A dozen UUP leaders returned from a three-day affiliate conference armed with the information they need to advance UUP’s agenda against a backdrop of declining state support for education and a growing anti-union sentiment.

The UUPers were among more than 700 higher education unionists at the American Federation of Teachers/National Education Association Higher Education Joint Conference March 26-28 in San Jose, Calif. The conference included lengthy deliberations on national policies aimed at solidifying AFT and NEA priorities that range from student success and achievement and increased faculty staffing to a more diverse faculty and greater federal and state investment in public higher education.

UUP President Phillip Smith shared his insights on student success and accountability during a brainstorming session on AFT’s priorities for higher education. Smith, an AFT vice president, has been working with the federation’s Higher Education Program and Policy Council to draft a policy perspective on what AFT believes is necessary for students to succeed.

Following Smith’s overview, participants broke into groups to discuss what is needed to help students succeed. Their recommendations will be incorporated into the AFT’s final report.

“UUP and our national affiliates support any effort that will increase access and the success of our students,” Smith said. “But it is critical to remember that student success is the responsibility of faculty, staff, institutions, government and the students themselves. None of these parties can be held totally responsible for a student’s success or failure.”

U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter—the first community college graduate to hold that post—echoed the call for a collaborative approach to student accountability.

“As President Obama says, ‘We’re all in this together and we all have to take responsibility for educating students,’” Kanter said. “When a person fails to graduate, we lose that human capital. That’s unacceptable.”

Kanter encouraged the higher education unionists to e-mail their comments on the administration’s education policies to her at martha.kanter@ed.gov.

Meanwhile, the AFT is posting information about student success on a new Web site, www.whatshouldcount.org. The site offers an overview of the accountability movement, as well as information about accountability. It serves as a clearinghouse for existing plans and initiatives.

The conference also provided an opportunity for three UUPers to share their expertise and steer the debate as workshop panelists and moderator.

Vice President for Professionals John Marino examined the ever-expanding workload concerns of professionals and how unions can help members keep it in check, while Secretary Eileen Landy moderated a discussion on the challenges faced by the next generation of women professors.

UUP statewide LGBTQ Committee Co-chair Patricia Bentley of Plattsburgh offered faculty strategies and suggestions to deal with the unique challenges confronting students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer.

“This was an extremely useful conference,” said Executive Board member Robert Reganse of Farmingdale. “I now have new approaches to old problems.”

Also participating in the conference were Vice President for Academics Frederick Floss and Membership Development Officer Edward Quinn; Executive Board members Philippe Abraham of Albany, Edison Bond of Brooklyn HSC and Glenn McNitt of New Paltz; and Buffalo State Chapter President Richard Stempniak.

— Karen L. Mattison