Faculty Retirement-Related Programs

Faculty Early Retirement Program Fam 720

1. Eligible tenured faculty employees as defined in provision 2.13d and tenured librarians who have reached the age of fifty-five (55) may, subject to the conditions below, participate in a Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP). This program is not available to Counselor Faculty Unit Employees.
2. An eligible tenured faculty employee or tenured librarian shall notify the President in writing at least six (6) months prior to the beginning of the campus academic year that s/he opts to participate in the FERP. The President may waive the required notice period.
3. The potential participant shall be provided with a FERP appointment letter from the President. The FERP appointment letter shall indicate the required period of employment as determined by the President. The employee shall provide to the President a written statement of acceptance of such a FERP appointment. If the President determines it is necessary, due to program needs, to alter the period of employment, the President and the participant shall attempt to reach mutual agreement on an alternative. If mutual agreement is not reached, the President may alter the period of employment, provided that the participant receives a one hundred and twenty (120) day notice.
4. Participants in FERP shall have been granted as service retirement. Such service retirement shall be in accordance with the requirements of PERS and/or STRS.
5. Participation in FERP shall commence at the beginning of the campus academic year. Service retirement shall begin concurrently with or prior to the beginning of the campus academic year.
6. FERP employment shall be at the same rank, and salary (step) level of the participant in the academic or fiscal year immediately prior to retirement. Such employment shall be proportional to the time base of the participant in the academic or fiscal year immediately prior to retirement.
7. 1. An employee who opts to participate in FERP pursuant to 29.2 on or after July 1, 2007, and whose participation commences with the beginning of the 2007/08 academic year or thereafter, shall be entitled to the yearly period of employment for no more than five (5) consecutive academic or fiscal years.2. An employee who opts to participate in FERP pursuant to 29.2 during the final year of this agreement shall be entitled to the yearly period of employment for no more than five (5) consecutive academic or fiscal years.
8. The permissible "period of employment" shall refer to one (1) academic term not to exceed a total of ninety (90) workdays or fifty (50) percent of the employee's regular time base in the year preceding retirement. Calculations of such periods of employment shall include days worked in summer session/special session or CSU extension that do not coincide with the period of employment.
9. The permissible "period of employment" for Librarian Faculty Unit Employees shall refer to full-time employment for a duration not to exceed fifty percent (50%) of the Librarian Faculty Unit Employee's work year in the year immediately preceding retirement, or fifty percent (50%) of the Librarian Faculty Unit Employee's regular time base in the year immediately preceding retirement. In either case, the period of FERP employment shall not exceed 960 hours. Any change in the work schedule of Librarian Faculty Unit Employee in the year preceding entry into FERP shall require the approval of the President. Calculations of such periods of employment shall include days worked in summer session/special session or CSU extension that do not coincide with the period of employment.
10. A participant in FERP at California State University, San Bernardino may request of the President employment in addition to the one (1) academic term period of employment, provided that such additional employment does not result in a total period of employment which exceeds the ninety (90) day limit pursuant to provision 29.8.
11. The right to continued employment in the FERP pursuant to provision 29.6 of this Article shall terminate in the event of dismissal for cause, layoff, or failure to meet the employment commitment.
12. A participant may request that the time base of the FERP appointment be reduced. The President shall determine if such a request shall be granted. Such a reduction in time base shall continue for the duration of the FERP appointment.
13. Participants may be appointed in CSU extension during the period of employment in FERP.
14. Notwithstanding provisions 29.8, 29.9, 29.10 and 29.13, participants shall not be eligible for other CSU appointments while in the FERP.
15. Effective July 1, 1996, when the DMD salary schedule is eliminated, tenured faculty unit employees formerly receiving Designated Market Condition Salaries in disciplines designated as hard-to-hire shall be eligible to opt to participate in FERP pursuant to 29.2. An employee receiving a Designated Market Condition salary who, pursuant to 29.2, opts to participate in FERP prior to July 1, 1987, shall continue to participate in FERP under the provisions of this Article.
16. A participant shall be granted one (1) leave of absence without pay for personal illness for all or part of the period of employment. Such leaves shall not affect future participation in FERP.
17. At the time of the service retirement and appointment in FERP, a participant may elect to carry over up to forty-eight (48) hours of sick leave into the FERP appointment if the participant elects to reduce his/her accumulated sick leave by that amount for service retirement credit. In addition to the sick leave carry over, if any, full-time FERP participants shall continue to accrue eight (8) hours sick leave per qualifying academic pay period or qualifying pay period during the period of employment. Such accrual shall be pro rata for less than full-time participants. A maximum of one hundred and sixty (160) hours of sick leave may be accrued during FERP.
18. A participant shall be required to perform normal responsibilities and his/her share of normal duties and activities.
19. A participant shall, for the period of active employment, be deemed a tenured faculty employee. Such a participant shall be eligible to serve on governance committees whose assignments are normally completed during the period of FERP employment.
20. Employees deemed tenured pursuant to 29.19 shall not be counted against any percentage limitation on total tenured faculty employment at the department, school/college, campus, or statewide level.
21. During the period of an employee's participation in FERP, the CSU shall provide a CSU dental plan on the same basis as such a plan is provided to faculty unit employees. The provision of such a dental plan shall require that the participant was enrolled in a CSU dental plan immediately prior to service retirement.
22. The following provisions of this Agreement shall not apply to participants in FERP:
    • Article 14, Promotion
    • Article 22, Leaves of Absence Without Pay
    • Article 24, Sick Leave, 24.1, 24.3, 24.4
    • Article 27, Sabbatical Leaves
    • Article 28, Difference in Pay Leave
    • Article 32, Benefits, 32.1

To access the FERP Request Form, please go to the Faculty Affairs and Development page. 

Pre-Retirement Reduction in Time Base Fam 710

1. The Pre-Retirement Reduction in Time Base (PRTB) shall be available to tenured faculty unit employees who have reached the age of fifty-five (55) years subject to the following conditions:
   1. That such a tenured faculty unit employee requests entry into PRTB at least six (6) months prior to the beginning of the fiscal year of academic year in which he/she desires to participate in PRTB. The President may waive the required request time limits.
   2. That such a tenured faculty unit employee shall not have reached the age of sixty-five (65) at the time of requested entry into PRTB; or, if a member of STRS, such an employee shall not have reached the age of sixty-four (64) at the time of requested entry into PRTB.
   3. That such a request is granted by the President. The President shall respond to such a request no later than sixty (60) days after receipt of such a request.
   4. That the President shall provide the potential participant in PRTB with an appointment letter which shall indicate the terms of the reduction in time base. The faculty unit employee shall provide the President with a written statement of acceptance of the reduction in time base.
2. The PRTB shall provide a reduction in time base to an average of two-thirds (2/3), one-half (1/2), or one-third (1/3) of full time for a maximum period of five (5) consecutive years.
3. Faculty unit employees requesting to participate in PRTB shall have been employed in the CSU for at least ten (10) years at full time. The five (5) years immediately preceding the effective date of the PRTB shall have been continuous full-time employment.
4. Entry into PRTB may be implemented at the beginning of an academic year or, when appropriate, at the beginning of the fiscal year.
5. The time base of a participant shall be reduced to the requested two-thirds (2/3), one-half (1/2), or one-third (1/3) for the academic year or fiscal year.
6. PERS and STRS deductions shall be based upon the full-time rate of pay. The CSU and the employee shall pay their respective shares. For OASDI, the rate shall be on the actual amount of remuneration.
7. Health, dental and other appropriate benefits available to full-time faculty unit employees shall be available on the same basis to PRTB participants.
8. PRTB participants shall not be eligible for sabbatical leaves or leaves with pay.
9. Sick leave shall be accrued by participants in PRTB on a pro rata basis.
10. The time base of a PRTB participant shall be considered full time for the purpose of restrictions on additional employment as provided in Article 36, Additional Employment.
11. Once a faculty unit employee is authorized to participate in PRTB, the faculty unit employee may not revoke the reduced time base and return to full-time employment unless approved by the President. Further, this provision shall apply if a PRTB participant completes the maximum five (5) years and does not elect a service retirement.
12. A participant's appropriate annual salary shall be paid in twelve (12) equal payments. If a participant fails to meet his/her employment commitment, salary adjustments or repayment by the participant of an overpayment may be required. Such an adjustment or required repayment shall not be the basis of a grievance.
13. A participant shall be required to perform normal responsibilities, duties, and activities pro rata.

Please go to the Faculty Affairs and Development page to access the PRTB Request Form.