Colorado College strives to provide the finest liberal arts education in the country to a diverse community of students. Achieving this mission requires an equally diverse group of highly qualified employees who are fairly compensated for their contributions to our community. Our compensation philosophy centers on several key commitments:   

• Integrating livable wage principles into decisions
• The belief that compensation should contribute to our mission by helping to retain our current employees and attract new ones
• Equity drives retention and supports our anti-racism commitment
• Compensation decisions must be sustainable over time 

Colorado College uses market analysis and compensation bands as part of the compensation process.  

Staff Salary Structure (Pay Bands and Salary Ranges)

Faculty Salary Structure

Placing an individual in a Band

At the time of hire individuals are placed between the minimum and midpoint of a band based on their level of experience and qualifications for the position. CC uses pay bands because the structure provides flexibility in recognizing the unique experience of each candidate, while also providing guidelines for consistency and equity.

Annual Movement in band:

An individual may move in their band over time as a result of annual increases. The budget for that increase is determined using the following process. Then, various stakeholders work together to determine how best to use that budget in alignment with our compensation philosophy.

2023-2024 Annual Adjustment

CC has used several sources of input to prioritize our investments in salary adjustments this year, including surveys, staff council, the compensation committee, and one-on-one discussions, to help prioritize our investment in pay this year. In general, a significant concern has been about the ability to attract and retain people. Hiring has been challenging and we all recognize the burden it puts on our teams when someone leaves CC for another organization. As a result, a key commitment we are working towards is making it more likely that if someone were to leave CC for a similar job in a similar organization, they would receive similar pay. 

An additional concern has been the increased cost of living and the impact on our lowest paid employees. With this year’s increase, we will be ensuring that the practical minimum for all employees will meet the Glasmeier MIT livable wage for a single adult.  

To accomplish these goals, we are prioritizing increases for people who are lower in their band. People often start below the midpoint of their band, which makes sense when they are new to CC. If they stay in the lower part of the band for too long, they would be more likely to be able to leave for higher pay at other organizations. 

Increases this year will be delivered to staff so that staff in the first and second quarter of their bands receive a higher rate to accelerate their progress to the midpoint of their band. For all eligible staff, our base increase this year will be 3.5% of their salary. In total, employees in the first quartile will receive 2x that amount and employees in the second quartile will receive 1.5x that amount.  

You are eligible for this increase if you: 

• Are a regular staff employee who was hired prior to 1/1/2023 
• Haven’t received a pay increase/promotion after 5/1/2023 
• Were rated as either “successfully meets” or “consistently exceeds” on your 2022-23 performance evaluation 

You will receive a letter to your home address on or near July 1 with your specific information. To ensure you receive this letter, please check your address on Self-service Banner and update it with HR if it isn’t correct.