NCCFT Officers Siminoff, Stern, Lagakis, and Kaebnick attended NYSUT’s annual Representative Assembly (“RA”) in Albany on April 1-2, 2022. We are happy to announce that the resolution (drafted by VP Dr. David Stern), “To add a Faculty Member as a Non-voting Member of the Board of Trustees for Community Colleges” was presented to the Representative Assembly and passed unanimously. We were gratified that a representative from PSC-CUNY spoke in its support. There was agreement that adding a faculty voice to the local community college Board of Trustees is long overdue. Colleagues also noted that such an addition would put community college faculty on parity with their SUNY four-year colleagues who have a non-voting representative from UFS on the SUNY Board of Trustees. There is also one non-voting representative on that board from the FCCC.
Our next step to turn this resolution into a reality will be to work with NYSUT to craft legislation based on our approved NYSUT RA resolution. Once the New York state budget is concluded, our NCCFT Political Action Committee and NYSUT will begin to work on crafting a bill and shepherd it through our State legislature. While this won’t happen overnight, we know that this is a change worth fighting for. It will ensure that our faculty has a larger and stronger voice in the College and in our future. We are confident we can see this through to a successful conclusion.
Below is the text of Resolution 2:
To add a faculty Member as a Non-voting Member of the Board of Trustees for Community Colleges
Submitted by Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers and Retiree Council 18
WHEREAS, NYS law was amended in 2006 to expand the SUNY Board of Trustees’ membership to include the President of the University Faculty Senate as a non-voting ex-officio member.
WHEREAS, NYS law was amended in 2011 to again expand the SUNY Board of Trustees’ membership to include the President of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges as a non-voting ex-officio member.
WHEREAS, the presence of faculty on the SUNY Board of Trustees has demonstrated an improvement in the collaboration between trustees, administrators, and faculty in meeting the SUNY mission.
WHEREAS, the presence of faculty on the SUNY Board of Trustees has provided an additional perspective on the financial priorities of the Board of Trustees.
WHEREAS, SUNY Community Colleges are administered by a separate Board of Trustees composed of ten members: five appointed by the local legislative body or board, or other appropriate governing agency, four by the governor, and one member elected by and from among the students of the college.
WHEREAS, SUNY Community Colleges Board of Trustees’ meeting policy generally limits faculty input to a few minutes during public comment.
WHEREAS, more direct faculty collaboration will result in improved decisions and budgeting; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that NYSUT will include, within its legislative priorities, to lobby the Governor and state legislators to amend NYS education law Chapter 16 Title 7 Article 126 section 6306 to expand the Board of Trustees for Community Colleges to include an eleventh non-voting member that is elected by the faculty. Such non-voting member shall be subject to every provision of any general, special, or local law, ordinance, charter, code, rule, or regulation applying to the voting members of such board with respect to the discharge of their duties, including, but not limited to, those provisions setting forth codes of ethics, disclosure requirements, and prohibiting business and professional activities. The term of office of the non-voting faculty member shall be three years.