The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract with the approximately 5,500 faculty at the 14 state-owned universities.

The tentative agreement, which must be ratified by both the union membership and PASSHE’s Board of Governors before taking effect, would run through June 30, 2011. It would replace the previous contract, which expired Saturday.

“I am pleased to announce that we have come to a tentative agreement with our faculty union on a new contract,” said PASSHE Chancellor Judy G. Hample. “These were difficult negotiations, but, in the end, we have been able to ensure an uninterrupted education for our students, which was our ultimate goal.”

The tentative agreement provides for a one-time cash payment of $1,750 to each full-time faculty member, plus general pay increases of 3 percent each in 2008-09 and 2009-10 and 4 percent in 2010-11. In addition to the general pay increases, faculty not at the top of the salary schedule will receive annual service increments of 2.5 percent or 5 percent each year. The most senior faculty will receive an amount equivalent to 2.5 percent of their salary in the final year of the agreement.

The agreement leaves virtually unchanged for the next three years the faculty’s annual healthcare premium co-payment. Faculty currently contribute 10 percent of the cost of their health care premiums. The rate would remain the same until the final year of the contract, when it would increase to 15 percent. In the last two years, faculty would be expected to participate in a wellness program, or would be required to pay a premium surcharge.

Other terms of the new pact will be released upon ratification. The union membership will be the first to vote on the new pact, followed by the Board of Governors.

With more than 109,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Approximately 405,000 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.