The State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors has ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF), which represents the approximately 5,500 professors at the 14 state-owned universities.

Faculty approved the agreement during voting held earlier this week on each of the campuses.

The new agreement provides general pay increases totaling approximately 8.5 percent over the next three years. Faculty will receive a 3 percent increase this year, then additional increases of 2 percent on July 1, 2000; 1 percent on January 1, 2001; 2 percent on July 1, 2001; and 1.5 percent on January 1, 2002.

In addition to the general pay increases, junior faculty will continue to receive an annual service increment of 5 percent both this year and next as they move up the pay scale. In the final year of the contract, the service increment will be split. Faculty in their second through fifth years will receive a 5 percent annual increment, while those in their sixth through 12^th years will be eligible for an annual service increase of 2.5 percent.

Here are some other contract highlights:

· Faculty who teach summer school classes will be paid based on the Fall 1999 salary schedule throughout the life of the contract. Compensation for extra assignments, including the teaching of additional courses beyond the normal 12-credit per semester workload, will continue to be based on the Fall 1996 salary schedule.

· The State System/Universities may claim an ownership interest or a share of the proceeds of intellectual property developed by a faculty member when substantial State System/University resources, support or facilities are provided. The State System and faculty member will share in the net profit from the sale or licensing of a product, with the faculty member receiving at least 60 percent of the proceeds until the development costs are recovered and at least 70 percent thereafter.

· Incentives will be provided to faculty to encourage the development and teaching of courses via distance education technology.

· A full-time, temporary faculty member who has worked at a university for five full academic years in the same department shall be placed in tenure-track status if recommended by the majority of permanent department faculty, unless the position is grant funded. Temporary faculty positions can be reviewed every four years to determine whether they should be converted to permanent, tenure-track positions. If a department requests such a conversion and the request is denied by the university president, the courses involved cannot continue to be taught by a temporary faculty member for a period of at least two years.

· Contributions to the Faculty Health and Welfare Trust Fund, which is used to provide supplemental benefits to System faculty, will be increased by $81 to $1,171.50 per full-time faculty member this year and by an additional $100 to $1,217.50 in 2000-01. The System also will make contributions to the fund on a monthly basis rather than semi-annually beginning on July 1, 2000.

In addition to ratifying the new faculty contract, the Board of Governors also approved a 5 percent, performance-based merit pool for managers within the State System. Managers will be evaluated and awarded salary increases based on their performance. There will be no automatic increases.

The State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 350,000 System 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. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.