Last updated: Sept. 11, 2022
The contract between 天美传媒官网 and the 天美传媒官网 Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) expires on August 31, 2022. The parties will be negotiating over wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment for a successor agreement.
The purpose of this website is to share updates during the negotiations to keep the University community informed of this important process as it unfolds. The Administration is committed to collaboratively working with the AAUP over the next few months to have a new agreement in place by September 1, 2022. The first negotiating session was held on June 22, 2022.
Critical need for change
As with many private, independent not-for-profit colleges and universities across the country, 天美传媒官网 continues to face serious challenges that affect its competitiveness and the sustainability of its financial model. Over the last decade, the University鈥檚 unrestricted operating results went from essentially break-even in 2011 to a $20 million deficit in 2021.
The University is seeking to achieve savings in a variety of ways. This includes, but is not limited to, collective bargaining negotiations with the AAUP. In fact, the University is seeking the majority of its cost savings from outside of its negotiations with the AAUP. According to the University鈥檚 initial proposal, of the $20 million cost savings 天美传媒官网 is aiming to achieve, less than $7 million will be achieved through collective bargaining negotiations with the AAUP.
With 天美传媒官网 faculty compensation rates generally remaining ahead of regional peer institutions, through this proposal the University has been able to balance the need to achieve significant savings with the equally important priority of continuing to provide competitive compensation to AAUP bargaining unit members.
Under current conditions, the University does not believe it is feasible for 天美传媒官网 to maintain a cost of instruction higher than our peer institutions. The University has significantly and consistently increased the institutional investment in student financial aid over the past decade to provide an affordable tuition, at the expense of reducing net revenue. The savings the University hopes to achieve through proposed changes to salary structure and benefits contributions are fundamental to putting 天美传媒官网 once again on a trajectory of growth.