The membership of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties has voted to ratify the tentative agreement it reached last month with Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The agreement will now go to the PASSHE Board of Governors for final action.
“We are pleased with the outcome of the vote taken by the APSCUF membership to ratify the tentative agreement on a new faculty contract,” said Gary Dent, PASSHE vice chancellor for human resources and labor relations. “The tentative agreement will now go to the board of governors for its consideration.”
The board has scheduled a special meeting for March 20 to consider the agreement. The board, at the same meeting, will consider a separate agreement with athletic coaches. The coaches’ bargaining unit voted earlier to approve a new four-year contract.
APSCUF represents both bargaining units, which separately include about 5,500 faculty and 600 coaches.
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth, with about 115,000 students. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. About 500,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the Philadelphia Multi University Center in Philadelphia.