California Needs to Join Other States in Movement for Excellence in Higher Education

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Marty Hittelman
President
California Federation of Teachers

The Faculty and College Excellence Act (FACE) is a national campaign aimed at providing quality education to our students. Bills have been introduced in ten states, including California.

We in the American Federation of Teachers believe that every student deserves a high quality education and that employees who work hard deserve fair compensation.

FACE addresses two critical issues facing our colleges and universities:

• The lack of a strong core of regular continuing full-time faculty
• The lack of equity of pay and benefits for the ever increasing number of part-time and temporary faculty in our colleges and universities.

More than half of all faculty in California’s colleges and universities are temporary and/or part-time.

Temporary and part time faculty are paid at half the rate of regular full-time faculty and normally do not receive health benefits.

They are not involved in curriculum development nor do they provide office hours.