PHP (Preferred Hiring Pool)
PHP is the advancement system for part-time faculty at USF. After you have taught a certain number of units and completed several semesters of service, you are eligible to apply for admission to the Preferred Hiring Pool. There are two levels, PHP 1 and PHP 2 (see requirements for each below). Your application is reviewed by the Deans, who also decide which adjuncts will be added to the PHP each year.
A number of benefits are acquired through entry into the Preferred Hiring Pool, including a pay raise, life insurance, tuition remission, and retirement contributions. While the pay increase applies to all the courses you teach at USF, your PHP letter will initially attach to a specific course. There is a process for adding additional courses you teach to your PHP status, which provide you with seniority status for teaching these courses.
Application deadline is Monday October 16, 2023
Decisions are announced in the spring
View slides from USF Deans 9/14/23 Info Session outlining the application process
Applications are submitted through Gnosis: https://gnosis.usfca.edu/facinfo/php
Gnosis is housed in the College of Arts & Sciences, so if you are in the SONHP, SOE, or SOM, email CAS Assistant Dean Claudine Van Delden (vandelden@usfca.edu) for Gnosis access.
Former awardee samples presented at the PHP Information Session on 9/14/21:
Sample PHP1 Application
Sample PHP2 Application
Below is a summary of PHP Application eligibility, benefits, and rights. See our CBA for complete language on referenced articles.
PHP 1 Eligibility (per CBA Article 12.1)
Review CBA Article 13 regarding teaching effectiveness, evaluation, and course competency. As of Fall 2023, you must have completed the following before submitting your application for PHP, either:
At least 44 units and a minimum of 6 semesters of service, OR
At least 38 units and a minimum of 8 semesters of service
Applicants must notify their Department Chair in writing their intent to apply for PHP.
PHP 2 Eligibility (per CBA Article 12.8)
PHP 2 candidates must have a minimum of
124 Units
10 years of service
Applicants must notify their Department Chair in writing on their intent to apply for PHP 2.
Promotion to PHP 2 will be based on teaching excellence, collegiality, continuing professional development in teaching, and support for department/programs’ learning objectives and outcomes.
Applicants who are denied PHP 2 status are eligible to reapply in two years.
(Per Article 12.3)
FIFTEEN (15) PHP PROMOTIONS WERE AWARDED IN 2023,
AND EIGHT (8) PHP PROMOTIONS WERE AWARDED IN 2021 and 2022.
In Spring 2024, up to 15 PHP promotions will be awarded
After Spring 2024, caps on PHP promotions will expire
PHP Benefits:
A one-time pay increase in addition to the annual across-the-board increases negotiated by the Part Time Faculty Association.
Seniority rights in course assignment.
Access to the University's retirement plan (a 10% retirement benefit will be paid to your selected retirement account whenever you receive a paycheck)
Tuition remission for self and family.
40,000 life insurance coverage, including accidental death and dismemberment (in effect as long as you're teaching at USF).
PHP Application Process (Article 12.2)
The application must be submitted online via Gnosis, and shall include the following:
12.2.1 A list of the course(s) and sections taught, and the semesters in which each was taught.
12.2.2 Current curriculum vitae.
12.2.3 A narrative of teaching philosophy that outlines the applicant’s principles on teaching generally and in terms of the mission and goals of USF specifically; it should also describe how they demonstrate teaching effectiveness through evaluations, teaching surveys, or other data.
12.2.4 A statement that outlines the applicant’s support for department/ programs learning outcomes and objectives.
12.2.5 A statement that outlines the applicant’s commitment to collegiality within their department, college, and university.
12.2.6 Confirmation in writing that applicant has notified their department chair of intent to apply for PHP.
12.2.7 Any additional materials the applicant believes demonstrate effectiveness in teaching, including but not limited to letters from faculty, administrators, and students.
12.2.8 The evaluation process shall include a review of a minimum of the three (3) and a maximum of the five (5) most recent years of SUMMA evaluations and BLUE surveys.
12.2.8.1 The applicant shall be responsible for submitting all SUMMA evaluations and BLUE surveys.
Evaluation for PHP Status: (Per Article 12.5) Adjunct professors will be evaluated for PHP status solely on the basis of the application. Placement of any particular adjunct professor in the PHP shall not be a standard of comparison or precedent for other applicants to the PHP.
Re-evaluation, Review and Non-Appointment: Should your application for PHP be unsuccessful, there are procedures for requesting re-evaluation and review (See Articles 12.4, 12.5, and 12.6 for details).
You may meet with the Dean to devise a written re-evaluation plan and reapply during the next PHP cycle.
You may request a review of your current application. (Note this request must be made within 15 business days after you have received notice regarding the status of your PHP application.)
If you were not placed in the PHP pool, you may reapply. It is advisable to take advantage of the re-evaluation and review mechanisms listed above.
Post-PHP Rights
Seniority & Course Assignment
Per CBA Article 12.11:
Once an individual is placed into the PHP, adjunct professors will be assigned courses on the basis of seniority (as specified by their PHP offer letter, and any course they have taught without restrictions since attaining PHP status in their department), and established competence.
PHP Faculty in Rhetoric and Language (including Public Speaking, Composition, and AEM), Spanish, Theology and Religious Studies, and Philosophy will be offered two (2) courses at a time per semester on the basis of seniority as long as courses are available.
PHP faculty in all other departments shall be offered one course per semester on the basis of seniority, and an additional course in seniority order after other individuals in PHP have been offered a course, as long as courses are available.
A full description of the course assignment process can be found in Appendix 3 of the CBA.
Per Article 12.16: Full Time Faculty Scheduling, the Dean may refuse to offer an adjunct professor a teaching assignment due to full-time faculty scheduling. In such cases, the adjunct professor shall not lose seniority or be excluded from the PHP.
Per Article 11.4: Adjuncts in the PHP can bump another adjunct with less seniority prior to the Course Cancellation period (25 days before the first class meeting in the Fall, 14 days before the first class meeting in the Spring, and 7 days before the first class meeting in the summer term). Non-PHP faculty must be bumped first followed by the least senior PHP faculty teaching courses in which the more senior PHP faculty member has seniority.
Leaves of Absence
Per Article 12.16: For any semester PHP faculty turn down work, we recommend you communicate and provide updated contact information with your dean, department chair, and program coordinators every semester you are on leave. This communication ensures that you will be included on Intent to Teach emails sent out when schedules are being created for the following term.
Adjunct professors with PHP retain their seniority for 2 years between teaching assignments.
The Dean at his/her sole discretion, may extend the seniority rights of an adjunct professor with PHP who does not teach for a period of 2 years.
For all other issues, including re-evaluation of failed PHP applications, effect of non-appointment, and re-employment issues, please review Article 12 in the PTFA CBA.