Hundreds of UUP members and other activists arlly at the state Capitol in protest of the governor’s action to freeze $110 million in SUNY revunue.

Nearly 400 union members and advocates came to Albany on an unseasonably cool May afternoon to protest a move that would clearly leave SUNY out in the cold — a spending freeze that prevents the university from spending nearly

$110 million it collects from students and hospital patients to run its operations.

UUP President Phillip Smith led the noon hour rally outside the state Capitol, with strong support from UUP’s state affiliate, NYSUT, and other advocates.

“Without a doubt, this is the most devastating financial crisis SUNY has ever faced,” Smith said.
“Unless these cuts are restored, SUNY will be effectively dismantled.”

Access, quality at stake

As if the nearly $110 million spending freeze wasn’t bad enough, Smith noted that this year’s state budget had already slashed SUNY’s operating funds by $38 million. In addition, Smith said the state’s failure to authorize payment of

$36 million in contractual raises for workers at its three public hospitals leaves SUNY with a total financial shortfall of $180 million.

Smith warned that unless the state Division of the Budget releases the funds, access to SUNY will be curtailed, courses will be canceled, class sizes will balloon, and the quality of SUNY’s academic programs and hospital care will erode.

The UUP president also noted this is a matter of simple fairness.

“We are not talking about taxpayers’ money — the state is freezing money that SUNY students and their families have paid for tuition, room and board, and other fees,” Smith said. “This is money SUNY hospital patients have paid for health care. Is that fair?”

The crowd responded with a resounding “no,” and began chanting “Save SUNY now.”
NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin lent his sense of outrage to the rally, saying the budget division had “stuck a knife in SUNY’s throat.” He urged the demonstrators to call their state legislators and ask them to use their influence on the governor to stop the attack on SUNY.

“Tell them you are not going to destroy our University, you are not going to destroy our upstate economy, when everybody is looking to bring jobs and bring work to the Upstate area,” Lubin said. “We educate the kids, and we provide the jobs for the work they bring in, you can’t bring them in if the University is folding.

“We will stand by your side until this horror is over,” Lubin promised.

“In tough economic times, the state should be investing more in SUNY and in students who will ultimately fill the high-quality jobs created by business here in New York state,” NYSUT
President Richard Iannuzzi said in a statement of support.

Smith also stressed the negative economic consequences of the state budget cuts and spending freeze.

“SUNY is the economic engine that provides the skills for the workforce that employers need to remain or relocate to New York in the 21st century,” Smith said. “But combining this year’s budget cuts with the SUNY spending freeze, this engine will burn out, and our state’s economy will decline.”

Smith called upon Gov. David Paterson to “rescue SUNY by providing more state aid and unlocking the funds the University has already collected.”

UUP drew support at the rally from other sources, including state Sen. Neil Breslin (D-Delmar), who asked the unionists to lift their voices.

“This is a very compassionate governor who listens,” Breslin said.

“If you keep your voices risen, if you keep them high, we will succeed,” he said.

California Faculty Association President Lillian Taiz fired up the crowd with a spirited address.
“I bring a message of solidarity from the 24,000 faculty of the California State University system,” she boomed.

“The question we must ask our state leaders is, what kind of state will we be as the 21st century proceeds? Are we states that will hamstring our children by taking away the key to their prosperity and that of the state, or will we invest in them and in our own future?”

“Fight on,” she urged.

More than 200,000 SUNY students are affected by the freeze. Two of them, Chelsea Cawley and Jessica Reid of UAlbany, addressed the rally. Cawley summed up their concerns.

“The money we pay in tuition and dorm fees is not just our money, it is money we’re borrowing to pay (for SUNY). I expect this money to stay in the SUNY system, because it’s the students’ money,” Cawley said.

NYPIRG Chair Cheryl Lynch, a student at Stony Brook University, also sent a statement of support.

“When students pay tuition and dorm fees, we expect those dollars to be used to run the University,” she said.

— Denyce Duncan Lacy and Donald Feldstein

Bill Buxton of Cortland outlines the union’s legislative agenda to Assemblyman William Magee (D-Nelson), right.

"Our job is to ensure that UUP’s message is delivered."

That directive to UUP advocates came from UUP Outreach Committee Co-chair Glenn McNitt prior to their descent on the state Capitol for NYSUT Higher Ed Lobby Day Feb. 26.

Fresh from a visit with state legislative leaders and a top aide to the governor, UUP President Phillip Smith told the UUPers, "We’re all singing the same song," referring to a consensus that improving higher education is a top priority. But to achieve the union’s legislative agenda, Smith added, "We have to sing it again."

Seated with their sisters and brothers from NYSUT and Professional Staff Congress/CUNY, NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin reminded the advocates that they’re representing 585,000 members and their families.

"Remind the legislators of your needs," Lubin said. "Stick to your stories.

Remind them we need their help in their conference."

The advocates fanned out across the Capitol, visiting the offices of dozens of law-makers, spreading the word about why SUNY deserves a better budgetary shake.

During one such meeting with Sen. Dale Volker (R-Depew), UUPer Thomas Matthews of Geneseo made the case for the state to fully fund enrollment growth on SUNY’s state-operated campuses.

"It will be a challenge to keep up with the increasing number of students without more funds," Matthews said. UUP pressed lawmakers to not only bankroll enrollment growth, but also to restore the $34.2 million cut from SUNY’s mandatory operating costs in the Executive Budget.

Charles McAteer of Stony Brook drove home the economic impact SUNY has on the state during his meeting with legislators, noting that four out of five SUNY graduates stay and work in the state.

Brian Tappen of Upstate Medical University not only stressed the need for $40 million more in the budget for SUNY hospitals and health science centers to make up for chronic underfunding, he also emphasized the critical need for infrastructure improvements. That message resonated with Assemblywoman

Janet Duprey (R-Peru), who recalled that the gym on the Canton campus has been condemned because it is in such disrepair.

The UUP advocates also asked lawmakers to stop SUNY campuses from selling or leasing property without legislative or gubernatorial approval.

That message got through to Assembly-man Daniel Burling (R-Warsaw), who said, "This is something the Legislature won’t accept."

Meanwhile, dozens of UUPers took part in UUP advocacy days nearly every Tuesday in February and March.

Binghamton and Stony Brook Advocacy Days

UUP advocates were also out in force for Binghamton and Stony Brook advocacy days March 4, organized by the respective campus administrations. Binghamton UUP Chapter President Darryl Wood said about half of the 130 representatives who made the trip belong to UUP.

"It was an opportunity to showcase UUP’s solidarity with the campus administration, students, alumni and the local community," Wood said.

More than 100 UUPers from Stony Brook came to Albany among a delegation that filled 22 buses. McAteer said his campus accentuated the economic impact that comes from growing SUNY.

"SUNY will be the engine that drives the state’s economic recovery," he said in describing his campus’ message. "The government helps with funding, and the public gets the trained professionals needed to take New York well into the 21st century."

UUP also used the theme of SUNY as an engine of economic growth in its 2008 TV ad campaign. The 30-second commercial featuring UUP members and SUNY students at UAlbany and SUNY New Paltz called on state leaders to fully fund SUNY, and included the tagline, "We can’t keep running on fumes. We need more faculty now." The ad aired in late March on network affiliate and cable TV stations across the state.

• Donald Feldstein

Nearly 30 members of the union’s Negotiations Committee took their seats Jan. 10 in NYSUT’s Albert Shanker Conference Center to hear and discuss details of the tentative contract agreement reached after eight months of intensive bargaining between the UUP Negotiations Team and New York state representatives.

And after the daylong briefing by UUP Acting President and Chief Negotiator Frederick Floss, the decision to move forward was clear: The committee voted unanimously to recommend ratification of the 2007-2011 tentative agreement.

The Negotiations Committee is made up of one member from each UUP chapter, as well as one academic and one professional part-timer.

Floss said the tentative agreement is “fair and equitable for all our members — academic and professional, full time and part time — and provides salaries and benefits that will attract and retain top-quality faculty.”

Highlights of the tentative pact include across-the-board, on-base salary increases of 3 percent in the first three years of the contract and 4 percent in the final year. The first 3 percent increase is retroactive to July 2, 2007, or Sept. 1, 2007, depending on the member’s appointment.

Floss stressed that members will be getting more money in their paychecks without giving any back in lost health benefits. He said the 2007-2011 tentative pact calls for no percentage increases in the employees’ share of the cost of health insurance premiums, and only small increases in co-pays.

“Given the difficult circumstances under which the union negotiated, this tentative agreement is better than expected,” said Committee member Idalia Torres of Fredonia. “UUP dodged a bullet and was able to hold the line on health benefits, despite the state’s demands for members to pick up a larger share of their premiums.”

The agreement features other benefits, including:

• A one-time $500 service award to employees who will receive permanent or continuing appointments, or a second, five-year term appointment, at their current campuses during each year of the contract;

• A $500 service award lump-sum payment to part-time employees who have completed at least eight consecutive years at their current campus;

• Location stipends, which increase to $3,026 for employees in the downstate area and up to $1,513 for employees in the Mid-Hudson region;

• 1 percent of the total salary pool is available for discretionary increases in each year of the agreement;  

• The UUP Benefit Trust Fund will be well funded. Over the life of the agreement, state contributions will increase from $850 to $1,050 per eligible member per year; and,

• A new labor/management program providing tuition assistance to eligible UUP dependents.

The agreement also features a Pre-Tax Transportation Program that would reduce employee mass transit costs, and a continuation of support for the UUP/NYS Joint Labor/Management Committees.

 “This agreement provides increases in salaries, retains current benefits, prevents the loss of others, and adds a long-sought enhancement: a tuition program for dependents who attend a SUNY state-operated campus,” Floss said. “All of the gains achieved in the agreement — and the losses prevented — will continue to help SUNY attract and retain an academic and professional faculty of distinction.”

“Your Team succeeded despite the economic and political forces at work and signals of deteriorating fiscal conditions on the horizon,” he added. “The Team was obligated to constantly consider these conflicting forces throughout the process.”

Following the committee’s approval, the union prepared a newsletter detailing answers to frequently asked questions about the tentative agreement. The eight-page “FAQ” was mailed first class in mid-January to every member of the bargaining unit, and additional copies will be handed out during chapter visits, Floss said. The FAQ is also posted on the UUP Web site at www.uupinfo.org.

“Members of the Negotiations Team and I will also be visiting every UUP chapter to explain the agreement and answer questions from members,” Floss said. “The steps we will follow will give every UUP member the opportunity to learn all the details before casting a ballot on the 2007-2011 agreement.”

In addition, the union will publish the full text of the tentative agreement, with comments clearly explaining the changes. The information will be mailed to members and posted on the UUP Web site.

The American Arbitration Association (AAA), a neutral and independent organization, will conduct the election. AAA is expected to mail ratification ballots and voting instructions by mid-February. Eligible members will have at least 21 days to return their ballots by mail to AAA, which will then count the ballots at their offices.

— Karen L. Mattison

William E. Scheuerman

For 14 years, William E. Scheuerman has been the voice and face of UUP — representing union members at legislative hearings, on picket lines, behind microphones and megaphones. Even behind bars. That fearless spirit helps explain why Scheuerman decided to accept a new challenge: serving as president of the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md.

“The world has changed,” Scheuerman said. “Fifty years ago when you went to places like the Midwest, you saw industry; wealth was produced by muscle power. In today’s economy, brainpower has replaced muscle power,” he added. “Workers need intellectual skills to compete in a knowledge-based society to get a chunk of that economy. That’s why the National Labor College is so important for working people and for the labor movement.”

Scheuerman’s appointment was announced Nov. 26 by AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney, chair of the National Labor College Board of Trustees.

“The National Labor College has come a long way in the last 10 years and we sought a presidential candidate who could continue our progress and lead the college to new heights,” said Sweeney. “In Bill Scheuerman we have a man of scholarly achievement and union integrity and leadership. I look forward to working closely with Bill as he takes the reins of this great institution of higher learning for working people — the college of the labor movement.”

Cuffed for a cause

Scheuerman — who stepped down as president of UUP Nov. 30 to lead the National Labor College — says one of his most memorable experiences as a union leader came in August 2005 when he was arrested for defending the organizing rights of New York University graduate students. As a vice president for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Scheuerman was asked to represent the union at the graduate students’ rally. When it came time to put up or shut up, Scheuerman and a handful of other union leaders were cuffed and carted off to the police station.

“During the demonstration we sat down on the sidewalk in front of the Bobst Library, and ignored the policemen’s order’s to leave the area,” Scheuerman recalled. “So they picked us up, put our hands behind our backs and handcuffed us, and sent us away in a paddy wagon. There’s nothing pleasant about getting arrested, but we were there to make a point, and the point was that workers ought to have the right to organize and bargain collectively.”

Scheuerman has been involved in UUP leadership positions since 1978.

Prior to winning election as UUP president in 1993, he served for five years as the union’s statewide vice president for academics. Before holding that leadership post, Scheuerman served as chief negotiator for the union’s 1988-1991 contract agreement.

But Scheuerman’s involvement in unionism and higher education has extended beyond UUP. Gov. Eliot Spitzer appointed him to serve as member of his Commission on Higher Education, to help shape the future course of higher education in New York. He served as vice chair of the New York State Public Higher Education Conference Board. He also served on AFT’s Executive Committee and Executive Council, and chaired AFT’s Higher Education Program and Policy Council, the policymaking body for the AFT’s 150,000-plus higher education members. Scheuerman was also a member of the NYSUT Executive Board and chaired NYSUT’s Higher Ed Committee.

Scheuerman’s leadership skills and activism have earned him accolades from fellow unionists.

“Bill Scheuerman has been instrumental to the continued growth and success of our union, and AFT members across the nation have benefited tremendously from his leadership,” said AFT President Edward McElroy. “We look forward to his accomplishments at the National Labor College and are pleased that he will remain a part of our union family.”

“Bill Scheuerman brings to the Labor College the unique perspective of a scholar, author and union leader,” NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi added. “It is this same perspective that helped him build UUP into the largest and one of the most respected higher education unions in the nation. On behalf of the NYSUT leadership, I wish him all the best and look forward to working with him in this new capacity.”

Scheuerman spent his 14-year presidency building on the strong foundation laid by his predecessors. Under his leadership, UUP has grown in numbers, and in its political clout.

The respect Scheuerman merits was evident during a recent farewell gathering in Albany. Dozens of friends, family members, union and University colleagues, and a past UUP president all braved the first winter storm of the season to honor Scheuerman for his years of leadership and service to the union.

UUP Treasurer Rowena Blackman-Stroud of Brooklyn HSC presented Scheuerman with a framed letter of appreciation from her chapter. Calling Scheuerman an effective and steadfast leader, the letter systematically spelled out the many times Scheuerman and UUP went to bat for the members.

“Year after year, our jobs have been threatened by the state’s attempts to privatize the SUNY hospitals — most recently through the creation of the Berger Commission, which proved to be the most serious threat of all,” the letter states. “Due to your willingness to fight all of these battles, and to your political acumen, UUP has been able to win all of the privatization wars and protect our members’ job. For this alone we owe you many thanks.”

The Governing Board of Brooklyn HSC also praised Scheuerman for staving off the state’s plan to contract out University jobs; achieving pension equity through legislation; raising minimum salaries for hospital GFT physicians; and for preventing layoffs during lean budget years.

“We are grateful to you for being steadfast on our behalf, on so many issues that affected our working lives, during your time in office.”

A half dozen other union and government officials also made speeches during the event, including NYSUT President Iannuzzi; former UUP president Nuala Drescher of Buffalo State; retired GOER assistant director Christopher Eatz; SUNY Vice Chancellor for Employee Relations Raymond Haines; Scheuerman’s wife, Louise; and longtime friend and colleague Thomas Kriger.

Under Scheuerman’s stewardship, UUP has taken the lead in advocating for myriad concerns, including academic freedom, quality public higher education, better funding, access for students of all economic groups, more full-time faculty, and improved working conditions for part-time faculty.

An articulate and passionate speaker, he was equally at ease behind a podium as he was in a legislator’s office, and has proven to be a rare voice of reason in discussions on how to keep SUNY among the nation’s preeminent state university systems.

Scheuerman’s union, academic and personal achievements have made him an exemplary representative of the women and men who make up UUP. A professor of political science at SUNY Oswego from 1978 to 2007, Scheuerman is a renowned scholar on political science, sociology, labor studies and economics. He has written two books — The Steel Crisis, in 1986, and Private Interests, Public Spending with Sid Plotkin, in 1994, which studies the political origins of the fiscal crisis and organized labor’s response.

And, for one final time, The Voice gives Scheuerman the last word: “I leave my colleagues at UUP with mixed emotions because working together, UUP has become an extraordinarily successful higher education union. At the same time, I look forward with great enthusiasm to tackling the many challenges facing the national labor movement, and to working with John Sweeney to strengthen and grow organized labor by educating the next generation of unionists.”

— Denyce Duncan Lacy

UUPer and Physician Jeanine Morelli takes the blood pressure of a patient receiving care at Elsie Owens North Brookhaven Health Center in Coram

UUP is proud to represent thousands of health care professionals. That number includes hundreds of physicians who work at SUNY’s hospitals, health science centers and the College of Optometry. In addition to their union membership, these health care experts share a commitment to do much more than treat patients and teach students.

For them, the bottom line isn’t about finances, but about delivering top-quality health care. That’s why they work in a public health care venue.

They care for those in their community who lack health insurance. They provide excellent care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. They see patients in neighborhood clinics, where residents often receive life-saving care.

And, perhaps most importantly, they pass along their tradition of caring to the next generation of caregivers — their students.

The UUP members you’ll be reading about are committed to doing more, exemplifying a deep dedication to their patients and communities.

UUPers, physicians reach out to the impoverished

Safeguarding the health of their communities is one of the most important missions for physicians represented by UUP who practice medicine at SUNY’s four health science centers.

“One of the primary tenets of becoming a doctor is to protect the health of your community,” said Paul Cunningham, a professor and chair of the surgery department — one of the largest departments at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse — for the past five years. “That mission speaks to my specialties, like trauma care and obesity surgery, conditions with socio-economic connotations that tend to affect underrepresented groups.”

“Keeping our community well is one of the things we do in family medicine,” explained Miriam Vincent, chair of the family medicine department at Brooklyn HSC since 2001. “We try to diagnose a disease early, which not only saves money but also allows for a better quality of life. It’s a win-win.”

Access to top-quality health care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay is one of the hallmarks of SUNY’s public hospitals and related health care facilities.

“The majority of our patients are individuals with limited or no resources at all,” said Yoly Gonzalez, an assistant professor of oral diagnostic sciences at Buffalo HSC’s School of Dentistry. “Some of them drive for more than two hours to get to our facility.”

“Of the adult patients we see, 40 percent have no health insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid,” said Jeanine Morelli, a physician at Stony Brook HSC, who works at the Elsie Owens North Brookhaven Health Center in Coram.

A Sense Of Gratitude

The uninsured and underinsured openly display their gratitude for the care and attention they receive from the SUNY health science centers.

“Something that they really appreciate is the fact that we take the time to explain and educate them with regard to their particular problem,” said Gonzalez, who’s been a Buffalo HSC faculty member since 1994 after emigrating from her native Venezuela. “Expressions of their appreciation run from thank you cards to letters sent to our dean’s office in recognition of our work. For me, the most gratifying are the times when they say ‘Thank you, doctor’ and give me a hug.”

“A patient told me recently that I was more important to her and her family than I could ever know, and that she had told her extended family in Peru about me,” said Morelli of Stony Brook HSC.

“They realize we offer unique services that aren’t provided elsewhere, like our burn unit and pediatric surgery,” Upstate’s Cunningham said. “A significant portion of these patients, who come from as far away as Canada and Pennsylvania, are impoverished.”

Mutual satisfaction

This sense of satisfaction is not a one-way street. The UUPers who provide care derive a great deal of fulfillment.

“I get professional satisfaction because I’m able to use my knowledge to help and improve oral health and the quality of life associated with it,” Gonzalez reflected.

“If you can improve the overall health of your community, it pays dividends by raising the bar for the entire community,” Cunningham said.

Morelli draws a distinction between what she does now and her prior experience with a private practice in Cincinnati and as an academic in Louisiana.

“Now I have a sense of providing a service to my community and that has given me a great sense of job satisfaction,” she said.

These doctors do more than give to their respective communities. They strive to instill within their students that same sense of giving.

“We not only teach knowledge and skill, but also an attitude,” said Vincent, whose passion for her community hasn’t wavered since being a student herself at Brooklyn HSC in 1981. “What we practice here is longitudinal, comprehensive patient centered care. We try to make all of our patients feel welcome and safe.”

Cunningham thinks his students already possess this sense of giving.

“Students come on board with a strong sense of altruism. We do our part to reinforce it,” he said.

Gonzalez has initiated two community outreach programs to assess dental needs, conduct oral cancer screenings and link patients to dental services.

“There is no doubt that because we have taken the initiative to be present in our community, our students learn about the importance of this connection,” she said.

UUP’s vital role

The doctors credit UUP for the role it plays in allowing them to protect their communities.

Vincent credits the union’s professional development grants with providing a source of funds so her staff can increase their knowledge and do research that benefits their patients.

The doctors are cognizant of what UUP has done to maintain public health facilities within SUNY.

“There is no doubt that maintaining the public status of our institutions has a direct impact on the care of the indigent people in our community,” Gonzalez said. “The gap of health care is constantly widening and in many cases, we are the only resource for people without health insurance, or for those with very limited resources.”

The devotion displayed by Gonzalez, Cunningham, Vincent and Morelli are by no means unique within UUP. Rather, they clearly exemplify a strong commitment of caring and compassion that exists among the ranks of physicians and other health care professionals represented by UUP.

* Donald Feldstein

What makes a university great? First and foremost, the answer is faculty.

That’s why UUP has worked so aggressively to ensure that all UUP faculty have the resources they need to perform their jobs —delivering high-quality services to students and the community in classrooms, residence halls, financial aid offices, opportunity centers, athletic centers, teaching hospitals and more.

Our members are the key to SUNY’s status as among the finest public universities in the nation.

Happily, the University itself acknowledges our outstanding academic faculty in particular, with special honors every year.

This year, the SUNY Board of Trustees recognized the academic excellence of dozens of UUP members by appointing them to the ranks of the University’s “distinguished” faculty.

What follows are profiles of some of these UUP members, whose academic achievements typify the high standards of the union that makes SUNY a great institution of higher education.

UUP members recognized with distinguished ranks

Their areas of expertise range from engineering to nursing to earth science and philosophy. While their disciplines vary widely, they all hold one thing in common – their appointment to the rank of “distinguished professor” by SUNY.

In all, 28 SUNY academics achieved that highest level of distinction this year.

UUP President William Scheuerman stresses the awards are proof of the high quality of education, training and experience offered by union members.

“I am proud that SUNY recognizes the dedication of our members to excellence. Their achievements underscore the quality of the educational environment within the University,” he said.

“SUNY faculty who receive appointment to the distinguished ranks provide a glimpse of the broad service contributions and the career achievements being made on our campuses across New York,” former SUNY Chancellor John Ryan said in announcing the appointments earlier this year.

In May 2007, two UUP members rose to the rank of distinguished professor, SUNY’s highest academic credential. The high honor goes to individuals who have achieved national or international prominence and a reputation within their academic discipline. Their work must raise the standards of scholarship of their colleagues within and beyond their field of expertise.

Gregory Belenky of SUNY Stony Brook earned the honor for his groundbreaking research and scholarship. A professor of electrical and computer engineering, Belenky’s work on semiconductor devices and laser diodes is credited with creating new frontiers.

Miriam Rafailovich is a renowned researcher and professor of materials science and engineering at Stony Brook. Her work on X-ray and neutron reflectivity in polymer films generated a new field of polymer physics.

“The appointment of Doctors Belenky and Rafailovich as distinguished professors continues a pattern of officially recognizing our best and brightest faculty,” said Stony Brook Chapter President John Schmidt. “These appointments honor the individuals and simultaneously bring honor and prestige to Stony Brook and UUP.”

Distinguished service professorships are awarded to faculty exhibiting substantial distinguished service within SUNY and at the community and regional levels. Their service over the course of multiple years goes far beyond the minimum expectations required of all faculty. They apply intellectual skills, and bring their scholarly and research findings to issues of public concern.

Arnold Moses of Upstate Medical University in Syracuse is one of nine UUPers who earned a distinguished service professorship. Moses won worldwide recognition for his research activities that included clinical trials of new therapeutic agents for the treatment of osteoporosis and Paget’s disease. Besides teaching medicine, Moses is director of Upstate’s clinical research unit and medical director of its Metabolic Bone Disease Center.

Upstate Chapter President Phillip Smith said the honor accorded to Moses was long overdue and well deserved.

“Dr. Moses has contributed to the education of our medical students for nearly half a century and has been important in the lives of many, many patients,” he said. “In addition, he is an internationally recognized expert in his field of endocrinology. Thus, countless other students, physicians and, ultimately, patients will benefit from his thoughtful and insightful medical investigations.”

UUPers from Oswego and Delhi also earned distinguished service professorships this year.

Alfred Stamm, chair of Oswego’s earth sciences department, is lauded for his service on and off campus. Stamm is credited with giving research and scholarly activity a major role in campus culture, in part due to his 18-year leadership of the college’s Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee. Off campus, he’s been active with an organization that helps children with disabilities. Stamm and his wife are foster parents raising three children with severe handicaps.

“Al’s unselfish service to our campus, the community and his profession stand as a role model throughout the state and make us proud to be numbered among his colleagues,” said Oswego Chapter President Charles Spector. “When anything important is happening on this campus, Al is not only there, he’s contributing.”

Joseph Greenfield is the first faculty member from Delhi to be named as a recipient of a distinguished service professorship. A professor of computer-aided drafting and design, Greenfield formerly served as UUP chapter president and now serves as the chapter’s grievance chair. His extensive community service includes serving as past president of the Delhi Kiwanis Club.

He currently represents local labor through his membership on the Delaware County Zone Administration Board, which reviews applications from groups seeking inclusion in the county’s economic zones.

“This recognition of Joe reflects his excellence and commitment to the students and the campus community at Delhi,” said Delhi Chapter President John Taylor. “Throughout his 40-year career, Joe has been actively involved in all aspects of community service both on and off campus. Everyone who works at Delhi knows that Joe is SUNY Delhi.”

Distinguished teaching professorships honor SUNY faculty who consistently demonstrate a superior mastery of teaching, excellent service to their

students, and a commitment to furthering their own intellectual and professional growth. Twelve UUP members earned this distinction this year, including members from Binghamton, Potsdam and Albany.

Gale Spencer of Binghamton is recognized as a national leader in community health nursing education. Her students are motivated by the enthusiasm and creativity she brings to the classroom. For example, in her epidemiology class, Spencer takes case studies of actual epidemics and requires her students to create case studies of an epidemic.

“Gale exemplifies the qualities of excellent teaching,” Binghamton Chapter President Darryl Wood said. “She is very involved in research and then transfers that knowledge to the classroom. Her students benefit from her extensive experience as well as her commitment.

Joseph DiGiovanna of Potsdam is known for the enthusiasm he brings to teaching an introductory course in philosophy, enlightening his students with ideas and new concepts. He reaches out to each of up to 55 honors and upper-division students each semester.

“DiGiovanna is not only a dedicated teacher, but he has always gone the extra mile for his many students over the years,” said Potsdam Chapter President Laura Rhoads. “He has given his time to the honors program and was a principal author to our General Education Program.

“We could count on his wise commentary during UUP chapter meetings.”

Jeffrey Berman of UAlbany takes pride in showing his students how literature personally impacts them. He’s taught 30 different courses at every level during his 34-year career at the campus.

“Berman has a great love for teaching, for his students and for the campus community,” Albany Chapter President Candace Merbler said. “He exemplifies the true dedication of educators at the University at Albany.”

“In their own way, each of these faculty members exhibit their dedication to teaching and shaping future generations,” said UUP Vice President for Academics Frederick Floss. “They are indicative of the talent inherent within the membership of UUP.”

— Donald Feldstein

Satrajit Sinha knew achieving continuing appointment would be a long, arduous journey filled with potential pitfalls and roadblocks. So Sinha did what many of his colleagues often don’t know they can do — he turned to his union for guidance.

“UUP was very helpful,” said Sinha, an associate professor of biochemistry at Buffalo HSC, who was granted continuing appointment effective in September. “The union allowed me to understand how the system works and made it possible for me to network with faculty who had gone through the tenure process.”

Sinha also took advantage of a negotiated Joint Labor/Management Committees grant, which lent him the financial support necessary to attend a scientific meeting at the beginning of his SUNY career. These meetings not only offer professional development, they are a necessary step to presenting papers and developing peer relationships that may well be the cornerstones to achieving continuing appointment.

“Tenure is a very important part of a person’s professional life,” Sinha said. “If one day you realize you are up for tenure and you haven’t begun preparing documents, then it may very well be too late. It’s not like you can keep trying again and again and again.”

Sinha is one of dozens of UUP members each year who are eligible for continuing appointment, as tenure is known at SUNY. Based on a full professional obligation, the review process involves three key components: research, teaching and service. Though criteria differ among campuses, candidates for tenure must attain

positive reviews from campus-based tenure committees, departmental chairs, deans or provosts, and be recommended by their college presidents for approval by the chancellor — all prior to the end of the academic employee’s sixth consecutive year of employment.

UUP Vice President for Academics Frederick Floss said the difficulty of achieving tenure within a specific timeframe is accentuated by the lack of uniform standards or procedures for attaining continuing appointment at SUNY. “Each campus, and sometimes each department, has its own policies and procedures, so it’s vital new faculty familiarize themselves with these local criteria,” he said.

A member’s accumulating “tenure file” should receive regular updates of materials, such as teaching evaluations, committee appointments and other service work, publications and “anything else that might prove valuable down the road,” Floss said. He also strongly recommends academic employees familiarize themselves with the Policies of the SUNY Board of Trustees and take advantage of what their UUP chapter has to offer.

In addition to peer mentoring programs and negotiated professional development grants, several UUP chapters hold periodic workshops to assist academic employees on the process and to spell out exactly what is expected at their campus.

Ivan Steen, UUP chapter vice president for academics at UAlbany, has helped to organize dozens of union-sponsored tenure workshops over the years, including one held last month.

“The tenure process can be a tough time for people and that’s why we think these workshops are helpful,” Steen said. “We like people to know that the union is concerned for them and willing to help them move forward in their academic careers.”

The Albany Chapter workshops typically include a member or former member of the College Tenure Committee and the campus Senate Council on Promotion and Continuing Appointment, and a department chair.

The Buffalo State Chapter workshop set for later this month will include presentations by a tenured faculty member, a professor emeritus, a former provost and a NYSUT labor relations specialist assigned to UUP.

“We bring together folks who can talk plainly and who can give faculty a sense of what works,” Steen said. Faculty learn from committee, council and panel reviewers which of their credentials will have the greatest impact. “The faculty get this data firsthand from those who sit in judgment,” Steen added.

Oswego UUP Chapter President Charles Spector said he “tells new faculty to check with their department chair as to the expectations of the work, to get everything in writing, and to do what’s expected of them.” Oswego’s October promotions and tenure workshop included effective ways for faculty to prepare documentation and present their case for review.

“Tenure is all about how to put your best foot forward, though you still have to do the work,” Steen said. “Theoretically, there are three things that are supposed to be equal — research, teaching and service. But, in practice, we know that isn’t always the case. We tell people that, at a university center, research is often weighed more heavily than the teaching and service components.”

Some faculty can get caught up in their day-to-day work and fail to properly accumulate and prepare their dossiers — potentially fatal mistakes that could send a candidate packing.

“The toughest parts for most faculty is time management and figuring out their priorities,” Sinha said. “Faculty must be proactive. It is critical to get input from others who have gone through the tenure process and to not be afraid to ask questions.”

Sinha recognizes the value of UUP to the process, and promises to share what he’s learned with others.

“In my department, we’re starting an informal mentoring program so the next generation of faculty will be paired up with someone like me, who has gone through the tenure process,” he said. “Faculty need to be well-rounded to achieve tenure. I will tell people to prepare as early as possible, to talk to tenured faculty, and to make sure they understand what the expectations are.

“I don’t want faculty to feel they’re alone in this process.”

— Karen L. Mattison

(Editor’s note: The Voice will tackle the challenges of permanent appointment for professionals in a future issue.)

Ten years ago, Edward Schwarzschild initially visited Spain to take his first faculty job with Sweet Briar College in Virginia. He fell in love with the country and has been eager to return ever since.

In February 2008, his dream will come true. Not only is he returning to teach in Spain — he’ll be doing so as a Fulbright Scholar.

Schwarzschild, an associate professor of English at UAlbany, will be teaching courses in American literature and American writing and visual arts to students at the University of Zaragoza during their spring semester.

The Fulbright program’s mission is to build mutual understanding between the citizens of the U.S. and other nations, a role Schwarzschild firmly buys into.

“I believe in cultural exchange,” he said. “If you spend time teaching abroad, you’ll foster a better world.” He admires the program and its emphasis on international collaboration, and is pleased that the U.S. Department of State sponsors it.

“Most Americans don’t know what it’s like to live in other countries. I want to encourage my students to experience other places, to meet other people,” Schwarzschild said in describing how the program makes us better global citizens.

Schwarzschild has a list of goals he’d like to accomplish during his five months in Spain. Topping his list is building educational bridges.

“I’m looking to foster an ongoing collaboration between the two universities, building connections that can build programs and future exchanges of students and scholars,” he said. Additionally, Schwarzschild said his experience in Spain could help him gather material for more books. He’s written two books, and his most recent one, a novel called The Family Diamond, was released in September.

Through his Fulbright, Schwarzschild also hopes to improve the perceptions Spaniards have of the U.S., to make up for what he describes as America’s decline in popularity and influence.

“I hope in my own individual way to give them a more complex view of America, more than what they see in the news,” he said. “The Bush administration has wounded American influence abroad. I hope I can heal those wounds.”

While he more than possesses the qualities to be a Fulbright Scholar, Schwarzschild has no doubt that UUP paved the way for him to receive such an honor.

“UUP has been a strong and successful advocate for the faculty at UAlbany,” he said. “UUP inspired me to take advantage of this opportunity and give back to the University by doing programs like this. The English department at UAlbany and my colleagues in UUP model the kind of international perspective that strengthened my desire to get a Fulbright.”

—Donald Feldstein

In one classroom, immigrant students concentrate on a test. Across the hall, students in white lab coats practice their dental assisting techniques, while medical assisting students labor away at their computers. Three floors below, two young women in an advanced essay class share their stories and receive constant guidance from their professor.

These classes are not unlike hundreds of others being taught throughout SUNY. Thousands of first-rate academic and professional faculty are committed to giving students a well-rounded, high-quality education.

But these classes are unique in two fundamental ways: They are being taught for free at a state-operated Educational Opportunity Center (EOC); and the students are academically and economically underserved.

The demographics of SUNY EOC students are as wide-ranging as their needs: refugees from war-torn African countries and immigrants searching for the American dream; non-English speakers looking for work, promotion or U.S. citizenship; baby boomers forced to retrain due to outsourcing; people from poverty-stricken neighborhoods and rural communities looking to earn a high-school diploma, prepare for college or learn a vocation.

“The EOCs provide education, training and counseling for students who are academically disadvantaged, facing financial hardship or who have learning disabilities,” said UUP member Mary Jo Jenson, an assistant professor in the EOC medical assisting program at SUNY Buffalo. “We help them to achieve their goals — whether it’s to work or to enter college — and to become self-sufficient.”

While The Voice this month features programs specific to the Buffalo EOC, the mission, services and dedication of faculty are the same at all of SUNY’s 10 Educational Opportunity Centers.

“The EOCs have a long-standing reputation as the model for college preparation and workforce training programs that are often the first step people take toward attaining their goals,” said UUP Executive Board member Lorna Arrington, a professor of math at the Buffalo EOC and chair of the union’s statewide EOC Concerns Committee.

When the dental assisting program at the Buffalo EOC was first established 40 years ago, no one dreamt it would be the success it is today. The 32-week certification program is one of only three in New York state accredited by the American Dental Association and the only one in Erie County.

The program gives students the practical skills they need to work in a variety of dental fields, such as dental radiology, infection control and chair-side dental assisting. All students are required to complete a 300-hour clinical externship at area dental offices.

The externships are a win-win situation: Students get hands-on training and dentists get qualified assistants. Nearly 70 percent of certified graduates are later hired by the local dentists, while more than 45 percent of the dental assistants currently employed by the SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine came through the EOC.

“Our students are constantly telling us that it’s a life-changing experience for them, to go from working menial jobs in food service to having a profession, to being a respected member of the dental community,” said Buffalo EOC associate professor and UUP member Nancy Robinson.

“Employers tell us all the time how the Buffalo EOC is the ‘best-kept secret’ in Western New York,” said UUP member Karen Coffey, an associate professor in the medical assisting program. “Employment opportunities are excellent, and our students see this as a chance for a career and not just a job.”

Not all EOC students enroll in vocational training programs. Many come to the EOC looking for nothing more than to improve their language abilities, and still more enter to develop a better aptitude for learning.

UUP member Dorothy Taylor, an associate professor in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Buffalo EOC, said there are countless reasons students take her courses. One woman from Somalia has six children and wants to learn more about American education; a Latino man needs to improve his speaking skills in order to be promoted; others want to help their children with schoolwork, converse with a physician, get a job or go to college.

“Every day when I leave, I know I have helped someone,” Taylor said. “Even if it’s just that they were able to read one sentence.”

Her sense of accomplishment dovetailed that of her officemate, UUP member and associate professor Sharon Amos, who said she is “constantly motivated and engaged” in meeting the challenges of this diverse population. “How do I move a person from writing one sentence to writing a critical essay?”

One such student is Sonia Ruiz, who has aspirations of entering college to become a social worker — once she feels ready to handle the curricula.

“I hope to improve my writing skills, and my skills in general, and then I’ll know if I’m ready to enter Buffalo State in January,” Ruiz said. “I want to be fully prepared for college so I don’t drop out like lots of other people do.”

“I feel a sense of pride when I see a student come into the program tentatively and leave confidently,” Amos said.

The EOC mission has caught the attention of Vice Provost Pedro Caban, the new head of SUNY’s Office for Diversity and Educational Equity, which was formed in large part by the efforts of UUP. Caban sees the EOCs as a pipeline to a SUNY education, and is looking to tap the expertise of EOC faculty in his quest to make SUNY more accessible to more New Yorkers.

“Under Dr. Caban’s leadership, we should see a groundswell of nontraditional students again on SUNY campuses — as it should be — and the EOCs will have a prominent role in preparing and transitioning these students,” said UUP member Beverly Dove, EOC director of marketing and promotions at SUNY Buffalo.

UUP President William Scheuerman couldn’t agree more, and pledged the union’s support in the fight for more funding.

“The new Office of Diversity and Educational Equity is a well-thought-out response to the higher-than-average dropout rates among Hispanic and low-income students, who are historically underrepresented on college campuses,” Scheuerman said. “We’re now monitoring the budget process to ensure that this new office gets sufficient funding to hit the ground running.”

UUP delegates to the union’s policymaking convention in late September passed a resolution calling on lawmakers to fully fund the Office for Diversity and Educational Equity, which opened its doors in mid-August. The resolution asks that a minimum of $15 million be added to the SUNY budget, along with ongoing increases, to fully meet the financial and educational needs of people in protected classes.

Meanwhile, three members of the union’s EOC Concerns Committee seized the chance to meet with Caban in his first weeks in office, and were encouraged when Caban asked for their input on how the EOCs can help him meet his objectives.

“The luncheon meeting was held at UUP’s suggestion to welcome Dr. Caban to SUNY, to let him know about the history of the EOC Concerns Committee and its successes, and to pledge our support to him as he starts his tenure,” said Brian Maher, a senior staff associate in EOC Business Affairs at SUNY Farmingdale. “He strongly indicated that he looked forward to working with us.” James Engle, an EOC associate professor and chapter president at SUNY Morrisville, captured the essence of SUNY and its EOCs when he told Caban, “The EOCs are like the minor league teams for SUNY. We take the underserved, underprepared populations and get them ready for the big leagues.”

— Karen L. Mattison

The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) is a nonpartisan organization within the union movement that can boast three decades dedicated to improving the participation and influence of women in labor unions and society.

That’s why longtime UUP activist and Executive Board member Lorna Arrington is encouraging members to sign up for this politically influential and ambitious organization, which represents members from 60 international and national unions across the U.S. and Canada.

“United together, women are more empowered to address their issues,” said Arrington, an associate professor of math at the University of Buffalo’s Educational Opportunity Center. “CLUW provides the means to make inroads and to take the lead in effecting change.”

Arrington said CLUW tackles the issues that affect working women — pay equity, balancing work and family needs, affirmative action and job discrimination — and finds a way for women to have a stronger voice in leading the labor movement.

“Women receive 77 cents for every dollar a man earns,” noted Arrington, a decade-long member of CLUW’s National Executive Board and an elected delegate through UUP’s national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). “CLUW is a good vehicle for addressing this inequity.” She also notes that CLUW provides a “forum for encouraging women to become union leaders” and to try their hands at political offices within their communities.

Reaching out

“It’s easy to support an organization that focuses on issues concerning women and families,” Arrington added.

And support it she has. Over the years, Arrington has recruited dozens of union colleagues into CLUW’s ranks, but few as devoted as Tina Maria Manning and Lydia Johnson, both of Stony Brook HSC. The trio — all UUP delegates — often set up shop at UUP’s Delegate Assemblies, hoping to recruit and educate their peers about the benefits of CLUW membership.

“I want UUPers to know that CLUW is part of the labor movement and, because of tireless efforts, the coalition is making a mark on the bigger picture,” said Manning, UUP’s liaison to CLUW and a member of the coalition’s national Women’s Health Issues and Affirmative Action committees.

As co-chair of CLUW’s Convention Rules Committee, Arrington knows next month’s biennial convention in Las Vegas will include deliberations on important current issues that affect the lives of working women and all workers.

“There are no easy solutions to the issues facing women and working families, but by coming together, sharing ideas and networking with others throughout the trade union movement, we keep the conversation alive and make progress possible,” said CLUW Corresponding Secretary Cheryl Eastburn.

How to join

UUPers interested in becoming CLUW members should fill out an application form at http://www.cluw.org/ and mail it along with their checks, payable to CLUW, to Connie Cordovilla, American Federation of Teachers, 555 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001. The AFT will forward the applications to the national CLUW office.

Members of the coalition receive CLUW News, a quarterly newsletter providing information on workplace trends and legislative alerts on issues critical to women.

For more information, contact CLUW by phone at (202) 508-6969, by e-mail at getinfo@cluw.org, online at http://www.cluw.org/ or by mail at 815 16th Street NW, Second Floor South, Washington, DC 20006.

— Karen L. Mattison