About the Faculty Association

What is the Faculty Association?

The Central Michigan University Faculty Association is an organization of educators that represents the economic and professional interests of CMU's faculty in collective bargaining. Established in 1969 by a vote of the full faculty, the CMUFA was the first collective bargaining agency for a four-year public institution of higher education in the country.

Membership in the FA currently is open to all regular faculty at CMU, including coaches and librarians. The FA is affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA) and the Michigan Education Association (MEA). This means that joining the Faculty Association also entails joining the MEA and the NEA.

Economic Survival

As a representative of the economic interests of the faculty, the FA bargains a contract that protects salary, benefits, job security, and working conditions. In general, the FA's aim has been to free faculty from economic anxiety in order to free them for their vocations.

Governance and Proper Procedure

Even more important concerns of the FA, perhaps, are questions of governance and proper procedure. Our contract makes department bylaws the ultimate criteria in tenure and promotion decisions. It also establishes the procedures to be followed in these decisions, together with a grievance process to redress problems.

Faculty Control of the Academic Process

Finally, as a professional organization of faculty, the FA works with the Academic Senate on issues of academic concern, striving to uphold faculty governance of academic programs. We cooperate with other employee unions and student organizations to see that CMU remains a place where all members of the community—students, faculty, and staff alike—have a chance to flourish.