Retired Faculty and Staff Association
Retiree
Benefits
For
years,
Texas State, like most universities, has provided a number of
perquisites for retired faculty and staff. Many of these
benefits
were a matter of long-standing University policy, see UPPS
04.04.53.
This policy, which had not been critically examined by
either faculty or administration for years, became a topic of
discussion early in the fall semester when two high-profile perks--free
parking and free football tickets--were suddenly withdrawn without
consultation nor promulgation of a revised policy, albeit a new
uncirculated draft had existed since mid-summer (see DRAFT 7-3-06).
The Faculty Senate discussed the issue with President Trauth and Provost Moore in early September (see PAAG Minutes 9-6-06) and learned that the changes had been put on hold pending further study. In early October, through the good offices of Rebecca Prince, Vice-President of University Affairs, representatives of the newly-organized Retired Faculty and Staff Association met with Provost Perry Moore, Special Assistant to the President Bob Gratz, Vice-President Joann Smith, Vice-President Prince, Athletic Director Larry Teis, Director of Human Resources John McBride, and others. We proposed that a special ad hoc committee be created to revise the UPPS and offered a REVISED DRAFT of our own on October 2 designed to soften effects of the administration's proposal and to extend the list of benefits to include items calculated to improve communication with and the recognition of retirees.
In mid-October the President's Cabinet made key decisions regarding the UPPS, and an updated draft was made available to the Senate and RFSA in early December. See DRAFT 1-5-06. Because of the holidays, we were delayed in evaluating this most recent version. Dr Gratz assured us, however, that final action on the new policy would be delayed until we could submit comments after our February meeting. Those comments were submitted on February 19. See RFSA DRAFT 2-14-07.
On April 16, the President's Cabinet approved the revised policy. Several, but not all, of the RFSA suggestions were accepted. The official copy of the revised policy is now available on the University's UPPS Site.
The Faculty Senate discussed the issue with President Trauth and Provost Moore in early September (see PAAG Minutes 9-6-06) and learned that the changes had been put on hold pending further study. In early October, through the good offices of Rebecca Prince, Vice-President of University Affairs, representatives of the newly-organized Retired Faculty and Staff Association met with Provost Perry Moore, Special Assistant to the President Bob Gratz, Vice-President Joann Smith, Vice-President Prince, Athletic Director Larry Teis, Director of Human Resources John McBride, and others. We proposed that a special ad hoc committee be created to revise the UPPS and offered a REVISED DRAFT of our own on October 2 designed to soften effects of the administration's proposal and to extend the list of benefits to include items calculated to improve communication with and the recognition of retirees.
In mid-October the President's Cabinet made key decisions regarding the UPPS, and an updated draft was made available to the Senate and RFSA in early December. See DRAFT 1-5-06. Because of the holidays, we were delayed in evaluating this most recent version. Dr Gratz assured us, however, that final action on the new policy would be delayed until we could submit comments after our February meeting. Those comments were submitted on February 19. See RFSA DRAFT 2-14-07.
On April 16, the President's Cabinet approved the revised policy. Several, but not all, of the RFSA suggestions were accepted. The official copy of the revised policy is now available on the University's UPPS Site.