Each year, all public sector organizations in Nova Scotia are required to publicly report the names and salaries of all employees whose compensation (salary, benefits and pension) exceeds $100,000 during the fiscal year.
Dalhousie is no exception, and the university’s report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018 is now available on the Government of Nova Scotia’s website.
See the full report: Dalhousie University Public Sector Compensation Disclosure 2018 [PDF link]
Details of the report
In 2017-18, there were 980 Dalhousie faculty and administrative staff whose compensation totaled $100,000 or more. Of these, the vast majority (83.9% - 822 individuals) were faculty, while the remainder (16.1% - 158 individuals) were administrators or senior university staff with no academic affiliation.
With more than 6,000 faculty and staff, Dalhousie is one of Nova Scotia’s largest employers — which means it has more employees on its public sector salary disclosure list than many smaller employers in the province. All salaries at Dalhousie also increase each year, as the university’s collective agreements and contracts are designed to take cost-of-living increases into account.
As the only Atlantic Canadian member of the U15 — Canada’s group of leading research universities — Dalhousie often needs to recruit for researchers, faculty and staff across North America and internationally.
“People are the cornerstone of our university, and our success depends on being able to attract and keep dedicated and talented people,” says Ian Nason, vice-president finance and administration. “This means providing competitive salaries that not only reflect people’s contributions to our university, but also compare well with our peer universities across the country and around the world.”
How Dal compares
Statistics Canada collects data on salaries of full-time teaching staff at Canadian universities. Of the 55 institutions who have submitted data for 2017-18 as of press time, the average salary across all academic ranks (including deans and medical/dental faculty) sits at $124,565. That average is higher among the U15: $144,519, based on the 12 U15 members who have reported data for 2017-18.
Dalhousie’s average salary for full-time teaching staff (including deans and medical/dental faculty) sits at $133,075 — just about midway between the national and U15 averages.
As for administrative spending, the percentage of Dal’s budget devoted to administration sits at 6.3% of total expenses, according to the latest numbers submitted to the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO). That’s the second lowest among the U15 universities.
Presidential salary
President Richard Florizone received compensation this past year of $483,115. As outlined in his contract [PDF], the president’s salary increases each year based on the review and recommendations of the Board of Governors. His salary, while competitive with those at similar-sized institutions, is among the lower of such contracts in the U15.
For more information on the Nova Scotia Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Act, visit the Government of Nova Scotia’s website.
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