Last week’s special meeting of the Board of Governors of the State System of Higher Education had two main focal points: Completion of a memorandum of understanding on a successor pact with the PASSHE Officers Association, which represents police and security supervisors at the state-owned universities. And a side letter negotiated with APSCUF, the faculty union, regarding the creation of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at IUP.
The understanding with the Officers Association includes three annual pay increases, taking effect each September starting this year, covering the period from August 1st this year through August 31st of 2028. It covers both police supervisors and security officers.
For the College of Osteopathic Medicine at IUP, the side letter concentrates on the hiring of faculty, including:
- A biomedical faculty member who is not required to be an M.D. or D.O
- A physician faculty member who is required to be an M.D. or a D.O.
- And an assistant dean, who would be a member of the college’s faculty.
A search committee would guide the process of hiring four faculty members. Other faculty structures such as an interim department chair and compensation are also part of the side letter, which was negotiated between and signed by both the State System and APSCF President Kenneth Mash.
