The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education announced Thursday that negotiators reached an agreement late Wednesday in 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 news release issued by PASSHE. Details will not be released to the public until the ratification and approval process is complete.

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

“I believe that the agreement in principle represents a historic advance in the process of creating a shared vision of how our universities should operate to best serve our students,” APSCUF President Kenneth Mash said in a news 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.”

Although the most recent contract ended June 30, it remains in effect until a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified, according to state law. If approved by APSCUF and the State System’s Board of Governors, the four-year agreement will start immediately.

“When the State System and APSCUF began this journey last summer, we all envisioned a process that put students at the center of our discussions. We’ve achieved that goal together,” said Cindy Shapira, chair of the PASSHE board of governors.

PASSHE oversees 14 four-year public universities educating more than 90,000 students. In addition to Slippery Rock, the state system also includes universities in Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, and West Chester.

“By engaging deeply with each other from the start, the negotiating teams achieved a result that puts students first, honors the important work of our dedicated faculty and takes another important step toward overcoming our financial challenges,” said PASSHE Chancellor Dan Greenstein.