PSUFA Benefits

PSUFA administers four benefits funds for part-time faculty: the Adjunct Financial Assistance Fund, the Faculty Education Fund, the Professional Development Fund, and the Technology & Equipment Fund. Benefits are available to any worker represented by our union by application throughout the year. Send any questions or inquiries to: benefits [at] psufa.org.

Adjunct Financial Assistance Fund (AFAF)

The Adjunct Financial Assistance Fund (formerly Adjunct Faculty Assistance Fund) was created as part of the May 2018 changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The goal of the fund is to provide financial support for part-time faculty and researchers at PSU who are experiencing financial hardship. The university, through our collective bargaining agreements, will provide $325,000 each fiscal year for the union to distribute through this fund.

Financial hardship includes but is not limited to the following circumstances or events: sudden loss of income; housing insecurity; family crisis or urgent need; unanticipated or catastrophic losses. The Adjunct Financial Assistance Fund may also be used to provide financial support to Adjuncts who have ongoing caregiving responsibilities that occasionally or unexpectedly conflict with their PSU work demands or that result in additional financial expenses when engaging in activities such as University-supported travel or professional development.

The fund may not be used for reimbursement of health insurance premiums or direct reimbursement of health care expenses. PSUFA can no longer provide a Health Insurance Fund due to legal concerns, but the union is working with PSU and the state of Oregon to develop further health insurance benefits and options for adjuncts in the future.

Eligibility: Applicant must be working in the bargaining unit* (an adjunct faculty, researcher, or other worker represented by PSUFA), employed during the term for which they are applying or in the previous term, and experiencing immediate financial hardship. 

Please indicate on your application the amount of assistance you are requesting.

This fund is disbursed through payroll and is taxed as income. You may want to consider this when determining the amount of funding to apply for.

To apply, fill out this form and observe the quarterly application deadlines:

  • December 1st for Fall term

  • March 1st for Winter term

  • May 1st for Spring term

  • July 1st for Summer term 

*You do not have to be a dues-paying member of PSUFA to receive any of these benefits, but members’ dues and active membership support the time and resources necessary to bargain for and administer these funds. If you are not a signed member of PSUFA, you can sign up here.

Faculty Education Fund (FEF)

The Faculty Education Fund offsets the cost of tuition for part-time faculty who wish to take career-related PSU courses. Successful applicants to the fund pay $31 per credit for PSU for-credit courses. If you are planning to take a PSU non-credit course (certificate course or similar), they are not covered by this benefit, though you can apply for funding for PSU non-credit courses, or courses at other institutions, through our Professional Development Benefit below.

PSUFA has $65,000 to dispense to applicants to the Faculty Education Fund throughout the year. Applications are reviewed by a committee of PSUFA members as to eligibility and amount, and are forwarded to the Office of Academic Affairs for review and processing. Due to limited resources, applicants are asked to limit the number of courses for which they are requesting support, so we are able to equitably distribute the benefit funds. Awards can typically fund two to four (2–4) graduate credits per applicant per term.

For applicants pursuing an advanced degree, the applicant may apply for funds on a term-by-term basis or for all coursework in that Academic Year, including summer.

Eligibility: Applicant must be working in the bargaining unit (an adjunct faculty, researcher, or other worker represented by PSUFA) during the academic year preceding or the same academic year in which the course(s) will be taken.

To apply, complete the Faculty Education Fund Application, and please observe the following deadlines and apply for the term in which you wish to take a course. 

  • September 1st for Fall term courses, or all courses in the same academic year (Fall–Summer) for advanced degree seeking applicants

  • December 1st for Winter term courses, or all courses in the remaining terms (Winter, Spring, and Summer) of the same academic year for advanced degree seeking applicants

  • March 1st for Spring term courses, or all courses in the remaining terms (Spring and Summer) of the same academic year for advanced degree seeking applicants

  • June 1st for Summer term courses or courses in the following Fall term

If you are teaching 8 credits or more in a given quarter, you are eligible to receive the Tuition Discount available to full-time faculty during that quarter. Find more information here https://www.pdx.edu/human-resources/tuition-discount.

Professional Development Fund (PDF)

The Professional Development Fund provides grants of up to $2,000 per year to part-time faculty members to cover the cost of professional development opportunities including travel, conferences, workshops, research, materials for art/music/performance projects, and more. Preference is given to faculty who are presenting, performing, exhibiting, or conducting primary research in their respective field. 

PSUFA has $100,000 to dispense to applicants of the Professional Development Fund throughout the year. Applications are reviewed by a committee of PSUFA members, which then sends approved applications to the PSU Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) for more review and award processing.

The “activity period” for which applicants can request funding has been extended to include two terms, the current one of the application cycle, and the following one. For instance, the September 1st due date would be for funded activities that occur October through the following March. This will help applicants better plan for long term expenses just as travel, early-bird conference fees, etc.

Eligibility: Applicant must be working in the bargaining unit (an adjunct faculty, researcher, or other worker represented by PSUFA) during the academic year in which they apply. Applications must be signed by the applicant’s Department Chair by the submission deadline. The online application form below includes an automated email to the Department Chair to provide a digital signature, though it is up to the applicant to follow up and make sure it is signed. 

To apply:

Deadlines:*

  • September 1st for Fall and Winter Term activities (October-March)

  • December 1st for Winter and Spring Term activities (January-June)

  • March 1st for Spring and Summer Term activities (April-September)

  • June 1st for Summer Term activities (July-September)

*The dates overlap, allowing more opportunities for applicants to plan their PDF activities. We recommend applying to the earliest cycle for your proposed activity. You can expect to hear decisions on awards and award letters from OAA within one month of your application deadline.

Disbursement of Funds for Recipients of Professional Development Grants: Funds are dispensed from OAA to the applicant’s department for reimbursed expenses. Awardees will need to purchase/accrue these expenses and be reimbursed. This fund can’t be used to purchase anything up front. The Union and Administration are always trying to streamline the reimbursement process, but applicants need to be careful to not make any purchases they could not afford to pay for if they do not receive their award or if there is a delay in reimbursement.

If you have any questions, please contact benefits [at] psufa.org.

Technology & Equipment Fund

For many years PSUFA has heard from adjuncts about their need to access basic technology, such as laptops, to do our work at PSU. The pandemic and reliance on remote teaching has shown us how essential those tools are to our work. Our bargaining team successfully negotiated with PSU to create a Technology Fund specifically for adjuncts up to $20,000 per year.

All adjuncts can now apply for up to $1,500 total in a four-year period to be used for purchasing webcams, headphones, and other technology and/or equipment necessary for your work at PSU.

Eligibility: Applicant must be working in the bargaining unit (an adjunct faculty, researcher, or other worker represented by PSUFA) during the academic year in which your request is made.

Please note: Technology and/or equipment purchased in whole or in part through this fund will remain property of PSU and may be recalled when the awardee is no longer working at PSU. Keep this in mind that while making any purchases with your own funds above the awarded amount: you might lose that investment if the item is recalled if you leave PSU.