November 18

October 31

In an October 28 news release, the American Association of University Professors reports an alarming increase in "contingent" faculty nationwide, leaving only 35 percent of faculty in tenured or tenure track positions.

 "People would be shocked if they knew what was going on in higher education today," said Flo Hatcher, chair of AAUP's Committee on Contingent Faculty and the Profession.  The report shows that nearly 70 percent of faculty are part-time or non-tenure track with minimal benefits and no academic freedom protections.  Additionally, many graduate student instructors are underpaid and do not enjoy academic freedom.

 At one school, a bake sale is being held, where brownies and cookies are priced at $300, the amount of state contributions for benefits to full-time faculty.  This and many other activities designed to increase awareness of faculty concerns are planned for Campus Equity Week.

Recent research by the Higher Education Coordinating Board in Texas bears witness to this nationwide trend.  The Coordinating Board reports that despite an initiative to increase the number of first and second year classes taught by tenured and tenure track faculty, the percentage of first and second year students enrolled in courses taught by tenured or tenure track faculty has decreased over the past five years. 

The Coordinating Board will be studying this and other issues during the interim between legislative sessions.  TACT will be a participant in the policy research and will advocate for increasing the percentage of tenure track faculty at the undergraduate level and for improving the working conditions of contingent or adjunct faculty members. 

October 28

  College Enrollment Growth Slows

 The Austin American Statesman reported on Friday that enrollment at colleges and universities in Texas grew much less than expected in the past year.  According to the article, the number of students rose by about 1.6 percent, an increase of 19,134 students from a year ago.  Increases in prior years have ranged from about 30,000 to 60,000 students. 

Preliminary fall 2005 enrollment indicates an additional 11,119 Hispanics, up about 3.7 percent from last year.  An annual increase of 24,000 is needed to meet the state’s long-term goal of bringing Hispanic enrollment up to par with that of whites.  Hispanic enrollment in South Texas actually declined by 255 students.

State Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes is quoted as saying “Our inability so far to prepare and enroll more Hispanic Texans, who will account for most of the state’s new workers in the future, is extremely disturbing.” 

The coordinating board is in the early stages of developing a strategic plan, which will include tactics to meet its enrollment goals.  TACT will participate in the development of the strategic plan and will be calling upon faculty to lend experience and expertise.

The Statesman article was written by Ralph K.M. Haurwitz:  rhauwrwitz@statesman.com

September 22

New Commission on Future of Higher Education

Secretary Spellings Announces New Commission on the Future of Higher Education

According to a September 19, 2005 U.S. Department of Education press release, a New Commission on the Future of Higher Education has been charged with “developing a comprehensive national strategy for postsecondary education that will meet the needs of America’s diverse population and also address the economic and workforce needs of the country’s future.”

Charles Miller, former chairman of the Board of Regents, University of Texas System, will serve on the 19-member commission, along with university presidents, CEOs, policymakers, and researchers. 

 The press release is available at http://www.ed.gov/print/news/pressreleases/2005/09/09192005.html  

September 1

Institutions Supplement Optional Retirement Program Contributions

As a result of legislation drafted and promoted by the Texas Association of College Teachers two years ago, Texas higher education institutions are now able to supplement the state's appropriation for the Optional Retirement Program.  The following message from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board indicates the institutions that intend to use this new tool to recruit and retain faculty. 

The grandfathering reference below was a TACT-negotiated compromise in 1995 to protect then-current ORP participants when the Legislature reduced the contribution for new faculty.

An e-mail survey conducted at the end of August, 2005, asked the institutions:

1.   If they would be providing an ORP supplement during FY06 to participants in their grandfathered group (i.e., those who first participated in Texas ORP before September 1, 1995) and if so, at what rate (up to 2.5%), and

2.   If they would be providing an ORP supplement during FY06 to participants in their non-grandfathered group (i.e., those who first participated in Texas ORP on or after September 1, 1995) and if so, at what rate (up to 2.5%).

·              All general academic institutions and health-related institutions indicated that they would continue to provide 2.5% to their grandfathered participants.

The following institutions indicated that they would be providing a supplement to their non-    grandfathered participants in the amount shown:

INSTITUTION	SUPPLEMENT
UT System Office	2.5%
UT of Permian Basin	2.5%
UT – San Antonio	2.5%
UT – Tyler	2.5%
UT Health Center – Tyler	2.5%
UT M.D. Anderson	2.5%
UTMB – Galveston	2.5%
UT – Austin	0.5% *
UT – Dallas	0.5% *
UT – Pan American	0.5% *
UT Southwestern Medical Center– Dallas	0.5% *

* UT components that will be providing 0.5% have plans to increase the supplement by 0.5% each year until 2.5% is reached.

Not reporting yet:

·         Texas Southern

·         Texas Woman’s

August 30

May 18

May 3

“Tell your members I’m pulling down both of those bills,” said Representative Fred Brown Monday night to TACT’s Chuck Hempstead about his HB 3074 and HB 3075, which TACT opposed.  Rep. Brown had told Mr. Hempstead during earlier TACT testimony, “Chuck, I hadn’t told you this, but I was asked to carry these bills by the Legislative Budget Board as money savers, but I’m losing my warm and fuzzies.”  Hempstead responded, “Mr. Chairman, sometimes staff proposes what they think the policy makers want and sometimes the policy makers follow the lead of the professional staff, but the buck stops with the policy makers.  It’s not about what these bills save, it’s about what they cost.” 

The legislation was designed to limit the number of credit hours in the core curriculum and to limit the number of hours of a baccalaureate degree to the minimum number recommended by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  TACT was joined in its opposition by the Texas Community College Teachers Association and later, after the tide had turned, by the Texas Faculty Association.  No one testified in support. 

Earlier in the 12-hour hearing, interrupted for general session, TACT testified in support of Rep. Patrick Rose’s HB 1968, which would add a student to boards of regents.  TACT’s testimony included that we preferred Rep. Joe Deshotel’s version, filed at TACT’s request, which would add a student and faculty member to boards of regents.

 Finally, TACT also testified in opposition to Rep. Brown’s HB 1171, a TFA-supported measure which would create a new administrative procedure designed to permit a university president to remove a student or employee from campus who was judged to be dangerous.  TACT’s primary argument included that public safety should be ensured by law enforcement personnel without a parallel administrative procedure.

April 20

 

State Representative Fred Brown has asked for assistance from TACT in providing talking points and testimonials in support of HB 566, which he introduced at our request.  The bill would repeal last session's initiative which requires new state and university employees to wait 90 days before becoming eligible for health insurance benefits.

 

Please consider sharing this request with your human resources and non-member friends.  Examples of stories we need for testimony include:

 

Have hiring offers been declined because of the lapse in insurance?

 

Is your school using other funds to pay insurance premiums for new employees?

 

Are you aware of any employees who have had significant health care costs before they were covered by insurance?

 

Are you aware of any employees who paid outrageous COBRA premiums before they were covered by the state?

 

Thank you for your assistance.  You may reply to this email with your input or send to tactoff@tact.org  The entire bill language may be viewed at ... 

April 15

 

It was a busy day for TACT in committees yesterday.  We registered in Senate State Affairs in support of Sen. Staple's SB 1319 which would allow "early" retirees to purchase health insurance through the ERS pool, significantly reducing their premiums until they qualify for retirees insurance.

In House Pensions and Investments, TACT registered in support of the following bills:

 HB 346 by Escobar would increase the State's appropriation to the TRS Trust Fund from the current 6 percent of salary to 7 percent in FY 2006 and 8 percent in FY 2007.

 HB 2945 by Chairman Eiland would permit institutions to add employee classifications to those eligible to participate in ORP.

 HB 3125 by Chairman Eiland would allow retired faculty who become re-employed to have ORP contributions remitted on their behalf by the institution.

 Also, TACT testified before the same committee in support of Chairman Eiland's HB 3126, which would regulate ORP investment advisors.  We shared the recent work of the TACT ORP Task Force, which coincidentally made the same recommendation as the legislation to limit advisor fees to 2 percent.

 All bills were left pending in committee, the usual fate until they are voted out of committee en masse, which is the likely outcome for these bills.

Congratulations to the new TACT officers who were elected to begin two-year terms in June. They are:

Cindy Simpson, Sam Houston State University, Vice President of Legislative Affairs

Allen Martin, University of Texas at Tyler, Northeast Region Vice President

Joe Kemble, Lamar University, East Region Vice President

Frank Fair, Sam Houston State University, Vice President of Financial Affairs

Bill Filing deadline passes.

 

Much of TACT's legislative work involves the appropriation process, which of course at this time of the Session means providing input to vastly different drafts in the House and Senate.  On Thursday, TACT thanked Rep. Lois Kolkhorst for her House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education moving all the money from the B-on-Time program to the TEXAS Grant program, though similar action in the Senate is less probable and the issue may be decided in Conference Committee in May.

 

TACT also asked legislators to introduce legislation favorable to higher education.  Here is the status of TACT-initiated bills.

 

HB 566 by Rep. Fred Brown - Would repeal last session's 90-day wait on health insurance for state employees (and faculty).  Has been referred to the House Pensions and Investments Committee where it awaits a hearing.

 

SB 1687 by Sen. Barrientos - Is the companion bill to HB 566 and has not yet been referred to committee.

 

HB 310 by McReynolds - Would require that average Texas faculty salaries systematically increase to equal the average salaries of the other top ten most populous states within eight years.  Has been referred to House Higher Education Committee.

 

HB 3321 by Deshotel - Would add a student and a faculty member to each Board of Regents.  Has not yet been referred to committee.

March 3

Write in Dr. Robert Marshall on the TRS Trustee Ballot. 

Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees ballots will soon be in the mail.  In a case of a process outliving its usefulness, petition drives for several candidates failed because people don’t want to share their social security numbers due to identity theft.  Only one candidate, a power plant operator at The University of Texas at Austin, will be on the higher education representative ballot. 

TACT has endorsed Dr. Robert Marshall (see http://www.tact.org/ebullsep04/epage3.shtml) as a write-in candidate for this TRS Board position.  Please help us circulate information about Dr. Marshall’s candidacy to other TRS members. 

Remember, ORP participants cannot vote in this election, but they can circulate this request to TRS members to write in the name of Dr. Robert Marshall in order that a faculty member is represented on the TRS Board.

March 2
 

February 23

Between Fiscal Years 2002 and 2003, Texas faculty average salaries fell from 7.52 percent less than the average of the other top ten most populous states to 11 percent behind that average, according to the American Association of University Professors.

As TACT did several years ago, we are collecting real-world anecdotes of the difficulty in recruiting and retaining top faculty in preparation for testifying at a hearing on HB 310, the faculty salary legislation introduced by Rep. Jim McReynolds.

Brevity is helpful, as is identifying the institution from which the story emanates, though confidentiality of the institution will be maintained IF REQUESTED.  In all cases the identity of the TACT member submitting the story will not be used.

Please do not wait in helping us prepare this testimony; we never know until the last minute when a hearing will be set.  Thank you for your help in helping you.

Chuck Hempstead
Executive Director
Texas Association of College Teachers
5750 Balcones Drive, Ste 201
Austin, TX 78731
www.tact.org
tactoff@tact.org
512-873-7404
fax 512-873-7423

February 23