Adjunct faculty will receive a pay increase starting in Summer 2024

At their meeting on January 23, the Cincinnati State Board of Trustees unanimously approved an increase in compensation for all adjunct faculty to $640 per contact hour, effective at the start of Summer Semester 2024.

Click to download the BOT meeting slides for January 23, 2024

Currently, adjunct compensation is $620 per contact hour, a rate that went into effect in Summer 2023.

The Board resolution stated:

• WHEREAS the College seeks to attract and retain highly qualified adjunct instructors to ensure high-quality instruction of technical and general education courses;
• WHEREAS the College’s current adjunct pay rates of $620.00 per unit for new adjunct professors and $620.00 per unit for seasoned adjunct professors are the lowest among institutions of higher education in the Greater Cincinnati region;
• WHEREAS the College seeks to increase the adjunct pay rate in a phased approach until the College’s adjunct pay rate is competitive with other institutions of higher education in the region;
• NOW THEREFORE BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that an adjunct pay rate of $640.00 unit will be implemented for all adjunct instructors beginning summer of 2024.

President Monica Posey said the College “needs to keep going” in providing incremental raises to adjunct compensation but raises “must also be affordable” for the College.

Trustee Chairperson John Silverman thanked the Cincinnati State Faculty Senate for its advocacy on behalf of adjunct faculty and said the Board is “shoulder-to-shoulder” with faculty in making efforts toward continued improvements to adjunct compensation.

The Faculty Senate has advocated for the past two year for increases to adjunct compensation. Prior to the raise in Summer 2023, adjunct pay rates had remained the same for 10 years.

In November 2022, the Faculty Senate forwarded to the College Executive Team a report on adjunct compensation at area institutions. The Faculty Senate recommended bringing adjunct pay to an eventual rate of $700 per contact hour through a series of incremental increases.

Other Board actions include funding for program-specific marketing project

The Board approved a change to the budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (year that ends June 30, 2024) to include about $365,000 for a pilot project that will focus on marketing and advertising for five specific degree and certificate programs. The goal of the project is to increase Fall 2024 enrollment across all five programs by 235 additional students.

The five programs are:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Nursing associate’s degree
• Practical Nursing Certificate
• Culinary Arts associate’s degree
• Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology associate’s degree

Vice President Amy Waldbillig, who supervises the College’s Marketing Department, said the project is intended to provide “proof of concept” for marketing strategies and techniques that can be used in the future to promote other Cincinnati State degree and certificate programs.

Waldbillig noted that most of the College’s advertising has focused on Cincinnati State as a whole rather than on individual degree and certificate programs. She said the pilot project is an initial effort to develop program-specific marketing that will generate a positive return-on-investment.

Locale, a marketing/advertising agency that has worked with the College on several marketing-related projects, will assist with the pilot project.

President Posey said College enrollment for Spring Semester 2024 is about 4% above rates from Spring 2023, which provides additional funds for the marketing project and other College initiatives. She thanked College faculty and staff members for their efforts that contributed to the increase in enrollment.