University of Illinois President Michael Hogan says cost-cutting measures have helped create a pool of money to use for employee raises at the school's three campuses.

Hogan said in an e-mail sent Wednesday to campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield that the leaders of each campus can use up to 3% of their salary pools for merit raises. The money can go to administrators as well as faculty and staff.

The raises would be the first for university employees in almost three years.

The university has frozen salaries and hasn't filled most open jobs the past two years as it has tried to deal with dwindling state support.