UNC System Office guidance.
In light of the work human resources and payroll will need to do to disseminate raises, all other employment requests will not be considered until the raises are implemented, in order to allow the department to focus on this time-intensive work. Employment requests that are critical to University operations, however, will be considered.
The state budget allocates the largest appropriation of funds to UNCG in our history. UNCG will receive $104 million for much needed repairs and renovation, which will address safety upgrades and greatly transform the learning and living experience for our students, including:
- $81 million for Jackson Library for renovations and expansion
- $23 million for over a dozen other much needed projects, including repairs addressing ADA compliance, crosswalks and pavements, fire alarm replacements, classroom upgrades, and other infrastructure improvements
The UNC System will receive $303,000 as part of the “Comprehensive Transition Postsecondary Scholarship Program” for certain students with intellectual disabilities, which at UNCG will help support our Beyond Academics students. In addition, we received one-time funds in the amount of $2.4 million for our emerging esports program.
This is wonderful news for UNCG. I’d like to thank the leadership at the UNC System Office, UNC System Board of Governors, our Trustees, and the many faculty, staff, and students who we have called upon to advocate for UNCG in Raleigh; and to Andrew Cagle, our Director of State Relations, who has worked tirelessly on our behalf.
Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.
Chancellor