Margaret Barlow knew she wanted to achieve permanent appointment, the highest level of employment security for professional employees at SUNY. But try as she may, the SUNY Potsdam professional was unable to find a “road map” similar to that followed by her academic colleagues. She felt isolated and confused by the lack of information available from campus administrators.

“For academics, there is a road map, if you will, of what you should do for advancement and promotion,” Barlow said. “At least once a year, the deans meet with professors to review these procedures. The first time I ever got notification about one of these meetings, I asked to attend. The response was, ‘Oh, no. You are entirely different.’ But no one could tell me how I could pursue any information.”

Then she found the union.

“It wasn’t until I started communications with Vice President for Professionals John Marino that I learned so much,” said Barlow, an instrumentation technician at Potsdam. “He explained that there was, in fact, a documented procedure out there.”

Barlow’s story is not an unfamiliar one. Many of SUNY’s professional employees say they had trouble finding out what procedural steps to take to advance their careers and achieve permanent appointment.

Though the procedures for advancement vary among campuses, the University has a defined policy on permanent appointment. According to Title C of the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees, an employee “in a professional title in which permanent appointment may be granted … who has completed seven consecutive years of full-time service at that college, the last two years of which have been in that professional title, must be on the basis of permanent appointment.” In other words, professionals working in a title in which permanent appointment may be granted must get permanent appointment within seven years — or they’ll be out of a job at the start of the eighth year. In some instances, professional employees may opt to apply for permanent appointment after three years; however, professionals who fail to receive permanent appointment would no longer be employed by SUNY when their current term appointment ended.

UUP Acting President Frederick Floss strongly recommends professionals review the full Policies of the Board of Trustees, as well as Article 30 of the current contract between UUP and the state. He also urges them to read the union’s Guide for Professionals at SUNY, which can be found on the UUP Web site at www.uupinfo.org.

“UUP values its professional members and we’re committed to doing everything we can to help them advance their careers,” Floss said.

Professionals looking to advance need to “start the process the day they begin employment at SUNY” and turn to their UUP chapter with questions the moment they arise, Marino said. Members should carefully review their appointment letter; make certain the work they are doing is reflected in their annual performance programs; and take their annual evaluations seriously.

“Everyone is looking for career growth and job security,” Marino said. “In order to achieve these, professionals must have a clear understanding of what they’re expected to do for SUNY.”

The performance program is a written document that spells out the expectations of a professional’s work for SUNY for a stated period of time. The letter of appointment from the college president must contain the name of the employee’s immediate supervisor, who is required to work with the emp-loyee to develop duties, responsibilities and objectives for the upcoming year. The first performance program must be drafted within 45 days of starting employment, and new performance programs should be provided each year, or whenever duties change, or following a promotion to a new title.

“The performance program should give a clear description of what’s expected during the following year and serves as a notice that professionals will be evaluated on these expectations,” Marino said. “Don’t say you know how to do something when you don’t. You have a right to have input in your performance program and you can ask for more training if that’s what you need.”

Because evaluations are part of a professional’s personnel file, it is vital that performance programs include any changes or increases in duties, Marino said. And if an annual evaluation is characterized as unsatisfactory, the member has a right to appeal.

Barlow said she made sure her performance program reflected any new responsibilities she was assigned, and she provided documentation that included letters of recommendation from every professor in chemistry, biology, physics and geology. “My human resources file tells my story,” she added. In the end, Barlow received permanent appointment and a promotion that included a significant pay increase.

Gina Doty, director of the Mail Center at SUNY Plattsburgh, earned permanent appointment in January 2006. She suggests members take advantage of individual development awards offered through the UUP/New York State Joint Labor/Management Committees.

“I used UUP awards to pay for part of a conference, with training included for my job working with mail management issues, new technology and equipment,” Doty said. “As a result, my progress toward tenure was a positive experience.”

The union is there in other ways as well.

“We provide guidance and mentoring, hold periodic workshops on how to develop effective performance programs and on how to apply for a promotion or salary increase, and often use the chapter newsletter to highlight these areas,” said UUPer Frances Goldman, vice president for professionals at the Binghamton Chapter. “I have also formed a group of professionals willing to mentor and guide new colleagues, as well as those seeking promotion. In the past, we have done focus groups to ascertain the areas of need for professionals.”

Richard Nassisi of SUNY Purchase, UUP chapter vice president for professionals, said NYSUT labor relations specialists assigned to UUP lead an extensive professional development workshop series, covering performance programs, evaluations and promotion/salary increase applications.

“The union has the resources, experience and knowledge to help folks navigate the process,” Nassisi said.

— Karen L. Mattison