Academic Advising Salary Review Task Force
May 2026
In October 2025, a task force was formed by Provost Prelock to understand UA academic advisor compensation, compare to market based on peer institutions and assess compensation impact on retention, morale, and the student experience.
The task force members held bi-monthly meetings until mid-December 2025. Based their work, recommendations were made to the Provost.
- Conduct a comprehensive salary review by benchmarking advisor compensation against peer institutions and assessing pay within the university.
- Evaluate the impact of compensation on advisor retention, morale, and the student experience using quantitative and qualitative data.
- Develop recommendations for competitive and equitable salary ranges that are fiscally responsible, career pathways, and recognition.
- Recommend a phased approach to bring advisor pay closer to market, with an initial baseline adjustment effective July 1, 2026, followed by longer-term strategies to position the U of A as a national leader in advising performance, compensation, and structure.
- Propose implementation of a framework with feasible funding strategies, timelines for change, and a communication plan by December 17.
Members
- Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski, Co-Chair & AVP for Academic Advising, Undergraduate Education
- Leah Rodriguez, Co-Chair & Compensation Manager, Human Resources
- Allison Ewing-Cooper, Director of Academic Advising, College of Social and Beh Science
- Nancy Rodriguez Lorta, Director of Advising, College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences
- Abbie Montenegro, Sr. Director, Workforce Systems, Human Resources
- Anita Berberi, Lead Compensation Analyst, Human Resources
- Anne Pagel, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs, Eller College of Management
- Brian Pearse, Academic Advisor III, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine
- Leslie Canales, Human Resources Generalist III, Human Resources
- Marilyn Taylor, Associate Vice President, Finance & Administration, Office of Provost
- Michael McKisson, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Information Science
- Neti Gupta, Senior Academic Advisor I, College of Architecture, Planning, & Landscape Architecture
- Raini Wijeweera, Assistant Director, Academic Advising, College of Science
- Jenna Rickus, Sr. Vice Provost, Office of Provost
Ex Offico Members
- Nina Bates, Director of Operations & Strategic Initiatives, Office of Provost
- Jess Khachiyants, Program Outcome Assessment Professional, Advisor Resource Center
- Dylan Lane, Lead Compensation Analyst, Human Resources
The task force recommended that the university make the following two compensation adjustments for staff in the UCAP Academic Advising job family:
- Pay grade level adjustments: Pay grades associated with each advisor job level will increase by one pay grade for all staff in PC1-PC4 and M1-M5 job levels. For example, a PC1 position currently assigned to pay grade 5 will move to pay grade 6.
- Tiered compensation approach to address salary compression: A new tiered compensation approach will help reduce salary compression. Staff in PC1-PC4 and M1-M4 job levels will receive salary increases of 2% to 8%, based on how their current salary compares to the midpoint of the applicable pay range.
The task force also recommended a campus-wide conversation on advisor caseload. This would start with a conversation with college deans to discuss advisor caseloads for undergraduate students and review a draft model.
A communication plan was established with distribution during the week of June 1. Groups receiving communication were:
- Deans
- Associate Deans
- Academic Advisors