Lecturer Faculty FAQs

A: Chico State and the CSU system use many acronyms. Here are some of the most common:

• CBA - Collective Bargaining Agreement. The CBA governs terms of employment for Unit 3 faculty (tenure-track/tenured faculty, lecturers, counselors, coaches, and librarians) represented by the California Faculty Association.
• CFA - California Faculty Association. CFA is the sole and exclusive representative of the Unit 3 bargaining agreement (CBA 1.1).
• CO - Chancellor’s Office. The Chancellor’s Office, located in Long Beach, provides leadership and support for the California State University system.
• CSE - Chico State Enterprises. CSE manages grants, contracts, and sponsored programs led by faculty.
• FAAF - Faculty Affairs and Success. FAAF supports faculty careers.
• FASP - Faculty and Student Policies Committee. FASP is a standing committee of the Academic Senate responsible for reviewing campus policies.
• FDEV - Office of Faculty Development. FDEV supports all faculty, including lecturers, in their work as instructors and scholars.
• FPPP - Faculty Personnel Policies and Procedures. The FPPP is a Senate document outlining campus policies and procedures for faculty.
• ITSS - IT Support Services. ITSS provides technical support for campus technology.
• LWOP - Leave without Pay. Faculty may request LWOP (PDF) for personal or professional reasons (CBA Article 22).
• PAF - Personnel Action File. The PAF is the official employment file for each faculty member (CBA 2.17).
• RTP - Retention, Tenure, and Promotion. RTP is the faculty evaluation process.
• SSI - Service Salary Increase. SSIs are bargained salary increases based on time in service and satisfactory performance (CBA Article 31).
• TLP - Technology and Learning Program. TLP offers support for Canvas, course design, and materials accessibility.
• UNCC – University Curriculum Committee. UNCC is a standing committee of the Academic Senate and reviews academic and curriculum proposals.

A: Consult your department chair, dean or associate dean, or Faculty Affairs. The faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) governs all appointments and workload.

A: No. Course assignments are based on the order of assignment in CBA 12.29, not seniority. After six consecutive years of work in the same department, a lecturer faculty member is eligible for an initial three-year appointment. For purposes of eligibility for a three-year appointment, one year of service shall be considered employment of one semester during a single academic year (CBA 12.12). 

A: No. Full-time status is earned within an individual department (CBA Article 12).

A: Yes, but only under limited conditions to meet the lecturer’s entitlement to full-time work or to offer work up to full time in the CBA order of assignment (CBA 12.29 and 36.5). An overload requires either additional compensation or future workload adjustment (CBA 12.29.d). In no case shall a lecturer’s entitlement to subsequent employment at a campus exceed full-time in any academic year (CBA 12.29 and 36.5).

A: Review the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which is the guiding document for faculty appointments. You can also consult with Faculty Affairs, the California Faculty Association, or the Lecturer’s Council.

A: Refer to CBA 12.29, which governs the order of assignment for work. For questions about workload assignments, consult with your department chair, dean or associate dean, Faculty Affairs, or the California Faculty Association. The Faculty Affairs webpage has additional resources about lecturer order of assignment.

A: Your Personnel Action File (PAF) includes your appointment information. For eligibility related to three-year appointments, refer to CBA 12.12 and FPPP 5.2.7.b or contact Faculty Affairs.

A: If there is no work available for an initial or subsequent three-year appointment, your name is placed on a department recall list for three years for the purpose of establishing lecturer reemployment rights. No later than July 1 of each year during the period your name is on the recall list, you must inform the department chair in writing of your interest in and availability for employment and your current, accurate contact information. Should work become available pursuant to the order of assignment in CBA 12.29 while your name is on the list, you will be given a new three-year appointment at the time base of the work available (CBA 38.48).

A: Lecturers with at least a 0.4 (6 WTU) time base and an appointment of at least one semester may qualify for benefits. Contact the Benefits Office for details.

A: Start with the College Analyst in your Dean’s Office or your college’s payroll technician in Human Resources.

A: Beyond bargained salary increases, range elevation, described in CBA 12.16-12.20 and FPPP 12.1, is the primary method to increase your salary.

A: After teaching 24 WTUs in one department since your initial appointment or last SSI or range elevation, you may qualify for a SSI, if available, based on satisfactory performance (CBA 31.17-31.24).

A: Contact the Benefits Office and CalPERS. Chico State’s Human Resources Service Center also has useful information.

A: Contact the Benefits Office and CalPERS for information about vesting. Chico State’s Human Resources Service Center also has useful information.

A: No. Only tenured faculty are eligible to participate in the FERP program (CBA Article 29).

A: Yes, emeritus status may be granted to any instructional faculty member upon the written recommendation of their department’s faculty and the approval of the provost (or designee) and president. To be eligible, the faculty member must (1) have retired from the California State University, (2) have provided ten or more years of full-time service or its aggregated equivalent at Chico State, and (3) have made meritorious contributions to teaching, scholarship, and service at Chico State (FPPP 13.4.1).

A: Teaching effectiveness is the primary criterion for lecturer evaluations. This includes student feedback on teaching and learning, peer observations of teaching, and additional evidence of teaching performance (CBA 15.23 and 15.24). Department standards contain your department’s specific faculty evaluation criteria and procedures. 

A: Lecturer faculty who do not have a three-year appointment are evaluated annually for the first two years of their appointment, followed by biennial rather than annual reviews. This requirement may be waived for lecturer faculty who are in their first semester of employment (CBA 15.23-15.26).

Lecturer faculty eligible for an initial three-year appointment shall be evaluated in the academic year before their initial three-year appointment (CBA 15.28). Lecturer faculty on a three-year appointment shall be evaluated in the third year of their appointment (CBA 15.29).

The Faculty Affairs website has additional helpful information about lecturer evaluations.

A: Range appointment is based on qualifications and work duties. See FPPP 5.2.5 for the minimum criteria a lecturer faculty must meet to be placed in a range within the salary schedule.

A: For elevation to the range of Lecturer B or above, the lecturer faculty member must have achieved professional growth and development since the initial appointment or last range elevation, whichever is more recent. Professional growth and development for lecturer range elevation eligibility is defined as "teaching excellence and maintaining currency in the field" unless the faculty member’s work assignment includes duties besides instruction (CBA Article 12.16-12.20; FPPP 12; Department RTP standards).

A: Check with your department chair, dean or associate dean, or the Office of Faculty Development for available funding opportunities. Chico State Enterprises supports faculty with grant and sponsored programs funding opportunities.

A: The Office of Faculty Development (FDEV) offers resources, programming, and workshops in support of faculty. FDEV also hosts a lecturer faculty mentoring program. The Technology and Learning Program provides support for Canvas, course design, and materials accessibility.

A: Lecturer faculty with six years of full-time service in a single department in the past seven years may be eligible to apply for sabbatical. See CBA 27.2 and FPPP 13.1.2 and contact Faculty Affairs for more information about sabbatical eligibility.

A: Talk to your department chair, dean or associate dean, or the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. If students display or communicate concerning behavior, make a report to the Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation (CARE) team. You are required under the CSU Nondiscrimination Policy to report to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Dispute Resolution (EODR) any prohibited conduct including Discrimination, Harassment, Sex-based Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Stalking, or Retaliation. For emergencies, call the University Police Department at 530-898-5555.

A: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free, confidential services to faculty and their families through LifeMatters and campus resources.