You are getting this message from the Steering Committee of the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education because you have attended CFHE events or expressed support for the principles of CFHE. As you know, the goal of CFHE member organizations has been to change the national conversation about higher education by including more voices in the debate, especially those of faculty, staff, students, parents, and others from the communities surrounding our campuses. Toward that end, CFHE has authored research and working papers on a variety of topics and is actively looking for additional ways to reach out beyond just the ranks of faculty and staff. We are writing to ask our supporters for help in getting the word out about a new project, a short video based on a series of working papers we recently released. read more >

Our new contract was ratified on the very day we were prepared to strike. We can take pride in our efforts and there are so many people to thank, including all of you. Please follow the link below the bargaining update to the 13-15 Collective Bargaining Agreement and remember...our work is never finished. We have to remain strong and keep ourselves at the ready for our next steps. read more >

A letter sent to President Wiewel last week on behalf of 25 Department Chairs at PSU. They simply state that quality public higher education is their top priority and that the highly skilled and superb faculty of PSU would be almost impossible to replace during a strike. read more >

Funders begin to bring the heat to Wiewel for failure to settle a fair contract. A family that funds a trust for the PSU Library filed a letter to Pres Wiewel in support of AAUP. read more >

New Offer Fails to Meet PSU-AAUP Student-Centered Priorities Portland, OR: Spring term began today at Portland State University with the possibility of a faculty strike still looming. The faculty union, the PSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (PSU-AAUP), and the Administration continue to be significantly apart after a year of negotiations. read more >

The newest letter of support is from AFSCME Local 2505 read more >

More than 60 AAUP members attended a Spring Break Strike training. read more >

Portland, OR: The American Association of University Professors of Portland State University (PSU-AAUP) rallied today for a fair contract that defends quality, affordable higher education. Nearly 1000 people attended the rally, including students who organized a class walkout, community members, and other campus workers. Faculty declared impasse on Monday after 10 months of stalled negotiations with the Administration, allowing for a potential strike in the Spring term if no agreement is reached. read more >

Friday, 1/24/14 Over 100 students, faculty, and academic professionals of the Portland State community gathered for a presentation on the budget by Howard Bunsis, Professor of Accounting and Chair, National AAUP Collective Bargaining Congress. read more >

On January 20, The PSU Vanguard ran an article titled “Strikes on the Horizon?” gathers local unions and student organizations to discuss potential strike read more >

News: Will We Have to Strike? Current Status of Bargaining read more >

We are resorting to a provocative ad in the Vanguard because we haven’t been able to obtain answers to our questions about the apparently flawed case for a structural deficit in PSU’s budget, despite weeks of asking in multiple forums. President Wiewel has been calling for big academic cuts for Fall 2014, asserting a structural deficit of $15 million, including recently at the City Club on Dec. 13th. The case presented for a structural deficit is questionable, based on * Figures that differ from those reported by the Oregon State Board of Higher Ed, and * A budget that fails to prioritize academics, spending too much on administration and “auxiliaries.” read more >

Why Run a Provocative Ad in the Vanguard? Because we're not getting any answers, after weeks of asking. On Tuesday, Jan 14, we're running a provocative, full-page ad in the Vanguard, with an overview of the reasons that the PSU-AAUP is skeptical of the "structural deficit" in PSU's budget, and the case for serious cuts to the budgets of academic units. read more >

What's Going On at PSU? 2013 Felt Like a Series of Crises Created to Shift Spending from Academics, Undermine Faculty Power & AAUP read more >

No Progress in Mediation, What Now? Two days of mediation Dec 18th & 19th yielded nothing but worse “offers” from the PSU Administration, and no explanations for the glaring discrepancies in the “case” for the budget cuts. read more >

We sat through 16 hours of mediation on Weds and Thurs, experiencing in concentrated and clarified form President Wiewel's idea of "negotiations:" read more >

It's the end of the year, grades will soon be in, and while this week we are headed into mediation and the Administration is demanding a plan from Departments to cut 1/5th of the Summer Session budget without reducing SCH, it's a good time to take a - short - break from thinking about everything that should be better at PSU than it is, and think about what we collectively are managing to accomplish, despite everything. read more >

1. Faculty Senate Resolution – No Cuts without Opening the Books! 2. President Wiewel’s Last Budget Update, and Reasons for Skepticism 3. Could Mediation Fail on Dec 18th & 19th? Yes! Despite our best efforts... Appendix: Faculty Senate Budget Resolution - Full Text read more >

Announcement: Monday, Dec. 2nd Faculty Senate Meeting, CH 53, 3 - 5 pm Discussion of Proposed Language on Fixed-Term Faculty Titles and Promotion Contents: Must PSU Cut Academics? Evidence that "Structural Problem" is Small Alternative Budget Strategy to Invest in Academics & Faculty Tie Fixed Term Promotion Paths to Multi-Year Contracts - Bob Liebman Appendix: The Past 10 Years - Exec Admin Pay Soars while Faculty Pay Lags read more >

In a study based commissioned by the PSU-AAUP, using data provided by PSU’s HR Department to the PSU Library, staff from the Center for Labor Research and Studies at FIU found sharply divergent trends for investments in administrative positions and salaries vs. faculty positions and salaries over the past ten years. read more >