Resolution on Faculty Compensation and the Crisis in Recruiting and Retaining Faculty of High Quality in the California State University and at Sonoma State University

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Sonoma State University endorse the report Faculty Compensation and the Crisis in Retaining, Recruiting and Retaining Faculty of High Quality, which analyzed the effect of compensation in the CSU in selected regions of California; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Sonoma State University support the action taken by the Academic Senate CSU (ASCSU) that calls upon the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees to make faculty compensation one of the most important issues in budgeting; to make clear their unwavering support in all annual budget proposals for providing faculty compensation increases at the parity recommended by the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC); to address the California Faculty Association issue of salary compression; to announce the senate's strong support for the current faculty pension system and for the Faculty Early Retirement Program; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Sonoma State University endorse the report Faculty Compensation and the Crisis in Recruiting and Retaining Faculty of High Quality at Sonoma State University , which examines the relationships between compensation, faculty flow and housing costs in the context of Sonoma State University's growth; and be it further

RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of Sonoma State University send this resolution to the CSU Statewide Academic Senate, all CSU campus senate chairs, the CSU Board of Trustees, the Chancellor's Office, the California State Student Association and the Associated Students of Sonoma State University.

RATIONALE: Over the next years Sonoma State University (SSU) is slated to grow five percent per year, requiring increased employment of full-time faculty to maintain the systemwide standards agreed to in the six-year compact between the Governor and the Chancellor. SSU faculty members who are approaching retirement must also be replaced. At present 51 percent of full-time faculty at SSU are aged 50 or more. The situation at Sonoma State University, thus, is further evidence at the campus level of employment difficulties encountered statewide in light of housing costs, compensation levels, including salary compression, and potential alterations to the pension system and the Faculty Early Retirement Program. The Board of Trustees has made timely graduation of students one of its highest priorities. The priority requires the presence of an adequate full-time faculty on each campus to guarantee CSU's success in this endeavor.

Statewide Academic Senate Resolution on Faculty Compensation

Approved by the Senate
05/26/2005