Higher education salaries have been boosted by a booming economy. That's according to a survey released in Washington today by the American Association of University Professors. Our Charles Sherrill reports on what that means to Utah.

The study found faculty pay 3.4 percent higher on average this year than last, but it also found increasing inequality.

Average Salaries - Entire Faculty:
Northwest - $60,805
Mountain - $51,898
Southeast - $46,133

Schools in the Northwest pay best. Mountain states are in the middle. And salaries in the south are lowest.

Larger enrollments generally mean larger faculty paychecks. The U. of U. averages nearly $53,000, BYU 52, USU 47, Weber 45, Westminster a bit over 40, compared to a National average of 54-thousand.

Average Salaries - Entire Faculty:
UofU - $52,800
BYU - $51,900
USU - $46,900
Weber - $45,100
Westminster - $40,400
USA - $54,241

Reputation and rank command the top dollars in academia. Full professors at the U average $66-thousand, at BYU about 64, at USU about 57, 54 at Weber, and 49 at Westminster. The national average is almost $70-thousand for a full professor.

Average Salaries - Full Professors:
UofU - $66,100
BYU - $63,800
USU - $57,400
Weber - $53,900
Westminster - $48,800
USA - $69,868

Men still make more than women. Nearly ten thousand more at the U, seven thousand at BYU, five thousand at USU, four thousand at Weber and almost 11-thousand at Westminster. The average gender difference nationwide for a full professor is nearly 9-thousand.

Male vs Female - Full Professor:
UofU - $67,500 vs. $57,800
BYU - $64,200 vs. $56,700
USU - $57,700 vs. $52,600
Weber - $54,700 vs. $50,600
Westminster - $54,400 vs. $43,700
USA - $71,546 vs. $62,631

The group that did the study reached two other troubling conclusions:

((LINDA BELL, AUTHOR OF STUDY: "WE'RE STILL PAID LESS THAN OTHER PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS AND LESS IN INFLATION ADJUSTED TERMS THAN WE WERE IN THE EARLY 70'S."))

(("THEY ALSO FOUND A SHRINKING WORK FORCE AT THE TOP OF THE PAY SCALE AND A GROWING ONE AT THE BOTTOM. THAT MEANS MORE LOWER LEVEL COURSES ARE BEING TAUGHT BY GRADUATE ASSISTANTS AND PART TIME FACULTY. CHARLES SHERRILL, KSL NEWS, WASHINGTON."))

The survey found faculty salaries, 42-percent lower than equally educated scientists, lawyers, engineers and computer experts employed by private companies.

The study did not include the compensation, for coaches like Utah's Rick Majerus, who is said to be receiving offers, in the million dollar a year range.