The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents today will consider performance-based pay raises for dozens of UH administrators, including school President David McClain and Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw.

McClain is expected to receive a raise of some $21,000, bringing his annual salary to $414,096. Hinshaw's salary would increase from $350,016 to $363,024.

Others are expected to receive raises, including the dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law and the director of UH-Manoa's Institute for Astronomy.

This is the first time, under a newly passed law, that the university is disclosing proposed salary hikes prior to the increases being approved by the UH Board of Regents.

"I'm pleased as punch that we have the numbers so that we can actually comment on them prior to approval," said J.N. Musto, executive director of the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly, which represents UH faculty members and professors.

Musto said the salaries were never disclosed prior to the board signing off on them.

"It's going to make the regents think in honest terms about what they do, what kind of salaries they offer to the administration," Musto said.

Salary increases are based on annual performance reviews conducted of the various higher education officials. Regents will meet in executive session during its monthly meeting today to discuss the salary adjustments of various administrators.

McClain's proposed salary of $414,096 is a more than 21 percent increase over his original salary of $325,000 four years ago when he was named interim president of the 10-campus UH system. Last year, he made $392,400.

McClain still makes less than his predecessor, Evan Dobelle, who had an annual salary of $442,000 prior to being ousted in 2004.

Sen. Norman Sakamoto observed that McClain is making far more than former UH President Kenneth Mortimer, who earned about $170,000 a year.

"I'm not going to say someone does or doesn't deserve that money," Sakamoto said. "The question would be what outcomes or what performance warrants someone getting paid that amount?"

Sakamoto said it is not unreasonable for administrators to receive raises. He said regents should consider whether there is an additional benefit to increasing already "big salaries."

"Has he shown that he has met the measures and there is that much more of a benefit? That's what they need to decide," Sakamoto said.

Brenna Hashimoto, UH director of human resources, said administrators' salaries are comparable with that of higher education officials from similar institutions across the country.

"We need to make sure our salaries are competitive nationally," for recruitment and retention reasons, Hashimoto said.

MCCLAIN 'OUTSTANDING'

UH administrators receive job reviews annually and their raises are tied to their reviews, said Carolyn Tanaka, associate vice president for external affairs.

Officials were given a $6,000 increase for ratings of fully satisfactory, superior or outstanding. Those rated as superior received an additional 2 percent increase; those rated as outstanding received an additional 4 percent.

Earlier this month, the regents completed an annual review of McClain's job performance and ranked it as "outstanding," the highest category in the university's evaluation system.

Within their review of McClain, the regents praised McClain's ability to manage financial resources and his focus on better serving the Native Hawaiian population through academic programs, grants and scholarships.

Other high-profile university administrators are also being considered for raises based on their job evaluations.

The proposed salary for law school dean Aviam Soifer is $403,128, a 5.6 percent increase. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, director of the Institute for Astronomy, is expected to receive $382,272 annually, a 3.6 percent increase.

The proposed salary for Rose Tseng, chancellor of UH-Hilo, is $305,280, up from $266,448. Gene Awakuni, chancellor of UH-West O'ahu, is expected to receive $222,576, up from $208,224.

FACULTY GOT 11% RAISE

Klaus Keil, chairman of the UH faculty senate and a planetary scientist for the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, said the proposed salary increases for administrators are in line with what is happening nationally.

"It is an unfortunate trend in American universities that the salaries of administrators are becoming more and more similar ... to salaries of executives of companies," Keil said.

Faculty members received an 11 percent annual pay increase this month under their union contract, Musto said. Last year, professors received a 9 percent pay increase and a 5 percent increase the year before that, he said.

"The faculty themselves are receiving significant increases in salaries," Musto said.

But he also said there is a wide disparity between the salaries of faculty members and administrators. The average faculty member in the arts or sciences makes less than $150,000 a year, he said. Faculty members with a master's degree receive less than $50,000 a year.