PSUFA Benefits

PSUFA administers three benefits funds for part-time faculty: the Adjunct Faculty Assistance Fund, the Faculty Education Fund, and the Professional Development Fund.  Benefits are available to members by application throughout the year. Send any questions or inquiries to: benefits(at)psufa.org

NEW! Tech 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. This past year of 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.

All adjuncts can now apply for up to $1,000 once every 4 years to be used for purchasing computers, laptops, webcams, headphones, and other technology necessary for your work at PSU. To apply, you must be working in the bargaining unit during the academic year in which your request is made.

There is a total of $30,000 to distribute among all applicants this year. If the demand is greater than the funds available, applicants will be awarded partial funding and will have an opportunity to apply for additional funds up to the $1000 limit in future years of the fund.

Technology purchased through this fund will remain property of PSU.

Applications are due May 1, 2021. To apply, fill out application form here.

The Adjunct Faculty Assistance Fund (AFAF)

The Adjunct Faculty Assistance Fund (AFAF) 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.

“Financial hardship” may include but is not limited to circumstances such as sudden loss of income; housing insecurity; family crisis or urgent need; unanticipated or catastrophic losses.

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 to research health insurance benefit options for adjuncts in the future.

To be eligible for the AFAF, you must be a member of PSU adjunct faculty or an adjunct researcher, employed during the term for which you are applying, or in the previous term. 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

***Note: you do not have to be a member of PSUFA to receive AFAF benefits, but members’ fees support the time and resources necessary to administer these funds. If you are not a signed member of PSUFA, you can sign up here.

Faculty Education Fund

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 $24 per credit for PSU for credit courses.* To be eligible for the fund, the applicant  must be employed in either the year preceding or the year in which a course is taken. A personal statement is needed to indicate how the Faculty Education Fund will support the applicant  professionally. Preference is given to applicants pursuing an advanced degree.

*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, though our Professional Development Benefit.

PSUFA has $45,000 to dispense to applicants of the Faculty Education Fund throughout the year. Applications are reviewed by a committee of PSUFA members. 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. We are typically unable to fund more than 2-3 graduate credits per member, depending on the number of applicants.

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. 

**Please note: We are in the middle of changes to our benefits application system, and as such the term selection section of this application is out of date. If you are seeking funding for Winter or Spring 2021 classes, please select “Winter 2020” or “Spring 2020” for the equivalent 2021 term from the drop-down menu.

  • September 1st for Fall term courses

  • December 1st for Winter term courses

  • March 1st for Spring term courses

  • June 1st for Summer term courses

Further, 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

The Professional Development Fund provides grants of up to $2000 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. To be eligible for the fund, faculty must be teaching or employed as a researcher during the year in which they apply. Applications must be signed by the Department Chair by the submission deadline. 

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 and processed by the PSU Office of Academic Affairs.
 
*To apply, complete the Professional Development Fund Application, and please observe the following deadlines and apply for the term in which your professional opportunity will take place.  See our Professional Development Fund Guidelines and Restrictions and budget form (Excel file) for more information about how best to prepare your application. 

  • September 1st for Fall term activities (October-December)

  • December 1st for Winter term activities (January-March)

  • March 1st for Spring term activities (April-June)

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

Applications will be reviewed as a group after the relevant deadline. You can expect to hear a decision from the PSUFA Professional Development Fund Committee two weeks after your deadline and receive a final decision and award letter from OAA within one month of your application deadline.

Disbursement of Funds for Recipients of Professional Development Grants: Funds are dispensed through the applicant’s department. Recipients may find the following PSU forms useful for getting reimbursements, funds for travel, etc.

Common PSU University Financial Services Forms (check UFS website for most recent form):