The University will provide instructors with more job security starting next Fall in the form of longer contracts.
English Instructor Christina Armistead is in favor of the change. She used to see the university as a place to start her career. Now that it will be offering more job security and a career path, she plans to stay longer.
“I’m viewing my job and my position here differently. Especially because I like Louisiana and I like this university and if I have an opportunity to move up that kind of change my view of the job,” Armistead said.
Instructors are non-tenured faculty members that typically do not have an obligation to do research. Currently, they sign a yearly contract that has to be renewed every year.
While most contracts are renewed, this has been a source of stress for many.
“Instructors were dissatisfied with their working environment here at LSU, and we agree 100 percent with that. One of the issues that came up was that there is very little job security,” Vice Provost for Human Resources and Facilities Management Jane Cassidy said.
Instructors will now be eligible to sign three-year contracts after teaching for 6 years if they have good yearly evaluations. Then after having two three-year contracts, instructors can be considered for the new senior instructor title.
This title comes with a $1,500 pay increase. Before, instructors did not have a career path that allowed them to progress to higher pay or title.
Instructors who have already been teaching at the University for at least 12 years are being considered for the Senior Instructor designation. It is expected for the pay increases to start in January 2015.
According to Cassidy these changes were much needed. It will help to better compensate highly qualified instructors who have been with the University for a long time.
“They’re a big part of our retention effort with students. They see a lot of our freshman and sophomores, and do the heavy lifting of classes students take here,” Cassidy said.