More than 480 employees throughout the Utah System of Higher Education's 10 campuses — including five USHE staffers — received a share of the $2.5 million in "retention" funds allocated by the 2005 Legislature.

Some schools, like Salt Lake Community College, spent a lot on a few, while others spread the money thin.

A new USHE report shows how, for example, the University of Utah used nearly $700,000 of the $837,900 it was allocated to award compensation adjustments for 64 faculty and 35 staff members.

The Utah Board of Regents, which oversees Utah's 10 public colleges and universities, will review the report in a meeting next week.

All total, 371 faculty and 113 staff received a cut from this new classification of compensation.

"I'm pleased with the way that this money was focused," said Rich Kendell, state commissioner of public higher education. "I think it's very clear this was not to be a cost-of-living increase."

The intent of the funding was to help schools retain their "brightest and most crucial" faculty and staff, who might otherwise be lured away for better pay.

"All of the presidents tell me they're losing some of their really good people," Kendell said.

Utah State University officials have reported losing 157 faculty over a four-year period. USU put its new retention funds toward 75 faculty — existing internal retention monies were spent on key staff.

Recently, USU lost a dean and vice president to jobs out of state that pay $80,000 and $60,000 more.

"That's what's happening to us," said USU President Stan Albrecht. A little bit of retention money, he added, can help put USU over the top in trying to keep top professors here.

But what about the rest of USU's 2,500 employees who are paid through state funds? Who will receive future retention funds?

"We'll look at areas where we're most vulnerable. . . . We'll make tough calls on this," Albrecht said.

Fairness among faculty, to be sure, has become an issue with the new funds.

"There will always be that," Kendell said. "They will say, 'It's not fair.' "

But the reality of the marketplace, he added, is that it costs more to hire an engineering professor than someone in the education department. Kendell said some people will want the money spread evenly across a salary schedule.

In the first round of retention funds, however, that didn't happen.

According to the report, $229,300 was divided up among two faculty and seven staff positions at SLCC. But at Utah Valley State College, 44 employees shared $235,400.

"I don't think it is fair to compare us to another institution," said Joy Tlou, SLCC spokesman. SLCC, he added, has a different mission and set of priorities. "The areas that we used retention funds for were areas that are vital to the operation of this institution."