Out-of-state universities are luring top faculty from Utah schools, a trend higher-education officials attribute to a roughly $24 million gap between the state's wages and national averages.

Slowing that trend is a top priority for Utah System of Higher Education in the upcoming 2006 Legislature. Commissioner of Higher Education Rich Kendell wants lawmakers to give Utah's top performing faculty one more incentive to stay with an additional $5 million in retention funds.

Those funds are critical, Kendell said, because the faculty members most often wooed away are accomplished professors who have earned national acclaim, bringing expertise and money to state schools.

"It's the Urban Meyer effect. You have people who win football games or in academic life, science prizes, and all of a sudden they have offers flowing in from other places," Kendell said, referring to the successful, yet short-time, University of Utah football coach. "Most of the people are not anxious to leave, but they get caught between wanting to stay and making significantly more money elsewhere."

Salary comparisons from the state's 10 public institutions of higher education show almost half of state-funded faculty and staff earn less than 90 percent of the national average for university and college wages.

Those lower salaries — on average about $7,697 below national figures — add up to a $23.6 million shortfall between what Utah pays for faculty and what other state systems are offering, according to a report by the Utah System of Higher Education.

Although the $5 million request will still leave Utah faculty far behind the national average, it may be enough to hold on to some faculty that are getting higher offers from other states, he said.

"We'd at least have a little chunk of money to say, 'Stay here in Utah, we may not be able to match the salary you're getting elsewhere, but we'll try to do a little better,' " Kendell said.

At the University of Utah, for example, 947 out of 2,573 state-funded faculty members earn below 90 percent of the national average, an average shortfall of about $9,000 per employee. In all, the U. would need about $8.6 million to bring its salaries in line with national averages, according to the USHE report.

Bringing university and college pay up to par is also a high priority for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who bumped the initial request up to $10 million in his proposed budget.

That amount also includes merit increases for key faculty, but the majority of it would be given to universities to use at their discretion for counteroffers or raises to retain top faculty, said Kim Hood, budget analyst for the governor's office.