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California State University

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Toxic - Associate Professor California State University Employee Review

1.0
Jan 5, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This is the place where your academic career will die. Academic freedom and free inquiry are facades. Dissent and alternate views are stifled, the administration lies to new faculty recruits to get them in, salary is sub-par, so many of my peers have been absolutely crushed by this place. Administration is corrupt and spends their time covering each other up instead of fixing the systematic problems. Come here if you want to keep your head down, do your job, and not make any waves. Most of the students are ill-prepared to take your course, and none of your colleagues will be willing to challenge them because "they're not bright enough" (yes, faculty here actually say that about the students). Best described by another faculty member I know as "an overgrown high school." If you are stupid, noisy, incompetent, and excel at doing pointless tasks that make you look good on paper while being a deficit to everyone around you, you will fit right in. If you can think for yourself and you want to change things and enrich this university, your time (and career) is better spent someplace else.

Cons

You cannot even fathom how dysfunctional this place is. This university also has the tendency of making you feel trapped.... If you stay here too long, you will feel like you're not good enough to be accepted anywhere else. You will feel like you are trapped here. It will crush your very sole. I know far too many faculty across multiple departments who feel this way. The hallmarks of an abusive relationship.

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5.0
Dec 4, 2025
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Pros

Flexibility in schedule, plus it keeps me current with the ways the soon to be professionals work and think.

Cons

Grading, there aren’t graders for helping with the load.

4.0
Apr 1, 2026
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CEO approval
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Pros

Great community, professional development opportunities, job security

Cons

Not much flexibility, pay can be stagnant

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