The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education announced Thursday negotiators reached an agreement late Wednesday in faculty contract talks between the state organization and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties.

The union represents about 5,500 faculty and coaches at state system universities across Pennsylvania, including Slippery Rock University in Butler County.

Legal counsel for both entities will continue finalizing language contained in the contract before a tentative agreement is available for APSCUF members to review and ratify, according to a press release issued by the PASSHE. Details will not be released to the public until the ratification and approval process is complete.

The agreement followed five days of bargaining that at Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. Negotiators met for a total of 21 days since talks began in mid-May.

“I believe that the agreement in principle represents an historic advance in the process of creating a shared vision of how our universities should operate to best serve our students,” APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash said in a press release. “The principle components are fair, they address a number of faculty concerns, and they establish a solid foundation for the future of public higher education in Pennsylvania.”

This is an excerpt of an article that will appear in Friday's Butler Eagle.