December 10, 2019
Dear Colleagues,
Over the past two months, Fr. O’Brien and I have had the opportunity to meet with the faculty in a variety of forums. On October 23rd, we enjoyed the conversation that took place during the first Faculty Town Hall. I have also had the opportunity to join meetings with the Faculty Affairs Committee, Faculty Senate Council, Faculty Affairs SubCommittee for Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers, Lecturers Best Practices Task Force, and the Committee on Lecturers and Adjuncts. The heart-felt, deep commitment of all of Santa Clara faculty to student learning and to the well-being of all members of the Santa Clara community emerged as common ground in all of these encounters.
I heard that there are many questions about recent changes related to our adjunct faculty – specifically the transitions of our quarterly and semester adjunct faculty to non-exempt (hourly) classification and of our academic year adjunct faculty from 12-month to 10-month appointments. I am grateful for your patience and understanding as we work through these challenging processes. At the suggestion of the Committee on Lecturers and Adjuncts, I wrote and sent letters on December 6th to all of our quarterly and semester adjunct lecturers as well as our academic year adjunct faculty colleagues and provided associated information sheets on the 10-month or non-exempt transition to respond to questions and clarify why we made these changes and what they mean.
Most questions have focused on how employees in California are classified as non-exempt and exempt. Very briefly, California has a minimum monthly salary requirement to maintain exempt status. For 2020, the minimum monthly salary is $4,507. These minimums are not prorated - meaning a faculty member teaching one course, five courses, or nine courses would have to be paid the minimum monthly salary to be an exempt employee. These 10-month and non-exempt transitions ensure that we are aligned with this California salary requirement, which is more demanding than applicable federal standards. In addition, only private colleges and universities in California must meet this salary threshold requirement - public employers including the UC and CSU systems are exempt from this requirement. We will continue to actively seek a legislative solution to address these requirements.
Lastly, some have asked if the transitions to 10-month contracts and non-exempt status for quarterly adjunct faculty are related in some way to recent union organizing activities. These transitions are not related in any way. The exempt status of our adjunct faculty is defined by federal and state laws, and we made the transitions to ensure that we are aligned with these laws. If you would like more information about the University’s position on union organizing activities, please read Fr. O’Brien’s recent statement.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email facultyaffairs@scu.edu or contact the Provost’s Office at (408) 554-4533.
Good wishes this week with your grading and end of term duties and then enjoy the holidays!
Sincerely,
Lisa Kloppenberg Interim Provost