Message from President Kress on the 2024 Optional Summer Pay Plan

Last week, it became clear that communication from our academic deans and associate deans to teaching faculty about the 2024 Optional Summer Pay Plan has been limited. This is deeply concerning, especially given that the process for deciding the summer pay plan began at the end of January and was shared in February. (See the memos posted throughout the process to the President’s Office NOVAnet site.)

I have asked the provosts for an after-action report that explains the lack of clear communication from academic administrators to faculty on this important matter and provides a plan to prevent such an issue going forward (which will also be posted to the President’s Office site when received).

At this point, just a week before summer classes begin, our teaching faculty have been caught by surprise by changes in the plan because of the communication failures, which does not serve them or our students well. And, for this, I am sorry.

Given the current situation, I have amended the summer pay plan as follows (changes are in italics):

The 2024 optional summer pay plan will compensate faculty for up to ten (10) credits at the full-time faculty summer salary rate, pending schedule availability. The remaining three (3) hours will be compensated at the adjunct rate (per VCCS policy).

The enrollment threshold for all modalities of a summer class will be set at 70% of the course-funded ratio (CFR). This threshold should be determined on a course-by-course basis, as opposed to a discipline- or campus-basis. Rare exceptions may be made but must be fully documented and approved by the campus provost in writing.

As a reminder, decisions on course cancellations are made by deans and associate deans in consultation with their campus provosts, so if you have questions about your courses, please reach out to your dean or associate dean.

I shared the revision to the summer pay plan with the provosts, HR and the College Senate Chair on Friday, but given the significant challenges in communication already experienced on this topic, I am also sharing the information collegewide via the Daily Flyer.

After reading the details above, many of you—especially those on year-round, 12-month appointments—may be wondering why summer pay for teaching faculty differs from their pay in fall and spring, so let me provide some background.

Within the VCCS, almost all teaching faculty appointments run for nine months, covering fall and spring terms only. Summer is an optional term that is not guaranteed, covered, or funded by these appointments, so VCCS has a policy outlining the process by which each institution should determine the optional summer pay plan annually. Teaching faculty salaries in the summer pay plan must be fully funded by summer enrollment.

For some time, NOVA has had a practice of offering teaching faculty the ability to teach up to 10 credit hours at their salary rate when supported by enrollment. We are in the minority of VCCS institutions with this practice; the majority set this cap at six credit hours or below.

Continuing this practice has become challenging. Following the pandemic, summer enrollment has declined. From Summer 2021 to Summer 2023, it fell by 500 FTEs, resulting in a decrease of $1M in summer revenue. During this same time period, salaries have increased. This is welcome and good news for all our employees, but it also means that the faculty salary costs associated with summer classes have grown by $600K. Compounding these budget factors, about 28% of summer classes have run with enrollments below 70% of the course-funded ratio (CFR), with about half of these sections running at 50% CFR or below. Another way to read this figure is that at least half of the costs of these low-enrolled sections are unfunded, just as 30% of the costs of a course at 70% CFR are unfunded.

All of this suggests that NOVA would benefit from a closer look at summer scheduling and the summer pay plan. In fall, I will convene the 2025 ad hoc Optional Summer Pay Plan Committee, to be chaired by College Senate Chair Jack Lechelt and HR AVP Charlotte Calobrisi, with a charge to undertake a top-to-bottom review of NOVA’s approach to both summer scheduling and pay, considering enrollment trends/patterns and fiscal realities. I thank them for taking on these important roles and encourage teaching faculty to look for a call to participate in August.

Again, if you have specific questions about your courses, please reach out to your associate dean or dean.

Anne