This page is dedicated to contingent faculty (DGCE, day part-time and day full-time temporary).  If there is additional information you feel you would benefit from including on this page please contact us.

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October 26, 2015:

The National Education Association, parent union of the MTA and the MSCA, has declared this week CAMPUS EQUITY WEEK in an effort to draw attention to the low pay and poor working conditions of adjunct and contingent faculty.  View details at:  http://www.nea.org/home/campus-equity-week.html

We bring further attention to the plight of our DGCE members.  The DGCE contract expired on December 31, 2014.  DGCE faculty have not had a salary increase since the beginning of the spring 2014 instructional period, in most cases, that’s more than 21 months ago.

The only outstanding issue is salary increases.

The MSCA’s per-credit stipend proposal for DGCE courses beginning January 1, 2016 are as follow:

Visiting Instructor:                           $1,332 ($3,996 per three-credit course)
Visiting Senior Instructor:           $1,355 ($4,064 per three-credit course)
Visiting Assistant Professor:       $1,402 ($4,206 per three-credit course)
Visiting Associate Professor:      $1,474 ($4,423 per three-credit course)
Visiting Professor:                             $1,539 ($4,614 per three-credit course)

Day part-time faculty rate:   $1,668 ($5,004 per three-credit course)

The presidents’ per-credit stipend proposal for DGCE courses beginning spring 2016 are as follow:

Visiting Instructor:                            $1,256 ($3,767 per three-credit course)
Visiting Senior Instructor:             $1,277 ($3,831 per three-credit course)
Visiting Assistant Professor:        $1,322 ($3,965 per three-credit course)
Visiting Associate Professor:       $1,390 ($4,169 per three-credit course)
Visiting Professor:                              $1,450 ($4,351 per three-credit course)

We have been told repeatedly that the universities have no problem finding instructors to teach in DGCE, and that if faculty don’t like the stipend, they don’t have to teach.

The rates in the DGCE collective bargaining agreement are minimum per-credit amounts, not fixed amounts.  You can ask to be paid more than the minimum, in fact many faculty are paid more than the minimum.

As you consider teaching this winter or spring, the MSCA encourages you to ask to be paid the MSCA proposed rate above.  We see this as a reasonable increase intended to move the DGCE stipend close the day part-time rate – not farther away from it as the presidents propose.

Campus News:

Here are some things to consider as the presidents tell us that they cannot offer higher DGCE stipends because many of the programs are on the verge of going into the red.

Bridgewater:

In July Bridgewater State University hired President Emeritus Dana Mohler-Faria to a one-year, $100,000 contract to, in part, “structure and lead the search for an executive director” for the Institute for Social Justice.

What will the candidates for this position think of BSU’s resistance to pay DGCE faculty the same stipend as day part-time faculty when the two are teaching the same curriculum to predominately the same students?  Social Justice?

What will the candidates for this position think of BSU’s policy of paying DGCE faculty who also teach full-time at BSU $600 per course more than DGCE faculty who do not teach full-time at BSU and who have no access GIC health insurance or a pension?  Social Justice?

The money is there; the presidents’ willingness to spend it on DGCE faculty is not.

Fitchburg and Framingham:

Fitchburg and Framingham State Universities have long been leaders among the nine universities in offering “contract courses.”

Contract courses are courses which have not been approved through the governance structure which are offered by private entities through the university.  These courses are taught by non-unit instructors paid by the private entity, taught off-campus to individuals not enrolled at the universities, but for whom the universities charge a fee in order to give the enrollees university credit for the course.

Fees to the universities are typically $250 or so per enrollee and there is no significant cost to the universities for selling credits, other than processing enrollee fees.

How can these universities be nearly in the red with such an additional income stream?

The money is there; the presidents’ willingness to spend it on DGCE faculty is not.

MassArt:

In 2008 MassArt instituted a “migration” of its curriculum structuring its non -lecture courses to a four-credit model while leaving most lecture courses as three-credit courses.  As a result faculty teaching lectures ended up teaching fewer than 12 credits and were assigned alternative professional responsibilities.  Since some faculty were teaching fewer than 12 credits per semester migration added to the universities costs.  This financial liability should not be used to justify a low stipend increase to DGCE faculty.

Also, MassArt has more graduate students than it can handle.  This is a good problem to have.  However, MassArt has been addressing the problem not by expanding the graduate programs, but by enrolling graduate students in undergraduate courses and giving the students graduate credit for them.  Mismanagement of the graduate programs should not mean lower stipend increases for DGCE faculty.

The money is there; the presidents’ willingness to spend it on DGCE faculty is not.

Mass Maritime:

Mass Maritime has two graduate programs.  Faculty teaching graduate courses are paid $5,573 per three-credit course, nearly $1,000 more than the MSCA’s proposed rate.

Four faculty teaching 24 students in a four-credit capstone course – thesis supervision – are paid $7,645 each, or a total of $30,580, or $1,274 per student.  The MSCA’s proposed rate for this work is $513.

In addition, Mass Maritime – the smallest of the nine universities – has eight administrators at the title of Vice President, earning an average salary of $140,300.

The DGCE unit as Mass Maritime also runs a large number of courses that bring in significant revenue, including all summer and winter cooperative education experiences.

The money is there; the presidents’ willingness to spend it on DGCE faculty is not.

Salem:

Salem State University just announced a 3.5% increase for all excluded administrators, retroactive to July 1, 2015 which will cost just over $195,000.  In May the MSCA learned that 37 full-time faculty received a 1.75% salary increase they were not entitled to, costing the university more than $40,000 on an annual basis.  These two matters total $235,000

Recall that the MSCA estimates that our proposed stipend increase would cost Salem no more than $278,000 a year.

The money is there; the presidents’ willingness to spend it on DGCE faculty is not.

Westfield:

Westfield State University is in the process of working on a new graduate program for Physician Assistants.  While possibly a controversial issue on campus, the MSCA is focusing on cost matters.  A new Associate Dean to develop the program has been hired at $130,000.  The program is yet to be vetted through governance and has a slow BHE approval process ahead.

Recall that the MSCA estimates that our proposed stipend increase would cost Westfield no more than $90,000 a year.

The money is there; the presidents’ willingness to spend it on DGCE faculty is not.

Propaganda:

While the presidents call our emails propaganda, the information in them is true.  The propaganda is what you may have been hearing recently from some presidents, including a broadcast email sent at one university.  The presidents have recently claimed that the low financial offer is the BHE’s fault.  FALSE!

I spoke with the Commissioner’s representatives and met with Commissioner Santiago in person last week.  Neither the governor, the office of Administration and Finance, the Department of Higher Education or the Commissioner himself have given the nine state university presidents any financial parameters regarding DGCE contract negotiations.  In fact Governor Baker’s administration has authorized 2%, 2.5% and 2.5% increases for the day faculty at the 15 community colleges.

The nine state university presidents are the ones to blame for the lowest offer made to any public employee union in Massachusetts during this period.

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October 12:

On October 5th the MSCA’s DGCE unit filed a charge of regressive bargaining with the Department of Labor Relations (DLR).  You can view a copy of the filing here.

The MSCA filed the charge based on the presidents changing their offer from a three-year contract at 1.5% per year at the start of the spring instructional period of 2015, 2016 and 2017 to a one-year contract at 1.5% at the start of the spring 2015 instructional period.  We believe that it is the presidents’ intention to now offer lower increases in 2016 and 2017 and/or seek language take-backs for 2016 and 2017, otherwise, why would the presidents not want a three-year contract on the terms they had offered?  If the presidents want to offer more money or better language, they could do that right now.

The DLR has classified this as a “Category I, significant impact case.”  We expect an in-person investigation to be scheduled to take place within 30 days.

We will keep you informed as the matter proceeds.

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October 8:

This month the MSCA will be informing you about the individual Universities and the DGCE contract stalemate.  Earlier this week we looked more closely at Bridgewater State University.  Today we shine more light on Salem State University.

What do we know about Salem State University?

President Patricia Meservey is the longest serving of the nine state university presidents having taken office at SSU in July 2007. President Meservey has more seniority than any of the other State University presidents.  Worcester State University President Maloney is the only other president who has been in officer for at least a year and a half when the MSCA tried to initiate DGCE bargaining.

Only four of the nine current presidents were in office (one an interim and one in office for just four months) when bargaining began in November 2014.  The presidents made their financial offer of 1.5% for the spring of 2015, 2016 and 2017 on December 24, 2014, one week before the contract expired.

The MSCA has to believe that President Meservey was involved in the presidents’ decision on their initial – and final – financial offer, as well as their claims of “we cannot afford more.”

In her inaugural speech on April 11, 2008 President Meservey stated:

“Salem State has placed before the state’s Board of Higher Education plans to offer doctoral degrees in two important disciplines––education and nursing.”

The MSCA applauds the effort, but recall that teaching graduate courses is not day unit work (Article XII, Section A(4)(c), top of page 205 of the day contract); it is DGCE work.

President Meservey claims that several of the DGCE programs are in the red or barely at the break-even point.  This seems a dubious assertion.  Any DGCE program operating at a loss would be in violation of MGL ch. 15A §26.

If the universities cannot afford more than 1.5% per year for faculty teaching DGCE courses and the DGCE programs are in such dire shape, why is SSU pursuing incredibly expensive Ph.D. programs?  Why has Bridgewater created two new online graduate programs?  Why is Westfield creating an expensive Physicians Assistance graduate program?  Why did Mass Maritime get into the business of graduate programs in the first place and planning on expanding them?

Furthermore, remember that the presidents’ argument for changing the state colleges to state universities before the Legislature was the fact that the state colleges qualified because of their Carnegie classification.  The impetus was the number of graduate degrees – all offered through DGCE, the division with the lowest paid faculty at the universities and who are offered by the nine presidents the lowest percentage increases of all public employee unions in Massachusetts.

The message being sent… Dear DGCE faculty, thank you for helping us become universities… now here’s your 1.5% a year.  You are worth less than what everyone else got.

After all, if the presidents valued DGCE faculty, wouldn’t they find a way to do better?

What can Salem State University afford?

As best we can tell from salary data provided to us by the BHE as a public records request, no non-unit professional employee (“the administration”) at SSU received a salary increase between September 1, 2014 and September 1, 2015, except President Meservey who received a 6.605% increase (which appears to be the compounding of a 3% increase with a 3.5% increase).

In an email sent to me on September 24, 2015 Salem State University Provost David Silva indicated that non-unit professional employees (“the administration”) will be receiving a 3.5% increase retroactive to July 1, 2015.

We believe that each of the nine state universities will be granting 3.5% pay increases to non-unit professional employees retroactive to July 1, 2015; we will continue to monitor this.

So at Salem State:

President Meservey received 6.6%

The rest of the administration will receive 3.5%

Day faculty and librarians (on a “cash in hand” basis for the year) received 2.64%

DGCE faculty are being offered 1.5%

So if we believe, in a capitalistic society, that an employee’s value to the employer is based on the percentage increase offered, there we have it, the pecking order.

Recall, based on the data SSU has provided, the MSCA estimates that the cost of the MSCA’s proposed increases for DGCE members from September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016 at SSU would be less than $280,000 more than the presidents’ offer (assuming every DGCE faculty member was hired at the highest rate, Visiting Professor).

The MSCA estimates that, based on data provided by the BHE, the cost of the 3.5% increase for non-unit employees will be $195,778.  The cost of President Meservey’s 6.6% increase was $16,416.  The total cost of these increases in non-unit employee salaries will be $212,194.

Recall in the email Monday that the continuing education (DCE) faculty at the Community Colleges agreed to a contract with their 15 presidents with salary increases of 3.5%, 3.5%, 4% and 4%.

That means DCE faculty teaching Community College students working towards Certificates and Associate’s degrees at the Community Colleges will eventually be paid the same, or more, than DGCE faculty teaching State University students working towards Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

If you are seeking additional employment:

SSU’s campus is just over 4 miles from North Shore Community College (Beverly).

SSU’s campus is less than 5 miles from North Shore Community College (Lynn).

SSU’s campus is less than 9 miles from North Shore Community College (Middleton).

SSU’s campus is just over 10 miles from North Shore Community College (Danvers).

The Community Colleges have other benefits that the nine state university presidents rejected from the MSCA’s proposals – such as partial payment if a course is canceled less than a week before the course is scheduled to begin, and a seniority system.

Some perspective…

Remember that:

At the close of FY 2009 SSU had just under $10.6 million in unrestricted reserves.  At the end of FY2013 that had grown to more than $18.4 million, a 74.6% increase.

At the close of FY 2009 SSU had just over $10.6 million in their endowment.  At the end of FY2013 that had grown to more than $18.8 million, a 77.6% increase.

From September 2009 to September 2015 the cost of a SSU undergraduate DGCE course increased 54.2%.

From September 2009 to September 2015 the cost of a SSU graduate course increased 39.3%.

From September 2009 to September 2015 the cost of a SSU mandatory day tuition and mandatory fees increased 32.6%.

From September 2009 to September 2015 DGCE stipends under the MSCA’s proposal would have increased just over 17%.

We have been told that SSU will be sending someone to the fact-finding hearing to testify that SSU cannot afford the MSCA’s proposed increases.

Do we believe SSU cannot afford the MSCA’s proposed increases?

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October 1:

Earlier this week we informed you about the State University endowments, funds that are, as was indicated, restricted.

Below please find the State Universities’ unrestricted and expendable net assets from FY 2009 through FY 2013.  We have no access to more recent data.  These data appear on the BHE’s website:

http://www.mass.edu/datacenter/costeffective/SUPrimaryReserveRatio.asp

State University – Unrestricted & Expendable Net Assets
University	FY 2009	FY 2010	FY 2011	FY 2012	FY 2013
Bridgewater	$9,976,305	$13,941,741	$16,384,672	$14,013,745	$12,331,215
Fitchburg	$16,270,498	$25,680,386	$35,120,419	$31,545,971	$25,754,013
Framingham	$17,829,869	$21,351,237	$26,315,079	$31,216,107	$35,783,593
MassArt	$5,168,242	$8,443,794	$11,192,101	$8,348,731	$6,205,186
MCLA	$7,012,592	$9,505,008	$12,159,137	$8,249,655	$7,333,419
Mass Maritime	$12,914,607	$17,018,018	$20,203,057	$21,278,661	$21,201,713
Salem	$10,570,223	$13,062,419	$18,817,486	$16,784,358	$18,454,939
Westfield	$10,202,319	$12,763,384	$19,845,287	$21,093,497	$24,832,881
Worcester	$22,672,205	$25,698,808	$30,967,419	$33,986,969	$33,873,258
State Universities	$112,616,860	$147,464,795	$191,004,657	$186,517,694	$185,770,217

From FY 2009 to FY 2013 this translates into:

Unrestricted & Expendable Funds	FY 2009	FY 2013	4-Year Inc.	4-Year % Inc.
Bridgewater	$9,976,305	$12,331,215	$2,354,910	23.6%
Fitchburg	$16,270,498	$25,754,013	$9,483,515	58.3%
Framingham	$17,829,869	$35,783,593	$17,953,724	100.7%
MassArt	$5,168,242	$6,205,186	$1,036,944	20.1%
MCLA	$7,012,592	$7,333,419	$320,827	4.6%
Mass Maritime	$12,914,607	$21,201,713	$8,287,106	64.2%
Salem	$10,570,223	$18,454,939	$7,884,716	74.6%
Westfield	$10,202,319	$24,832,881	$14,630,562	143.4%
Worcester	$22,672,205	$33,873,258	$11,201,053	49.4%
State Universities	$112,616,860	$185,770,217	$73,153,357	65.0%

So other than MCLA, from FY 2009 to FY 2013 (the only years for which we have data), the state university “bank accounts” grew by between 20% and 143%, or by 65% as a system.

From September 2009 through September 2014 DGCE faculty stipends increased by 11.5%.

Remember, the MSCA projects that the cost of the MSCA proposal is less than $1,000,000 more than the presidents’ proposal.  So unless the presidents lost $185,000,000 in the last two years, there is plenty of money to cover the cost.

The nine presidents and their representatives claim that salary increases for FT faculty is the reason they cannot afford to pay DGCE faculty stipend increases that the MSCA proposal (2.5% every six months), or even the increases every other unionized state university employee received (1.5% or 1.75% every six months).  Well, just because they say it, is it true?

In September 2009 the average FT faculty/librarian salary was $66,918; the total cost was $119.0 million.  In September 2014 the average FT faculty/librarian salary was $76,274; the total cost was $147.0 million.

This means that the average FT faculty/librarian salary increased by 14.0% from September 2009 to September 2014.  The total cost of FT faculty/librarian salaries increased by 23.5% during this period.

In September 2009 the average non-unit professional salary was $88,335; the total cost was $30.8 million.  In September 2014 the average non-unit professional salary was $97,954; the total cost was $44.8 million.

This means that the average non-unit professional salary increased by 10.9% from September 2009 to September 2014.  The total cost of non-unit professional salaries increased by 45.5% during this period.

Do you think it’s the FT faculty/librarian salaries are the reason?  What happened to the $185,000,000 in the bank?

The MSCA believes all state university employees deserve a fair salary increase… including DGCE faculty.

In October we will now be turning our attention to the individual universities and suggesting some things you can do.

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September 28, 2015,

Last week we let you know how much more the MSCA’s financial proposal for a DGCE contract would cost compared to the offer of the nine State University Presidents for the period from fall 2015 through summer 2016 (a one-year snapshot).

DGCE faculty are the lowest paid unionized faculty at the State Universities.  All other unionized employees at the State Universities – AFSCME, APA, full-time MSCA day faculty and librarians, and part-time day MSCA faculty – are receiving 1.5% or 1.75% increases every six months.  (Of course, most non-unionized faculty – day part-time faculty in their first and second semesters of employment, before they are in the MSCA day bargaining unit – are paid significant less than day part-time and  DGCE faculty.)

The following data on the State Universities’ total foundation endowments can be found on the BHE’s website: http://www.mass.edu/datacenter/fundraising/SUMVEndowment.asp

Total Foundation Endowment*
(Institution and Foundation)
Institution	Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year
	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Bridgewater State University	$15,462,576	$17,265,871	$13,510,298	$12,103,288	$15,433,331
Fitchburg State University	$8,903,351	$10,251,327	$11,393,315	$11,655,200	$12,549,116
Framingham State University	$4,444,130	$4,387,797	$4,302,025	$4,164,779	$4,115,649
Massachusetts College of Art and Design	$9,674,028	$10,793,944	$12,818,738	$13,640,000	$14,455,475
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	$7,278,887	$7,124,938	$8,404,059	$8,630,175	$9,624,333
Massachusetts Maritime Academy	$5,879,774	$6,492,456	$7,514,823	$8,371,233	$8,224,710
Salem State University	$10,622,931	$11,682,361	$12,646,421	$17,114,389	$18,869,204
Westfield State University	$3,562,938	$4,191,963	$4,817,451	$4,864,638	$5,498,146
Worcester State University	$10,216,280	$11,176,441	$13,342,923	$13,067,151	$15,640,255
State Universities	$76,044,895	$83,367,098	$88,750,053	$93,610,853	$104,410,219
State Universities excludes MCAD and MMA	$60,491,093	$66,080,698	$68,416,492	$71,599,620	$81,730,034
Page created 7/22/2014
Source: HEIRS
* Restricted net Assets as reported on Annual Audited financial Statements

Note that this is a 37.3% increase in the total foundation endowments (35.1% excluding MassArt and Mass Maritime).

Last week we showed that the number of non-unit professional employees increased by 31%.

Last week we should that the cost of non-unit professional employees’ salaries increases by $15,000,000, or 45%.

While the Presidents may claim that they cannot offer more because they want to keep tuition and fees low, is that a reality?

Below are the undergraduate tuition and fee increases from September 1, 2009 through September 1, 2015, as provided in a public records request made to the BHE.  See the actual data as reported here.

Undergraduate DGCE per credit tuition and fees	Fall 2009	Fall 2015	6-Year Inc.	6-Year % Inc.
Bridgewater	$809	$1,097	$287	35.5%
Fitchburg	$786	$879	$93	11.8%
Framingham	$818	$1,014	$197	24.0%
MassArt	$785	$985	$200	25.5%
MCLA	$723	$936	$213	29.5%
Mass Maritime	$669	$974	$305	45.6%
Salem	$660	$1,018	$358	54.2%
Westfield	$735	$825	$90	12.2%
Worcester	$750	$800	$50	6.6%
State University Unweighted Average	$748	$948	$199	26.6%

From 2009 to 2015 DGCE faculty stipends would increase by just over 13% under the Presidents’ proposal, and just over 17% under the MSCA’s proposal.  So student fee increases are well beyond the cost of instruction.

DGCE per credit rate	Fall 2009	Fall 2015	6-Year Inc.	6-Year % Inc.
Visiting Instructor	$1,109	$1,256	$147.00	13.3%
Visiting Instructor	$1,109	$1,300	$191.00	17.2%
Visiting Professor	$1,282	$1,450	$168.00	13.1%
Visiting Professor	$1,282	$1,501	$219.00	17.1%
COP proposal of 1.5% per year
MSCA proposal of 2.5% every six months

A 17% increases in DGCE faculty stipends in this six year period is still far less than the average tuition and fee increase of 26.6%, less than half the increases at Bridgewater State University (35.5%) and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (45.6%), and less than a third of the increase at Salem State University (54.2%).

More to come….