Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

Contract Signed Between Shawnee State University and Shawnee Education Association

 

           The Executive Committee of the Shawnee State University Board of Trustees approved a new contract with the Shawnee Education Association (SEA), which represents the faculty of Shawnee State University, during a meeting held Tuesday, August 25. The vote will be affirmed by the full Board of Trustees during its September meeting.
            SEA and Shawnee State members signed a tentative agreement earlier this month. After a faculty member vote held August 18, and SSU Board approval, the three-year contract goes into effect.
            “I am pleased that we were able to have such successful negotiations and I commend all involved for helping us move forward, plan for the future, and build our faculty to best serve our students,” Dr. Rita Rice Morris, said. “Even in these challenging economic times, the team was able to find innovative ways to meet the needs of the university, faculty, and most importantly, our students and their families.”
            “These negotiations were especially challenging for both the SEA and SSU teams given the current economic and political climate,” Steve Doster, President of SEA, said. “Our discussions at the negotiating table were often spirited, sometimes contentious, but always collegial and respectful. Both sides made significant monetary and non-monetary compromises to achieve the 2009-2012 collective bargaining agreement.”
            Morris and Doster said that the contract reflects a collaborative effort to contain costs in the current economic environment, while advancing Shawnee State and future growth in areas such as distance learning and graduate programs, attracting and keeping quality faculty, and maintaining quality programs for students.