This paper examines the phenomenon of salary compression (the demand by newly hired university faculty members for salaries that approach or exceed those of existing faculty at the same or higher ranks) and reports on a phone survey of 10 university provosts. It presents methods to determine if salary compression exists and its extent. Considered first are the justification of professional maturity as a measure of faculty capability and salary, market conditions, and the pervasiveness of salary compression over the past decade. A two-phase approach to diagnosing salary compression is recommended, including examining salary consistency with external labor markets and examining internal salary consistency. Comparison of salary compression at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with peer institutions is reported. The survey of provosts at 10 major research universities across the nation found salary compression most common in business, engineering, and the hard sciences. The most common solution reported was the allocation of more funds to correct resulting salary inequities. Includes 11 references. (DB)