NWACC board approves $2.6 million in faculty, staff raises

The board of trustees at Bentonville-based NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) approved the 2025 budget which includes more than $2.6 million in faculty and staff pay raises to become effective in July.

“Along with the increases that were given in Fall 2023, and with the resulting increases in employee benefit costs as a result of compensation increases, the total investment in this project is just under $4 million in less than 12 months and that is astounding,” said Catherin Doner, NWACC’s interim vice president of finance & administration.

NWACC President Dr. Dennis Rittle said the most frequent request from employees was compensation levels that are more competitive to retain and attract talent. He said students also have consistently voiced the importance of high-quality staff and faculty.

All full-time staff will receive a 3% cost of living adjustment that will be applied to salaries after the market baseline increases are applied. All full-time faculty will receive a salary increase and part-time staff and adjunct faculty will also see salary increases, the college said.

“These unified efforts of employees and trustees to bring our workforce compensation to market baselines go a long way in serving our students and valuing our employees,” Rittle added.

NWACC said an outside study on compensation revealed needed adjustments in October 2023 and in the summer of 2024. The salary increase was approved during the college’s Board of Trustees May 20 meeting.