Behold – a new school year has begun. With the start of a new semester comes fresh school supplies, mysteriously
full flex dollar accounts, a somehow brand new feeling of existential dread you’ve never visited before – the list goes on. It wouldn’t be a proper welcome back without a rehashing of the state of the seemingly ever-present full-time faculty union kerfluffle.

It’s no secret this has been a long, hard road for the full-time faculty. Like all good things, this takes time. At least
that’s what President Paul Hennigan told us last semester during an interview for a piece on the annual tuition increase. According to Hennigan, a typical initial full-time faculty negotiation takes anywhere from 18 to 24 months. Hennigan supplied our staff with this timeline after a seemingly extended period of silence from both sides of the process.An entire summer has gone by since we’ve last regaled anything relative to the union, and thankfully we now have some actual news to report on.

An entire summer has gone by since we’ve last regaled anything relative to the union, and thankfully we now have some actual news to report on.

Time to get caught up.

Full-time faculty has agreed to preliminary terms of their first collective bargaining agreement. Meanwhile, the Faculty Assembly passed a vote of no confidence last week for Hennigan.

These are big deals.

The agreement serves as the contract for all full-time faculty members. After an 11-year legal battle and 18 months of negotiation, the two sides have come to an agreement. The union ratified the contract Monday by an overwhelming 96-6 majority. The vote of no confidence

The vote of no confidence is significant because the faculty assembly – the governing body of full-time faculty – has agreed they have no confidence in the governance of the university president.

Full-time faculty has a contract, but that same group has no confidence in the executive officer of the school. That no confidence vote now goes to the board of trustees – the governing body of the university. Using an independent assessment, the board will determine what to do next.Hennigan is still the

Hennigan is still the university president, and the vote is a largely symbolic move on the part of faculty to hold administration accountable. As with anything, there is

As with anything, there is a process. Point Park is teeming with prestigious, qualified, competent full-time professors and we are eager and hopeful to find out what comes next for full-time faculty.We are aware that this

We are aware that this process is delicate and will strive to be as unbiased as possible in our coverage of these
events.