October 7, 2024
The Shawnee State University Board of Trustees accepted a three-year contract Sept. 20 between the University and the Shawnee Education Association (SEA), which represents the faculty of the University.
“This agreement represents the strength of the relationship between SSU faculty and the University,” Board Chairman Eddie Edwards said. “We are building our future together, as one team, for the benefit of our region for generations to come through diligent work like this agreement.”
Negotiators for SEA and the administration worked throughout the summer, convening three times a week for months, to address changes to the contract that expired at the conclusion of the prior academic year, SEA President Barry Lucas explained.
“We are at a place now where everyone feels better and we can look toward the future and what we can do, as opposed to just looking for how to survive,” Lucas said. “And that includes everybody – our faculty, our administration and staff, our business partners and regional employers, and our community at large."
The new contract takes effect retroactively to mid-August and the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Highlights included salary increases for faculty, no changes to health care coverage and some streamlining of legacy language in the contract that was outdated and needed revised, Lucas said.
“I would like to thank everyone on both sides who negotiated through the summer,” SSU President Eric Braun said. “We respect each other and we are working together as one university for our students and our region.”
Lucas noted that now is a pivotal time in our community’s possibilities. “We have strong and unique programs and a lot of opportunities, and our faculty want to be a catalyst for this growth.”
SEA members voted to ratify the drafted agreement earlier in September.