COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY
Central Oregon Community College (COCC) is committed to promoting student success and
community enrichment by providing quality, accessible, lifelong educational opportunities. Our
valued employees are the key to achieving our mission. Our compensation philosophy, including
salary and benefits, is a reflection of our College's values. COCC is sensitive to our role as a
steward over entrusted public investments and funds from students and taxpayers. The College will
seek appropriate opportunities to invest in employees through compensation and professional
development that are financially sustainable. We recognize that the steps to achieve these goals
may need to be taken incrementally based on available college resources. COCC’s compensation
philosophy is intended to meet the following key objectives:
Compensation. COCC will strive for market competitive salary and benefits as compared to
identified
benchmark community colleges, public sector employers and regional industry
employers. We will seek to provide compensation options that satisfy the needs of employees. COCC
will maintain the equity, validity, and reliability of the compensation system and practices through
periodic compensation and market reviews.
Equitable.
The College will establish and maintain a classification and compensation structure
and practices that are fair, equitable, free of discrimination, and in full compliance with federal
and state statutes. COCC will commit to continually improving this process by review of its
classification structure, conducting periodic job evaluations and pay equity analyses, updating
position descriptions for accuracy and consistency, undertaking periodic assessment of
employee compensation levels, and eliminating disparity as an ongoing process.
Excellence. COCC employs quality employees as part of our commitment to excellence. Our
compensation practices must attract and retain quality employees who exemplify our values and
contribute to our mission.
Communication. COCC is continuing to invest in its classification and compensation structure. The
College will develop a communication plan for our compensation program that allows each employee
to understand how compensation is determined.