Low pay makes faculty search process difficult, professor tells State Regents Thursday

Aaron Elmer, a biology professor at Murray State College in Tishomingo, spoke at a Thursday meeting on behalf of the board's Faculty Advisory Council.

State budget cuts have forced campuses to freeze or cut faculty salaries over the past few years. That makes the search process for new faculty members all the more challenging, he said. Institutions often wind up hiring their fifth or sixth choice for a position because they can't afford the candidates they'd prefer.

Despite that challenge, Elmer said, Oklahoma's colleges and universities have assembled a talented group of faculty members who are committed to the state's college completion goals.

Gov. Mary Fallin has called for an additional 20,400 degrees and certificates to be awarded in Oklahoma over the next 12 years. That goal is a part of Complete College America, a nationwide initiative designed to boost college completion.