President Announces Goals
To Increase Faculty Ranks
CSUF President to committ $1.3 million
in fundings to conduct 100 tenure-track faculty search every
year through 2010.
September 29, 2005
By Valerie Orleans
At the university’s convocation
earlier this month, President Milton A. Gordon proudly described
the progress that Cal State Fullerton is making in hiring
new faculty members, particularly women and minorities.
In reviewing statistics for the last five years,
Gordon reported the hiring of 289 new tenure-track faculty
members, 83 of which were men and women of minority groups
(29 percent).
This fall, Cal State Fullerton hired 65 new
tenure-track faculty members, including two that will begin
teaching in spring and one next fall. Of these, 31 are non-minority
women, and 16 are men and women of minority groups.
The successful number of hires — 65 out
of 82 searches — the largest increase the university
has experienced since 2000, was noteworthy, Gordon said, but
not the complete story. As new faculty members are being hired,
others are leaving.
Over the course of the same year, Cal State
Fullerton lost 33 faculty members from its teaching ranks
through retirement, participation in the CSU faculty early
retirement program (FERP), resignations and deaths. Those
losses bring the total net increase in new faculty to 32.
Stressing that the university has to continue
to make strides to increase the faculty ranks, Gordon announced
that Cal State Fullerton will commit $1.3 million in funding
to conduct 100 tenure-track faculty searches every year through
2010.
With a success rate of 80 percent on university
searches, this will enable Cal State Fullerton to hire at
least 80 new faculty per year, Gordon said. The money allocated
for the searches will assist with recruitment, start-up costs,
moving costs, and so on.
The end result?
Cal State Fullerton should see a net increase
of 200 to 250 new tenured/tenure-track faculty at the end
of five years.
Retention
of existing faculty members is equally as important as
recruitment of new members, the president added. This year,
there were 166 requests for market-equity increases. Of these,
63 were from assistant professors, 51 were from associate
professors, 51 were from full professors and one was from
a senior assistant librarian. The review process is now underway
and, once completed, the number of equity increases will be
announced by given category, Gordon said.
In addition, Human Resources has implemented
systems to streamline the staff recruitment and hiring process
and continues to offer its highly successful Employee Training
and Development Program. The Faculty Development Center offers
a variety of classes, such as the Teaching and Learning Academy,
to assist the faculty.
‘The successful number of
hires — 65 out of 82 searches — the largest
increase the university has experienced since 2000’
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Recognition programs are in place to honor faculty and staff
members for exemplary service, and recently, the campus has
begun offering an Employee Wellness Program that provides
a variety of health and exercise programs.
Important in retention as well as hiring is affordable housing,
which Gordon stressed is always a priority. With the success
of University Gables and University Heights — which
will soon begin construction — the university is now
in the process of developing
other housing options and finding other available sites
for development.
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