CSU faculty give much to county

Ventura Star 4/6/07

By Kevin Volkan

We are writing in response to some of the recent letters that were published in the "Ventura County Star" and its online forum regarding the possibility of a strike by California State University faculty. One of these letters in particular contained a number of misconceptions that we feel need to be corrected so that community members might better understand the role of the faculty at CSU Channel Islands and the impact of higher education in the county.

We take exception to the view that university faculty do not produce anything.

What university faculty produce is original research and educated citizens with skills enabling them to be productive members of society.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive impact of higher education on our communities. For example, data from the Current Population Survey at the Bureau of Labor Statistics demonstrates that the unemployment rate for bachelor's degree holders was half (49 percent) that of high school graduates, and more than a third lower than those with an associate's degree or just some college. These data (Bureau of Labor Statistics; Retrieved and analyzed Monday from http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/outside.jsp?survey=le) also show that people with full employment aged 25 or older with a bachelor's degree earn 40 percent more than those with an associate's degree or some college.

Studies have also demonstrated consistently that those with bachelor's or graduate degrees report higher quality of life than their less-educated peers (Ross, CE, & Marieke, VW., 1997. "Education and the Subjective Quality of Life." Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 275-297).

Most university professors average more than 40 hours a week during any given year (see http://dmit.asu.edu/workload/shock/overview.html and http://www.ericdigests.org/1998-3/workload.html).

In terms of teaching, university faculty, like school teachers and community college instructors, spend considerable time during the summer and winter break preparing for courses — keeping up on the latest findings in their fields, revising or developing new lesson plans and new courses, forming partnerships with organizations throughout the county so that our students have opportunities to learn through bettering the community, etc.

Faculty must produce original scholarship to retain their positions — most devote significant time during teaching breaks to this endeavor. In addition, faculty are expected to contribute to the work of committees that further build the university and serve its mission. We must show a continuous pattern of scholarship and service to gain tenure (at least a six-year venture after graduate school) and then again for any further promotion.

While the faculty salaries listed may seem to be high to some, it is a well-documented fact that CSU faculty across the system of 23 campuses are paid significantly less than their colleagues across the nation (California Postsecondary Education Commission Report — http://www.cpec.ca.gov/completereports/2006reports/06-01.pdf).

This is despite the fact that we live in one of the most expensive areas of the country. Also consider that CSU faculty have advanced degrees which take four to 10 years to earn beyond the bachelor's degree. Other professions that require similar time and effort — for example lawyers and physicians — have much higher salaries than university faculty.

As faculty members at CSUCI, we are extremely proud of the work we do for Ventura County and the state of California. We are deeply saddened that some in the community do not understand the value of our work.

We can only hope that people will take the time to learn of the contributions of university faculty and all educators to the betterment of our society.

— Kevin Volkan, of Camarillo, teaches at CSU Channel Island. Six other CSUCI faculty members co-signed this letter.