The model FACE legislation calls for 75 percent of undergraduate courses in each department with the equivalent of eight full-time positions be taught by full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty.  The idea of setting a ratio to maintain a certain level of full-time staff is not new. Several local unions have done so, although formulas differ from institution to institution. 

Below are examples of unions who have been working toward or who have achieved this standard, along with links to their web sites and collective bargaining agreements (where available). 

Connecticut State University AAUP:
The CSU AAUP chapter, which bargains the contract covering Eastern, Central, Western and Southern Connecticut State Universities, has bargained a provision that establishes a limit on the number of part-time faculty teaching at any particular university in the system to 20 percent. That percentage is calculated as follows:

The part-time percentage for a particular university shall be computed by multiplying by one hundred (100) all load credits earned by part-time members (excluding all part-time load credits attributable to sabbatic leave, sick leave, retraining coverage, research load credit, and all reassigned time for full-time members) divided by the aggregate faculty load credits for the particular university based upon the data for the particular academic year.

See the full CSU-AAUP contract here.

Faculty and Staff Federation of the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP):
At CCP, the ratio is established based on the percentage of student credit hours taught in an academic year (excluding summer sessions) by full-time faculty members. Currently, the contract requires that 64 percent of student credit hours be taught by full-time faculty. For an overview of how that percentage is calculated, see the updated language on the Contract Ratio Language.

See the full Federation contract here.

Henry Ford Community College Federation of Teachers (AFT):
The HFCC Federation establishes a ratio by establishing a floor for the size of the full-time faculty that increases annually. In addition, they ensure a certain ratio at the departmental level with the following language:

Whenever the number of classes taught during the day by part-time teachers within a department/division is equal to or exceeds two (2) full-time positions for three (3) consecutive semesters, the Administration shall honor the request of the department/division for additional full-time teachers, up to a number that would reduce the amount of day part-time teaching within the department/division to less than that equal to two (2) full-time positions.

See the full HFCC Federation contract here.

The Minnesota State College Faculty:
The Minnesota State College Faculty represents all faculty, both part-time and full-time, in Minnesota's two-year colleges. The MSCF contract includes a provision which stipulates that the State will "employ no less than seventy percent" full-time faculty at the system level and "no less than sixty percent" full-time faculty at each institution.

See the full MSCF contract here.

Does your contract have good language in this area?
Send us a message to let us know.