Board of Regents to Vote on Faculty Salary Adjustments for FY25
The NSHE Board of Regents will be voting on what may be the final significant percentage adjustment made to faculty salaries for the foreseeable future at their quarterly meeting on November 30 and December 1 at UNLV. This comes after the Nevada legislature approved COLAs of up to 12% in FY24 and up to 11% in FY25, leaving it up to the Board of Regents to finalize the exact percentage.
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NSHE Faculty members making public comments for COLA at June 2023 Board of Regents meeting; (left to right) Laura Naumann (NSU), Amy Pason (UNR), Patrick Villa (CSN), Ben Davis (TMCC).
Last summer, faculty successfully rallied to make our voices heard, leading to a 12% COLA that took effect in July 2023. Now, we must join together again to ensure that the Board of Regents votes to approve an 11% COLA in FY25 (AY24-25). The Regents will be presented with options from the Committee to Recommend Board Action on FY 2025 Salary Increases.
The NFA State Board understands that options presented by the committee will be a choice between a lower COLA starting in July 2024 and the full COLA starting later in the fiscal year. The NFA State Board has reached consensus to support a full 11% COLA, even if it means it will begin later in the fiscal year. While it will take some time for our salaries to “break even” we believe that maximum additions to base salary, at the same rate as all other state employees, must be prioritized.
Your NFA State Board urges you to engage in the following ways:
- Email your regent to urge them to vote for a full 11% COLA for NSHE faculty
- Prepare to provide written or two-minute public comment (in person at UNLV or over the phone), likely on December 1st
In your communications, we encourage you to use the language of “COLA” or “adjustment” and not “raise,” as this is not a salary raise. It is an adjustment to address some of the highest inflation in the country and the lack of adjustments over the last decade, leaving NSHE faculty salaries far behind the national averages. See NFA member comments in this article from the Nevada Independent.
The agenda with the proposals, rooms, and times will be made available about one week before the meeting. More specific information will be distributed once the agenda has been posted. Keep an eye out!
If you have questions contact your chapter NFA President or NFA Vice President Shantal Marshall at shantal.marshall@nevadafacultyalliance.org. |
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Future salary schedule updates will require BOR vote
By a margin of 8 to 4, the Nevada Board of Regents chose to require a vote on all future changes to NSHE employee salary schedules, a position supported by NFA. The action occurred at a November 1 special meeting and was part of broader revisions to sections of the NSHE Procedures and Guidelines Manual and the Board of Regents Handbook governing the salary schedules. Other changes that were approved include consideration of state-approved cost of living adjustments as a factor for annual updates of the schedules, and clarifying the process for four-year reviews by private consultants.
Despite these welcome changes, the Board did not address a significant omission. The current salary schedule for community college faculty has not been changed since 2013 when it was implemented. NFA will continue to urge the Regents to correct this oversight.
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Continuity of Service bonuses on the near horizon
Following the November 1 distribution of the quarterly $250 bonuses for all but the highest paid full-time faculty, NSHE employees can now look forward to Continuity of Service bonuses on December 1.
The bonuses were established when the Nevada Legislature approved AB522. As provided in the bill, these semi-annual bonuses escalate with each year of a state employee's continuous service starting with a $100 bonus for employees in their 8th year plus $25 for each year of service for the 9th through 14th year, $50 for each year of the 15th through 24th, and $75 for each year between 25 and 30.
The first of these payments will be processed in the December 1 payroll and the second on June 1.
Additionally, the next quarterly $250 payment should occur in January, April, and June.
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Bylaws revisions set for members' vote
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Following approval of several amendments to the NFA Bylaws by the State Board on October 1, and a members forum on November 9, NFA will conduct a vote of members in good standing. Ballots will be sent via email on Monday, November 13, and the deadline for voting will be Tuesday, November 21. Adoption requires ratification by two-thirds of the voting members. |
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The amendments address our new affiliation with the American Federation of Teachers through the American Association of University Professors and clarify other processes. Other changes address the nominating process for state officers, appointing acting officers for inactive chapters, and clarifies procedures for collective bargaining chapters to approve a contract extension through a memorandum of understanding. The current bylaws from 2021 and the proposed amendments with explanations are available for your review.
Please watch for an email from ElectionBuddy.com starting Monday, November 13. ElectionBuddy.com is secure and anonymous online election software. |
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Member engagement key to PAC successThe NFA Political Action Committee (PAC) is looking ahead to the 2024 elections. If you would like to get involved in PAC activities please email the PAC Chair and NFA Vice President, Shantal Marshall at shantal.marshall@nevadafacultyalliance.org. Include your institution, whether you would be able to attend physical meetings/events in Northern or Southern Nevada, and any particular issues that you would want to focus on. Examples of activities include Regent candidate interviews, attending fundraising events, organizing contributions to candidates, and coordinating voter outreach. Communications and meetings will begin in early 2024. |
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MUST READ:
AAUP Landscapes of Power
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The American Association of University Professors recently announced the publication of volume 14 of the Journal of Academic Freedom. Professionals from across the country accepted AAUP's invitation to submit scholarly articles for "Landscapes of Power and Academic Freedom," exploring the relationship between social power and academic freedom.
According to coeditors Michael Dreiling and Pedro Garcia-Caro, the work underscores "the need to understand the forces intent on undermining academic freedom and the impact such attacks would have on democracy as we know it." Fifteen articles document issues such as political attacks on American academic traditions, recurring tensions in the educational environment, and forms of coercion and exclusion. AAUP has also issued the call for papers for next year's volume of the Journal. Submissions are due by March 5, 2024.
For NFA members, the topics explored in the journal are timely following the recent presentation on governance from the president of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal to the Nevada Board of Regents.
READ MORE:
This is Reno, Higher ed regents bicker, faculty dismayed by presentation from right-wing policy center
Nevada Current, Regents, faculty push back on presentation by national group known for right-wing policies |
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Membership growth approaching target
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The NFA State Board, which consists of the state officers, presidents of each campus chapter, and committee chairs, set a membership growth target of 10% for the 2023-24 academic year. As of November 1, growth has exceeded 6%. We encourage all members to promote the benefits of membership with their colleagues and share membership applications with them.
CSN, TMCC, and WNC have collective bargaining agreements in place and all faculty are members of their bargaining units. Prospective members at these institutions must complete the collective bargaining chapter application. |
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NFA chapters at the other institutions - GBC, NSU, UNR, UNLV - serve in an advisory capacity. Faculty wishing to join must complete the advocacy chapter application. |
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