Declares it is the purpose of this act to address growing concerns about the academic staffing crisis in higher education. Staffing issues, including the economic exploitation of adjunct faculty along with the shrinking ranks of full-time tenured faculty, limit the ability of the state system of higher education to provide high quality education, improve retention rates, conduct research, and provide support for economic development.

Declares it is the goal of this act to have at least seventy-five percent of the full-time equivalent faculty positions be held by full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty in each department that has at least eight full-time equivalent faculty appointments, as defined in RCW 28B.50.851, on each campus of each institution of higher education.

Declares it is further the goal of this act to have salaries in institutions of higher education that will attract and retain the best faculty possible to educate the citizens of Washington state.