AAUP News
Cleveland State University Chapter
Vol.22, No.11, October 9, 2013
ACTIVE MEMBERS----MARK YOUR CALENDAR
FALL CHAPTER MEETING
Thursday-11/21/13 Parker Hannifin Room 104 12:00pm
lunch provided
Tenure Track Faculty hires and the Rise in Administration
The numbers of bargaining unit (BU) faculty on tenure-track (TT) lines have been declining since
the Fall of 2007. The change has been almost linear at about 3.5% per year. Across 6 years, that
creates a loss of 20% in the full time instructional personnel that are expected to contribute to the
diverse facets of running our programs: undergraduate and graduate teaching, research and
curricular/program development.
Fig. 1. Change in CSU tenure track faculty numbers. Increases in faculty numbers progressed
through the early 2000’s, but reversed course after 2007, the year after M.J. Saunders replaced
Chin Kuo as Provost. Subsequent changes in that office had no impact on faculty trajectories.
While loss of faculty positions is not new, a debate has continued as to the cause of these
reductions. The reason most commonly put forth by administration is declines in state revenue,
leading to insufficient budgets despite increases in enrollment.
A recent independent report on faculty salaries and budgets suggests faculty across the state have
done their share in helping out. The Ohio Conference AAUP provided information from the
Integrated Post-Secondary Data System (IPEDS), which reveals that between FY 2002 and FY
2011, Ohio's institutions spent, on average, 29.5 percent of their operating budgets on total
instructional compensation (e.g. salaries and benefits), although over these 10 years, total
instructional compensation DECLINED by 3.9 percent. Faculty salaries are not driving increases
in tuition costs.
To consider CSU, our 359 person bargaining unit will receive 28.1 million dollars this year in
gross salary compensation. Five years ago, the sum to pay 431 faculty was 31.6 million. Benefits
were not included in those numbers. Average salaries have climbed, from 73,400 in 2008 to
78,300 in 2013, a 6.7% over 5 years, while total gross salary compensation declined 11.2%. Rise
in costs of benefits, which are beyond faculty control, contribute to the differences in salary versus
total instructional compensation reported above.
Table 1. Change in administrative positions over a nine year span.
Administrative positions
2004/2005
2012/2013
Vice Presidents
9
16
Vice Provosts
4
4
Deans
8
8
Associate Deans
13
14
Assistant Deans
5
5
Directors
45
62
Associate Directors
9
6
Assistant Directors
5
19
Sum of higher administration
98
134
Change
7
0
0
1
0
17
-3
14
+36
At present, the number of tenure track faculty as term began in Fall 2013, is just 359.
What about administrative cuts? While data are not available to track annual changes, we have
assembled summary records for two years (Table 1); a complete table detailing the expansion, by
office, is presented as an Appendix at the bottom. Administrative numbers have risen substantially
across this same time period in which faculty numbers have declined. Vice presidents and
directorships dominated changes, while the academic administration (Deans and their associates)
has remained largely stable.
What says the administration to these trends? One Associate Dean immediately highlighted that
claims of a decline in faculty fails to consider the increase in the College Lecturer “faculty.” These
members substantively replaced the old term-faculty appointments, and they should be a
significant improvement on the past requirement to continually replace personnel limited to 6 years
of service. The past use of term and visiting faculty generally added perhaps another 45-50 full
time instructors to the classrooms. College lecturers originally were permitted at 10% of
bargaining unit faculty, but rose to 20% in the last contract. As a consequence, 70 College
Lecturer are presently employed. The addition, however, compensates for only about a third of lost
tenure-track faculty, and this “compensation” applies only to classroom instruction. Critically, not
one administrative member on the bargaining team for the last contract ever vocalized that College
Lecturers were to replace tenure track lines; they were to improve continuity by reducing the
university’s dependence on part-time faculty. Clearly that change has not occurred.
Where are we at present? This year we, as a faculty, probably face our toughest task. Only 13 new
hires started this fall, while 25 members resigned or retired. A few are staying on to teach. Also,
remember that anyone on sabbatical or a leave-of-absence still count on faculty roles. The reduced
group of remaining individuals will try to navigate the 4to3 conversion in additional to all their
other duties.
Where are we for the upcoming year? In a mixed blessing, our reduced group will also serve on the
committees necessary to recruit 35 new tenure-track faculty authorized by the Provost’s office for
the 2014/15 academic year. While this sum is clearly a larger number than approved in recent
times, one additional concern is that 7 of these positions are repeats from failed tenure-track
searches last year, when 25 were authorized. That was ¼ of all TT searches in 2012/13; note that
all 10 College Lecturer searches last year were successfully filled. Another 7 college lecturer
searches are approved for the upcoming year, and thus if all are successful, CSU will boast 394
TT-faculty and 77 College lecturers (79 permitted by contract if NOBODY RETIRES).
Our College lecturer core is putatively younger than our TT-members, and few if any are expected
to leave by retirement. The STRS changes are already having a significant effect “encouraging”
senior faculty to retire. Some may stay around and help their departments. That choice is theirs.
As for increases in administration, no expansion is expressly planned, and at Faculty Senate,
President Berkman professed plans for unspecified reductions. However, an important staffing
group for which we presently lack data are the various advising offices. President Berkman also
announced at Faculty Senate plans to hire advisers to help students through 4to3 conversion. The
Provost reinforced this expectation when noting a need for a centralized directing office she
contrasted with campus 411 to get students to the right people who can give advice. All of you are
those people.
Clearly this situation requires watching, and your AAUP will continue in this role.
Appendix. Administrative changes by area for (A) the 2004/05 and B. the 2012-2013 academic
years. Admittedly, movement of personnel in an out of these various positions may contribute to
occasional discrepancies with precise numbers in a few categories, but the general pattern is valid.
A. AY 2004-5
Academic Affairs
Academic Planning
Academic Programs
Access/Security
Admissions
Advancement
Advising
Affirmative Action
Alumni Affairs
Architect
Audits
Auxiliary
Budget
Business
Vice
Vice
Presidents. Provosts
1
1
Dean Assoc.
Dean
Asst.
Dean
1
1
Dir. Assoc.
Dir.
2
1
1
4
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
Asst.
Dir.
Business Affairs
Campus 411
Campus Supp. Serv.
Career Services
Center E-Learning
Center for Ed. Tec
Center for IT/DL
Center for Nextgen
CLASS
CLASS Advising
COEHS
COSHP
Center/Intnl. Serv.
Conf. Services
Controllers
Development
Engagement
Engineering
Enrollment Services
Environment/Safety
Exploratory
Advising
Facilities
Financial Aid
Grad Studies
Greater Cleve Ed.
Dvl.
Great Lakes Finance
HR
IST
Institut. Res.
Law
Learning Com.
Marketing
Nursing
Minority Affairs
OSPR
Planning/Assess
President
Research
Residence Life
Student Admin.
Serv.
Student Life
Treasury Serv.
Tutoring
Urban
2004/05 Totals
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
4
3
4
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
9
4
1
8
1
1
13
5
1
2
2
45
9
5
B. AY 2011-2012
Academic Affairs
Academic Planning
Academic Programs
Access/Security
Admissions
Advancement
Advising
Affirmative Action
Alumni Affairs
Architect
Audits
Auxiliary
Budget
Business
Business Affairs
Campus 411
Campus Supp. Serv.
Career Services
Center E-Learning
Center for Ed. Tec
Center for IT/DL
Center for Nextgen
CLASS
CLASS Advising
COEHS
COSHP
Center/Intnl. Serv.
Conf. Services
Controllers
Development
Engagement
Engineering
Enrollment Services
Environment/Safety
Exploratory
Advising
Facilities
Financial Aid
Grad Studies
Greater Cleve Ed.
Dvl.
Great Lakes Finance
HR
IST
Institut. Res.
Law
Learning Com.
Marketing
Nursing
Minority Affairs
Vice
Vice
Presidents. Provosts
Dean Assoc.
Dean
Asst.
Dean
2
1
1
Dir. Assoc.
Dir.
Asst.
Dir.
1
1
1
1
3
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
8
1
1
1
1
3
OSPR
Planning/Assess
President
Research
Residence Life
Student Admin.
Serv.
Student Life
Treasury Serv.
Tutoring
Urban
2012/13 Totals
Change
1
1
1
1
1
16
4
1
8
14
1
5
1
1
1
1
3
62
7
0
0
1
0
17
1
1
1
1
3
1
6
19
-3
14
JOIN AAUP!
Have you joined AAUP yet? You may not be a member, even if you are paying fair-share dues.
And if you’ve been paying dues, you should sign up for the full voting rights that membership
brings. With important contract negotiations coming up, and a ratification vote on the next
Collective Bargaining Agreement, it’s the perfect time to officially join AAUP.
You can find and submit our simple membership form online at http://csu-aaup.com/. We’re
looking forward to having you as an official member.
Policy on Nonmember Objector Fees
Applicable law provides that although employees represented by a union for the purpose of
collective bargaining and related activities are not required to be members of the union, they may
still be required to pay their fair share of the costs of operating the union. The Cleveland State
University chapter of the American Association of University Professors (CSU-AAUP, the
“Union”) policy in complying with the law, including Ohio Revised Code Section 4117.09, is as
follows:
1. Employees who are not members of the Union, but who pay financial core fees, may request an
adjustment in that fee based on their objection to Union expenditures they believe are not
reasonably related to collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance adjustment.
2. If you wish to object, the objection must be made within forty-five (45) calendar days of the
date of this instrument. This notice normally will be sent in September of each year. It also will be
provided at such other times as required by law. If the objection is timely filed, the advance
reduction in the objector’s fee shall be effective for that calendar year, and will be based upon the
Union’s expenditures for the preceding fiscal year (August 1 – July 31). Unless objections are
made during the 45-day window period, you will be charged the normal full monthly dues amount.
Objections must be made on an individual basis only. No group objections will be considered.
Objections must be renewed annually; there can be no rolling objections.
3. The financial core fee payable by objectors will be based on the Union’s expenditures for those
activities or projects normally or reasonably undertaken by the Union to advance the employmentrelated interests of the employees it represents or are otherwise germane to collective bargaining.
These are referred to as “chargeable” expenditures.
4. Chargeable expenditures include but are not limited to collective bargaining, contract
administration, and grievance-arbitration. “Nonchargeable” expenditures include but are not
limited to those in support of partisan politics or ideological causes not germane to the work of
employee organization in the realm of collective bargaining. In the fiscal year from July 1 2012 to
June 30 2013, a minimum of 79.8% of the Union’s expenditures was made for chargeable
activities, and 20.2% was spent on non-chargeable activities. Therefore, nonmembers who file
objections will be charged 79.8% of the normal full Union does amount during this academic year.
However, in order to be charged the adjusted amount, you must send the Union a written objection
within the time limits described herein. Otherwise, you will be charged the full dues amount.
5. Upon receipt of your objection, the Union will send you a full explanation of the basis for the
fee charged to you. That explanation will include a detailed list of the categories of expenditures
deemed to be chargeable and those deemed to be nonchargeable, and include the accountant’s
report showing the Union’s expenditures on which the fee is based.
6. Following receipt of the information described in the previous paragraph, objectors will have
thirty (30) calendar days in which to file a challenge with the Union to its calculation.
A. Preliminary Step: Executive Committee Review. The Union Executive Committee will hold a
hearing on a challenge within thirty (30) days of the date the challenge is received by the Union.
The purpose of the hearing is to allow the challengers to explain why they believe the reduced fee
has not been properly determined. The Executive Committee will consider all the evidence and
issue a written decision within thirty (30) calendar days of the hearing. The Executive Committee
may direct that any or all of the challenges received be consolidated for hearing.
B. Request for Arbitration. Any challenger dissatisfied with the Executive Committee’s decision
may request a determination by an impartial arbitrator. The request must be in writing and must be
received by the Union within fifteen (15) calendar days following receipt of the Executive
Committee’s decision. The request must specify the factual and/or other grounds upon which the
challenger contests the Union’s calculation of the chargeable fee and must state what portion of the
chargeable fee the challenger disputes. Requests must identify the Union, must include the
challenger’s name, address, employer and social security number, and must be signed by the
challenger. Requests may be made only on an individual basis. Group or class requests for
arbitration are not allowed.
All challenges will then be consolidated into a single proceeding and submitted to an impartial
arbitrator chosen in accordance with the American Arbitration Association’s rules for impartial
determination of union fees. A portion of the objector’s fee equal to the amount which is
challenged will be held in an interest-bearing escrow account while the objector pursues the
challenge. The objector will be notified of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The objector
and the Union will each bear all individually incurred costs in connection with presenting the
challenge (travel, witness fees, lost wages, etc.) and may split all arbitration fees. Objectors may,
also at their own expense, be represented by counsel or other representatives of their choosing. A
court reporter may make an official transcript of the hearing before the arbitrator. The decision of
the arbitrator shall be final and binding to the extent permitted by law.
7. Objections, challenges, and any other correspondence must be sent to the Union at:
CSU-AAUP
Cleveland State University
1836 Euclid Ave. UN244
Cleveland OH 44115
In your letter of objection challenge, and request for arbitration, if any, please print and sign your
name, address, employer, and social security number.
AAUP News
Cleveland State University
Chapter of the American Association
of University Professors
1836 Euclid Ave. Union Bldg. #244
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 687-4694 (Voice)
(216) 687-9311 (FAX)
Email AAUP@CSUOHIO.EDU
Web: http://www.csu-aaup.com
Jeff Karem, President
Bob Krebs, Vice President
Susan Slotnick, Treasurer
Sonya Charles, Secretary
Jeremy Genovese, Grievance Officer
Rob Whitbred, Grievance Officer
Allyson Robichaud, At Large
Andrew Slifkin, At Large
James Marino, Communications Officer
Debra Golubski, Office Secretary
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK:
Cleveland State University American
Association of University Professors