The 25,000 students taking summer classes at the 14 state-owned universities can now rest easy.

An agreement was reached Monday night between the State System of Higher Education and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties even as the possibility of a walkout by professors seemed more likely than ever.

After a 12-hour negotiation session Sunday concluded without agreement, a state mediator asked APSCUF to refrain from striking for another 24 hours.

The final agreement was made at around 11 p.m., an hour before the 24-hour hold on a strike was expected to end.

A joint release sent out this morning said that a "tentative agreement" was reached for a four-year contract.

The agreement provides for a one-time cash payment of $1,750 to each full-time faculty member, plus general pay increases of 3 percent each in 2008 to 2010, and 4 percent in 2010 and 2011.

In addition to the pay increases, faculty not at the top of the salary schedule will receive annual service increments of 2.5 percent or 5 percent each year.

Also, senior faculty will receive an amount equal to 2.5 percent of their salary in 2011.

Healthcare co-payments had been a sticking point for APSCUF during the negotiations, but the statement said that the medical co-pay will remain the same until 2011, when faculty will be expected to pay 15 percent of health-care premiums.

The agreement must be ratified by union membership and SSHE's Board of Governors before it can take effect.

The contract would run until June 30, 2011.

The agreement won the support of Governor Ed Rendell.

"This agreement strikes a fair balance between the legitimate salary requirements of the faculty and the pocketbooks of parents across the state," Rendell said.

APSCUF President Patricia Heilman expressed relief.

"We have been able to ensure an uninterrupted education for our students," she said in the statement.

The two parties had agreed to continue talks even after Saturday's original midnight deadline for negotiations passed.

It was expected that if an agreement wasn't reached Saturday, state faculty would strike on Monday.

The strike would have affected 2,500 students currently taking summer courses at Millersville.

The other state system schools are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities.

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