After a Decade of Struggle, 21 CSU Long Beach Lecturers Win Tenure-Track Positions

In a hard-fought victory for academic labor rights, 21 lecturers at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) were officially reclassified as tenure-track faculty in March 2026. This milestone caps more than a decade of relentless advocacy spearheaded by Deborah Hamm, a CSULB lecturer and former faculty union leader, who witnessed firsthand the erosion of tenure opportunities and the growing exploitation of lecturers.

The reclassification pilot project, launched in Fall 2025 after eighteen months of careful planning by a committee of faculty, union representatives, and administrators, aims to reverse the troubling trend of declining tenure density on campus. Instead of relying on costly external hires who often abandon the high cost of living in coastal California, the program recognizes the value of long-serving lecturers already embedded in the university community.

Lecturers at CSULB have increasingly taken on expanded roles—from committee participation to campus service—without formal acknowledgment or compensation. Hamm and CFA representative Beka Langen argued that many lecturers possess unrealized research potential and deserve a clear pathway to tenure-track positions. “If you’ve got a great lecturer who already contributes significantly and wants to do research, we should give them the opportunity to qualify for tenure,” Hamm said.

The pilot program’s eligibility criteria emphasize research potential rather than an established record, acknowledging that lecturers often lack traditional research backgrounds due to their heavy teaching loads. Elaine Bernal, CFA Associate Vice President for Lecturers, highlighted the importance of this shift: “For tenure-track faculty, a proven research track record is required, but for reclassification, we fought to focus on ‘potential.’”

More than 100 lecturers attended informational sessions to navigate the application process, which was streamlined to accommodate their demanding schedules. The successful applicants represent a broad spectrum of disciplines, proving the program’s campus-wide impact.

Lecturers who secured tenure-track status expressed profound gratitude and surprise at the opportunity. Nimisha Barton, one of the reclassified lecturers, said, “I never would have gone back into academia in this way if it hadn’t been for my colleagues and CFA. It still blows my mind.”

This pilot project at CSULB offers a promising model for other campuses grappling with tenure erosion and the precarious status of lecturers. As the union and faculty push for expansion, this breakthrough signals a crucial step toward restoring academic job security and fairness in the California State University system.