FAQ

Students  received an email on April 24 specifying how much credit will be awarded for any classes taught by striking faculty members. Classes will receive full credit (1.0 or 1.25 units) if they met for at least 1650 minutes (which is the equivalent of 150 minutes per week for 11 weeks). We accounted for class meetings that occurred during the final week of classes in making these determinations.

Many students should remain in these courses, but whether they need to do so depends on their situation, so we have created this decision tree to help them figure it out. Please note that if a student is enrolled in two courses that meet at the same time and is earning 0.5 units of credit for each (a situation that applies to only a small number of students), it is important that they continue attending the new course to earn credit and that they communicate this scheduling conflict to their original instructor. 

We expect that instructors will communicate with students to let them know how they will be using remaining class meetings and what end-of-semester work is expected. 

If the student is using it for a general degree requirement (e.g., first-year writing, distribution area, etc.), the class counts toward the requirement as if it carried a full unit. If the student is using it for a major/minor requirement, even if undeclared, the class satisfies the requirement. The class will only count as 0.5 units of credit towards the minimum 32 units for the degree. Please note that it will take some time for Workday to reflect that these courses can be used for general degree requirements, so this will not be immediately reflected in academic progress reports.

Instructors will assign final grades in accordance with the syllabus and their professional judgment.

As originally announced, all new classes will be mandatory credit/noncredit.

The deadline to declare a course credit/noncredit or letter graded has been extended to May 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM. This deadline applies to all courses (in which students may elect credit/ noncredit grading), not just those courses that were suspended during the strike. Students may change a letter graded course to credit/noncredit or a credit/noncredit course to letter graded.

As originally announced, new 0.5 unit classes can be dropped up until May 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM and they will not appear on the transcript. All other classes will follow the usual College policy, meaning that students can withdraw until May 1 (and have a WDR on their transcript).

The College’s Latin honors policy will remain in force as usual. The policy states: “To be eligible for these distinctions, a student may take no more than one-quarter of potentially graded units (i.e., mandatory credit/non credit not included) on a credit/non credit basis. A minimum of 12 graded courses (adding up to at least 12 units) must be included in the calculation for Latin honors.” (Articles of Government, Book II, Article IX, Section A). 

If a student has enrolled in any 0.5-unit mandatory credit/non credit courses this semester, these courses will be excluded from the count of potentially graded units. If a student elects to take any classes credit/noncredit during Spring 2025 (whether making this decision early or late in the semester), these courses will be included in the count of potentially graded units.

Please consult with the chair of your department.

It will be held June 11-13, and another communication about this will be forthcoming from the Registrar’s Office.

Summer session is expected to run as usual. 

Students with questions about their individual situations should contact the registrar at registrar@wellesley.edu.

The first thing to know is that when it comes to granting course credit, the College must follow federal regulations to maintain our status as an accredited institution of higher education.  The strike was called when students were eight weeks into the semester; five weeks remain. Many courses taught by striking NTT faculty have already completed sufficient contact hours for students to receive full credit. But for other courses, students have not completed the number of contact hours required to receive full credit. That number is determined by federal regulations, not by Wellesley College.

Because the duration of Wellesley’s strike is unknown, we had to develop a plan that would allow for a strike of maximum duration (that is, until the end of the semester). In this scenario, many classes taught by striking faculty members who are part of the union would not meet . The College would not be able to award students full credit for all of these classes because many would not have met for the minimum required number of hours.

Students enrolled in courses that have already met for the required number of minutes for the semester will receive full credit (1.0 or 1.25 units) for those courses. All classes with labs and certain other classes that meet for a high number of minutes (e.g., some language or studio classes) have also met this requirement.

In the event that the strike is of long duration, students will receive 0.5 units of credit for all other courses taught by striking NTT faculty members, unless they are being taught by a substitute instructor. Students can enroll in additional courses to make up the additional 0.5 units of credit required starting Saturday, March 29. These classes will begin on Monday, March 31. 

The College has developed a plan for students to enroll in new courses that offer 0.5 units of credit. Students will register for these new courses in a way that gives priority to those students for whom these course credits are most vital, including graduating seniors. 

We are confident that we will have enough seats to accommodate students who need the credit, and that we will have enough faculty to teach these courses.

We will award course credit for these newly opened courses in a way that’s consistent with Wellesley’s existing system. Wellesley measures courses in units of 0.25. This is why the units awarded for courses taken during the first part of the semester—and for new courses opened for the second part of the semester—are measured as courses of 0.5 units of credit, rather than, say, 0.3 or 0.6.

We want to be clear: Courses taught by striking members of the bargaining unit have not been canceled. They will remain open so that students can return to them, if and as possible, at the end of the strike.

We wish to stress again that it is critical that students who are below the credit threshold take advantage of the opportunity to enroll in additional classes now to ensure that they earn full credit for the semester and continue making regular progress toward earning their degrees. 

Students who face the possibility of falling below the required minimum 3.0 units for the semester will have priority when registering for these new courses. We are working hard to provide meaningful options for all students  to continue progress toward their degrees.

We are confident that we will have enough seats to accommodate students who need the credit, and that we will have enough faculty to teach these courses.

The College cannot award full credit for those classes that have not met for the minimum required number of hours, as determined by federal regulations. The College must follow these regulations in order to maintain our status as an accredited institution of higher education.

To be clear: Courses taught by members of the bargaining unit have not been terminated. They will remain open so that students can return to them, if and as possible, at the end of the strike. Also, some NTT faculty are continuing to teach classes.  Students will be able to receive full credit for those courses.

Equally important, many students will receive full credit for a class , either because the course is continuing to be taught or has already met for the required number of contact hours. 

Because the duration of Wellesley’s strike is unknown, we had to develop a plan that would allow for a strike of maximum duration (that is, until the end of the semester). In that scenario, classes taught by striking NTT faculty members would not meet for the rest of the semester.

Academic worker strikes on other campuses have differed from this strike at Wellesley because most striking workers have been graduate students, not faculty. They may teach some courses independently, but a tenured faculty member is the instructor of record for the majority of courses taught by graduate students. For this reason, even if the graduate student is striking, students remain enrolled in the course and are able to get full credit. 

Other recent strikes that have involved non-tenure track faculty were  announced and scheduled to be of short duration. With a two-day strike, for example, it is easier to get the students back into their regular classrooms. An additional distinction is that other campuses have had strikes occur later in the semester, when a larger number of courses have already satisfied the contact hours requirement for course credit.

We are awarding course credit for these newly opened courses in a way that’s consistent with Wellesley’s existing system. Wellesley measures courses in units of 0.25. This is why the units awarded to courses taken during the first part of the semester—and to new courses opened for the second part of the semester—are measured as courses of 0.5 credits, rather than, say, 0.3 or 0.6.

We will add a note to students’ transcripts to reference the disruption that occurred this semester, just like we did during the pandemic when all courses were graded mandatory credit/noncredit.

Yes. Students who are enrolled in classes that add up to 32 units over their four years will graduate. In advising conversations with students, we will stress the importance of being enrolled in classes that allow them to satisfy this requirement.

No. The College has developed this plan so that students whose classes are impacted by the strike will still be able to earn the full credit they need. If students sign up for the new classes that are being offered and receive a satisfactory grade, they will be able to earn full credit. 

Students who choose to participate in the picket line will not face any consequences from the College. However, students must meet the attendance requirements for their courses, and are therefore encouraged to continue going to their regularly scheduled classes.

Bargaining in good faith refers to the mutual obligation of employers and employee representatives (unions) to meet and negotiate at reasonable times and places, with intent to reach an agreement on terms and conditions of employment. The College stands ready to continue negotiating if and when the union shows willingness to take major steps forward.  Read more.

Wellesley College has been engaged in good faith bargaining with WOAW-UAW since May 2024, with the goal of negotiating a fair and competitive contract that takes into consideration the needs of our entire community.  To continue bargaining in good faith, the College offered to pursue private mediation with a neutral mediator. 

For more information, please refer to the National Labor Relations Board’s guidelines on bargaining in good faith.

The College offered to move to mediation because it believes it offers a strong path forward. Mediation is a tried-and-true method for successfully resolving differences and finalizing a contract quickly.

The College first offered mediation March 26, but WOAW has refused, insisting that it would be “premature.” This is hardly the case—the parties have been negotiating for almost a year and the union’s strike is entering its ninth day tomorrow. We have held 27 bargaining sessions, and much of the contract is settled. The core issues of workload, compensation, and reappointment rights remain unresolved. Under the circumstances, a mediator could help move the negotiations forward more quickly by engaging in ongoing “shuttle diplomacy” between the two sides.

Following the union’s continued refusal to engage in good-faith negotiation on these issues and others, the College issued a new and urgent call to WOAW-UAW to stop the strike, return to the classroom, and engage a mediator to help the parties reach an agreement. 

A mediator makes no decisions in a negotiation, and does not decide any issues for the parties, issue any reports or recommendations, or take public positions on anything in dispute. The entire process is confidential, and both parties must still agree on every decision that is made.  

Mediation is not arbitration; they are two very distinct processes. Key differences are that a mediator makes no decisions in a negotiation, and does not decide any issues for the parties, issue any reports or recommendations, or take public positions on anything in dispute. The entire process is confidential, and both parties must still agree on every decision that is made.  

The College cannot guarantee this process will result in an agreement, but we feel it is urgent that we try another path. We stand ready to work with the union to find an experienced and available mediator as soon as possible. In light of the ongoing strike and the disruption to our campus community, it is incomprehensible that the union would continue to refuse this tried-and-true approach to resolving differences. 

While we respect the right of the union to strike, we are disappointed by this decision, as both parties have been negotiating in good faith and making progress toward a strong agreement. As always, our highest priority is our students and the continuation of our academic program. We believe our shared goal as faculty members must be to provide our students with as much structure, normalcy, and opportunity to make progress on course learning goals as possible during the course of a strike.

We have put plans into place to preserve overall continuity in our teaching and research to the greatest extent possible during this strike of unknown duration. See Academic FAQ for more detail.) 

It is not  accurate to say this is an unfair labor practice strike. This is a strike in favor of the union’s demands. (According to WOAW-UAW’s website, WOAW officially announced a strike date “if the College does not cease unlawful conduct and negotiate a fair contract by 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, March 26.”)

An unfair labor practice is an action by an employer or union that violates the National Labor Relations Act. If an employee, an employer, or a union alleges such an action has occurred, it can file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board and ask it to investigate the matter. A ULP charge is simply an allegation. Once filed, the NLRB will review the charge according to its process.

To the best of our knowledge, WOAW-UAW filed a ULP charge related to its allegation that the College’s demonstration policy violates Section 7 of the NLRA. They filed a second charge objecting to the College’s attestation form, which enables the nearly 25% of union members who are choosing to work to get paid for their time. 

In both cases, there has been no finding by the National Labor Relations Board that the College has committed any unfair labor practice. The labor board is simply investigating the union’s allegations at this point. 

No. Wellesley College stands ready to continue negotiating if and when the union shows willingness to take major steps forward.

The College believes the decision by WOAW-UAW to strike is premature. Both sides have been bargaining in good faith since May 2024 and have reached agreements on 22 articles. The union flatly rejected the College's proposal that all union demands be raised in the first three bargaining sessions. Instead, the union waited until December 2024 – in the 15th bargaining session – to put any compensation demands on the table. Now, the union has called a strike at a point when the parties are still actively bargaining and exchanging meaningful proposals at the bargaining table. Union representatives themselves acknowledge that “we aren’t at an impasse” in bargaining. 

At the time the strike was called, several more bargaining sessions had already been agreed upon, and we've now begun to meet twice weekly, beginning with March 31 and April 3. All scheduled sessions will move forward.

The College stands ready to continue negotiating if and when the union shows willingness to take major steps forward. We believe holding bargaining sessions during which the College offers proposals that the UAW refuses to consider is fruitless and will not advance our shared goal of finalizing a contract. We once again call on the UAW to agree to mediation, a logical next step when two sides have exhausted their efforts to reach an agreement. Read more.

Additionally, it’s important to know that union negotiations are complex, involving a range of issues beyond compensation. To achieve a first contract, which typically takes 12 to 18 months, many issues still must be resolved. Working through these complex issues requires thoughtful consideration on both sides, which takes time.

For context, and with the understanding that every institution is different, the non-tenure track (NTT) faculty at Skidmore College just reached an agreement with the college on a contract after two years of bargaining, without a strike. We are now in our 10th month of negotiations, and the College is in no way stalling—there is no basis to this claim.

At the conclusion of our 24th session, the union gave the College a 95-page document containing its proposals on all the outstanding issues and asked the College to respond at a meeting the following day. It is not feasible for us to work that quickly through a long legal document that will govern the employment relationship between the College and these employees for the next several years.

Round-the-clock bargaining is an effective way to reach a contract agreement when the parties have worked out all of their differences except for one or two last issues, which often involve compensation. In our case, we are still negotiating over many issues. We have increased the frequency of our bargaining sessions, but we are not yet at the point where round-the-clock bargaining would be efficient.

The student experience remains our top priority. Students are expected to attend classes as they normally would. Department chairs will notify students directly if any classes are affected by the strike.

The College remains open. Tenure-track faculty and administrative and union staff are expected to report for work as usual. If you have any questions, please contact HR at working@wellesley.edu.

Non-tenure track faculty members who are bargaining unit employees (BUEs) have a legal right to strike and to decide whether or not to engage in strike activity, free from coercion from the union or the College. Department chairs and other academic supervisors must respect either decision by a BUE and should not ask about their decision. 

Regular guidelines for classes remain in place. If instructors deem it necessary, they can shift a class to Zoom, consistent with College policy.

The College respects the right of union members to strike. However, in all cases, any College employee who engages in a strike will not be paid for the period they are on strike. Please contact HR at working@wellesley.edu with any questions.

BUEs will be asked to complete an attestation each week to confirm whether they have completed their typical job responsibilities for that week or, instead, were on strike.

The College is not taking away any health benefits.  When any benefits- eligible employee is on unpaid status for more than one month, the employee must pay the full premium. 

Currently, NTT faculty who work at least half-time receive generous benefits, including health insurance with employer contributions of 75% or more, retirement benefits with employer contributions up to 10.5%, professional development funds, access to faculty housing at below-market rates, medical/parental leave, and tuition remission for dependents attending Wellesley. These benefits are comparable to what tenure track faculty receive, with the exception of a mortgage benefit and tuition grant for dependents (for tenured faculty). Unlike many of our peers, Wellesley offers our NTT faculty subsidized housing on campus, and many take advantage of that benefit. 

Employees calling in sick during a strike may be required to provide medical verification of illness, in accordance with College policy and applicable labor agreements. Employees who either request vacation leave that coincides with a labor strike or take unscheduled vacation leave during a strike must do so in accordance with College policy, departmental protocols regarding vacation leave, and applicable labor agreements. 

A strike is an organized, collective work stoppage by a group of employees, usually with the goal of forcing the employer to accept the employees’ demands or in protest of an alleged unfair labor practice. A union might call a strike to pressure the employer to accept the union’s demands regarding wages, benefits, or other terms and conditions of employment. The striking employees might organize picket lines where they hold signs, march, and chant. 

Strikes can vary in timing and length depending on whether progress is being made toward finalizing the collective bargaining agreement, what the union members authorize, and what the local union leaders elect to do. 

Yes. Each individual bargaining unit member has the right under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to decide whether or not to engage in strike activity, and a member cannot be coerced by the union or by the employer to strike or not to strike. Striking members of the bargaining unit are exercising a right protected under the law, and the same is true for unit members who elect not to strike. 

All bargaining unit members who elect to strike will have their compensation withheld for the period they are on strike.

Because a strike involves withholding labor, employees who participate in protests or demonstrations while continuing to fulfill their work obligations are not formally on strike. 

Nonunionized, nonsupervisory staff have the same strike rights as WOAW-UAW bargaining unit members. They may strike, or not strike, without coercion or retaliation. If they elect to strike, however, their compensation will be withheld for the period they are on strike. In addition, if they engage in unlawful, unprotected strike activity, such as a partial withholding of their labor, they may be subject to disciplinary measures. Additional information from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regarding the right to strike, as well as lawful and unlawful strikes, can be found here.

Other Wellesley staff who are members of unions that have active collective bargaining agreements with no-strike clauses do not have the right to participate in a WOAW-UAW strike by not working. They are expected to be at work and fulfill their job responsibilities. 

Supervisory and managerial employees, which may include tenured and tenure track Wellesley faculty, are not protected employees under the NLRA and do not have a legal right to participate in any WOAW-UAW strike. 

Yes, as long as it is in accordance with the College’s demonstration policy and does not threaten safety or disrupt College operations.

The new five-course standard for non-tenure track faculty benefits students by:

• Increasing the number of high-demand and required courses we can offer with a faculty of our size.

• Reducing our dependence on new visiting lecturers, who are only here for a short time.

• Allowing our longer-term lecturers and senior lecturers to teach more of our students, who would benefit from their experience and from building meaningful connections with them. 

The College determines salaries based on position and seniority, not race or ethnicity.  For faculty, their role and time in service are the primary factors that determine compensation. The College uses market data to establish salaries, and regularly reviews our salary data to ensure we remain an employer of choice offering salaries that are competitive with our peers.  We look at internal equity when making an offer to an external candidate – and regularly review our salary data to address any potential disparities.

NTT salaries are based on a 9-month teaching position. NTT faculty who teach outside of term time earn additional compensation. If the average NTT starting salary proposed by the College for Lecturers for FY26 is annualized, this would equal $96,000, which exceeds 80% of the area median income for an individual according to Housing and Urban Development.

Overall the College’s current offer would mean higher average salaries for NTT faculty than our peers.

That amount was a one-time surplus. Any increases in salary or benefits for WOAW-UAW members will be ongoing expenses, so the College will need to pay for them out of the operating budget, which will require reductions in other spending areas.

The $15 million surplus was the product of a number of unforeseen events that will not recur in future years. These included receiving a final installment of federal COVID funds; receiving significant gifts that generated income without spending an equivalent amount on programming; and interest earnings on cash allocated for upcoming capital projects.

The Trustees designated the interest earnings ($8.2 million) to be spent on capital projects and designated the balance of the surplus to the endowment to be budget-relieving for the current and all future years.

For more information on the College’s budget, read the Wellesley News reporting.

No. Under the process initiated by the union, the College has carefully reviewed the role and responsibilities of BUEs and proposed reducing those responsibilities that lie outside of their primary role of teaching and advising. The College’s proposal streamlines service expectations so that lecturers and ISLs will continue to do first-year and major/minor advising and departmental service but will have no other contractual service obligations. Professional development will no longer be a separate evaluation criterion for reappointment, and the College and the union agree that there are no research expectations for BUEs. 

With no research expectations or the professional obligations that come with scholarship, and with fewer service responsibilities than tenured faculty, a five-course teaching load per academic year is reasonable for a full-time BUE position.  

The College’s proposal is consistent with the teaching load at the majority of peer institutions, where lecturers teach five to six courses per academic year. 

Reflecting this analysis and clarification, the College has proposed a five-course teaching load for all full-time BUE faculty, which is consistent with the current load for visiting lecturers. ISLs will be responsible for eight labs, instead of seven.

The College’s current salary proposal is comprehensive and competitive to support our valued BUEs. It would:

• Increase salaries for NTT faculty who are bargaining unit members (BUEs) by a total of 16% in the first year, bringing the average salary for BUEs to more than $100,000 in year 1 of the contract, and by more than 26% over three years.

• Establish a five-course teaching load standard for full-time NTT faculty (currently applicable only to visiting lecturers) and offer a $12,000 increase in year 1 of the contract for those who opt to begin teaching five courses in year 2. 

• Increase the starting salary for lecturers to $80,000 in year 2 of the contract, and provide an additional $6,000 promotion opportunity for senior lecturers. 

• Increase average salaries by 7% in year 1 of the contract and 18% over three years (including promotional increases) if lecturers and senior lecturers choose to opt out of the five-course teaching load.

These competitive wages are only one part of total compensation, which includes our current robust benefits package, representing an additional 35% cost on top of a BUE’s salary.

The College offers generous benefits to BUEs, which include eligibility for the faculty housing program at 70% of the market rate. BUEs who take advantage of this benefit are able to stay in faculty housing over the course of their time at Wellesley.

The mortgage program is made available only to tenured faculty in order to remain competitive with our peers to recruit and retain outstanding scholars who will remain with the College over the rest of their careers, and aligns with the long term nature of a 30-year mortgage.

The five-course workload for NTT faculty is consistent with our peer colleges and universities, including Boston College, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Wesleyan, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Colleges with six-course loads include Babson, Barnard, Emerson, MIT, Northeastern, Rhode Island School of Design, and Tufts. The five-course workload is consistent with the more limited teaching and advisory roles of NTT faculty, who also do not have the important research and more significant service responsibilities of tenured and tenure-track faculty. In addition, NTT faculty generally hold nine-month positions, as opposed to the full-year responsibilities of tenure-stream faculty.

Since February 2024, a group of Wellesley College’s non-tenure track (NTT) faculty has been represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) under the name Wellesley Organized Academic Workers-UAW (WOAW-UAW). WOAW-UAW is now the exclusive representative for these faculty on all matters of wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.

Wellesley began negotiating with WOAW-UAW in May 2024, and bargaining sessions continued throughout the summer. Discussions at the bargaining table have been thoughtful and productive, and we are pleased to have reached tentative agreement on several proposals already, including discipline and dismissal, severability, job postings, and the creation of a union-management committee.

Negotiating a first contract can take significant time, so it is difficult to estimate. First-time contracts often take more than a year of negotiations to complete. It is early in the process, but we are making good progress. The College is committed to negotiating in good faith until a contract is reached, regardless of how long that may take.

The WOAW-UAW bargaining unit has approximately 120 NTT faculty members. This includes Mellon postdocs, visiting lecturers, lecturers, senior lecturers, and instructors in science laboratory (ISLs). 

No. The parties agreed upon the composition of the bargaining unit in December 2023. Based on an agreement between the College and the union, a number of NTT faculty are not included in the bargaining unit due to their supervisory responsibilities or administrative appointments, or for other reasons.

Wellesley is committed to bargaining with the union in good faith to reach a fair agreement that reflects the importance of the role the NTT faculty in the bargaining unit play at the College while taking into account the needs of our broader community. We respect the collective bargaining process and are committed to engaging in negotiations in a thoughtful manner.

We recognize that NTT faculty play a vital and distinct role in supporting our academic mission. As part of negotiations, we share the union’s goal of further defining the role of bargaining unit employees (BUEs) at Wellesley to clarify expectations and responsibilities and support their work.

No. Both the College and the union agreed to a closed negotiation process. The College is committed to keeping the Wellesley community informed throughout this process and will be sharing regular updates on our progress. 

The recent discussion at Academic Council around degree requirements was conducted under the expectation of staffing neutrality to make clear that any proposed new requirements that would require additional staffing would need to be paired with other changes that reduced staffing needs. In general, the number of NTT faculty members at the College is expected to fluctuate year-to-year according to the College's current staffing needs.

On Oct. 8, 2024, the union presented a proposal at the bargaining table for BUEs to be eligible to apply to participate in these new initiatives. After discussion, the College and the Union agreed to a memorandum of understanding, which states the following: “Bargaining Unit Employees shall be eligible to apply for full participation in the Albright Faculty Affiliates Program and the Hillary Rodham Clinton Center Faculty Research Initiative. Bargaining Unit Employees shall be included on all College-wide communications about all Wagner Centers Initiatives.This eligibility is only for academic years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. This shall not be a precedent for other College initiatives in the future.”

NTT faculty positions are primarily teaching positions. Research is not an expectation or a responsibility of NTT faculty, and they have considerably fewer service responsibilities than tenure-eligible faculty. This is true not only for Wellesley but across higher education.

Tenure track faculty teach four courses, just as NTT faculty on long-term contracts currently do (visiting lecturers teach five courses), but they also have demanding research responsibilities outside the classroom and significant service expectations, and their role includes producing scholarship or research related to their fields of study.

The NTT faculty position is a nine-month position (10 months for instructors in science laboratory).

The average salary for lecturers/senior lecturers and ISLs at Wellesley is currently about $96,000. The College’s most recent proposal would increase the average salary to more than $117,000 within the first two years of the contract. The American Association of University Professors estimates that the average salary of NTT faculty at Wellesley’s peer schools in New England is $82,000.  

Both full-time and part-time NTT faculty receive generous benefits, comparable to those of tenured and tenure track faculty, that represent an additional 35% in compensation. Existing benefits include: 

• Comprehensive health insurance and employer contributions toward premiums of 75% or more. 

• Generous retirement benefits, with employer contributions for eligible employees up to 10.5%. 

• Professional development funds of up to $2,000 per year for conference travel for faculty who are half-time or greater as well as professional development leave opportunities.

• Fully paid medical and parental leave benefits for lecturers, senior lecturers, and principal lecturers in addition to paid family medical leave.

• Tuition remission for children who attend Wellesley.

• Subsidized housing on campus at 70% of market rates.

Well before the unionization and bargaining processes were initiated, the College recognized the need to regularize and enhance certain elements of our compensation and benefit offerings for NTT faculty. To address a salary gap between longer-term and newer NTT faculty, in 2020 the College granted a 9% raise to NTT faculty who had been hired in 2008 or later (in a year when virtually all other salaries at the College were frozen). In 2022, most NTT faculty received raises of 8% to 10%. Taken together, these steps have effectively addressed the disparity between faculty hired before 2008 and after.

Wellesley’s NTT faculty are valued members of our community. The vast majority hold full-time positions with full benefits, including generous health care and retirement. They teach and advise students; receive regular reviews to ensure high-quality teaching; and are able to serve on College-wide committees.  

Wellesley’s NTT faculty also have a level of job security that adjunct faculty at many other institutions do not. They have long-term contracts resulting in long tenure at the College, and the large majority have five-year renewable contracts and promotion opportunities with pay increases. Our visiting lectures (approximately 30% of NTT faculty) receive one-year contracts that are renewable for a total of four years. More than 40% of our NTT faculty have been here more than 10 years, and 20% have been here more than 20 years.

See our fact sheet for additional information.