Dear Colleagues,
Our faculty and staff are central to everything we accomplish at UTRGV, and we remain committed to investing in the people who make our mission possible.
Since the university’s founding, UTRGV has invested more than $93 million through merit and market equity adjustments, marking 11 consecutive years of salary investment.
That commitment extends beyond salary. Health insurance is an important part of total employee compensation, and as healthcare costs continue to rise, UTRGV will invest approximately $9.3 million more in health insurance costs this year. That additional investment affects the resources available for salary increases, but it also reflects the importance of maintaining strong benefits for our employees.
This year, UTRGV is funding a 1% merit pool for qualifying faculty and staff. Combined with last year’s 3% merit program, our merit investment over the 2025–27 biennium totals 4%.
Individual merit increases may vary, with a maximum increase of 2%. Merit adjustments will be no less than $600 and no more than $3,000.
Merit adjustments will take effect November 1 and will be reflected in November earnings, paid December 1. Additional information regarding eligibility and implementation will be shared soon. Employees who have received a pay increase of more than 5% since March 1, 2026, will not be eligible for an additional increase based on this year’s guidelines.
Taken together, UTRGV’s FY 2027 investments in merit, market and equity salary adjustments, and increased health insurance costs total approximately $15.5 million in additional employee compensation.
We recognize that this year’s salary increase is smaller than in recent years. Even so, we believed it was important to continue our annual investment in employee salaries while maintaining the benefits that are an important part of overall compensation.
We will continue working to strengthen employee compensation as resources allow.
Thank you for your continued dedication to UTRGV.
Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
President