Dear colleagues:

I write to update you on the status of a 2016-17 salary program for University of Illinois faculty and staff.
Finding a way to provide a merit-based salary program to reward employees for their hard work and dedication has been the subject of extensive discussions among leadership at the system and university levels. This is especially important on the heels of a state budget impasse that prevented a salary program for the 2015-16 academic year.
Unfortunately, the budget stalemate in Springfield remains unresolved; following two partial “stopgap” appropriations, the state still does not have a full-year budget for the 2017 fiscal year that started July 1. This leaves us with uncertainty over funding that again makes a salary program fiscally imprudent at this time. As responsible stewards of the University’s future, we must be careful about committing to ongoing, increased expenses while our long-term financial picture is unclear.

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