THANK YOU to the 20 NCCFT members who supported our full-time faculty and academic programming at the Board of Trustees on Thursday May 15. Their names are (with asterixes for those who spoke):
Silvia Albanese*, Ellen Botkin, Ed Boyden, Arthur Friedman*, Lea Gennaro, Jason Gorman*, Fran Gulinello, Suzanne Kaebnick*, Mary Lannon*, William (Bill) O’Keefe, Dolores deManuel, Cheryl McBride, Carolyn Monastra*, Daniel Perrotto, Virginia Sanchioli, Neela Saxena, David Stern*, Caitlin Thurber, Cara Tuzzolini*, and Kimberly Wells-Bernard.
Your physical presence and words made clear how critical it is that the college abide by our employment contract — such as forwarding recommendations for tenure and promotion to the trustees for approval — as well as support our academic programming. You showed repeatedly, with specific telling examples the need to hire more full-time faculty to meet student demands, fulfill our mission as a college, and build, not lose, enrollment. While learning of College issues is upsetting, we know that no change is possible without first stating and facing and the problems.
If 20 members does not seem like many to you, keep in mind that our membership is now about 330 to 350 members, less than half what it once was, so, to achieve the crowd size of earlier gatherings, we would need a greater percentage in turnout among union members. WE NEED YOU TO ATTEND TO MAKE US EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE.
In addition to speaking regarding the violation of our contract in not forwarding recommendations for tenure and promotion in a timely manner, according to contract language, some of the themes of speakers were: the need for full-time faculty to manage labs and to teach understaffed classes in nursing and biology; the inability of running some classes in biology due to lack of full-time faculty; the need for full-time faculty to work with students in math and computer programming help centers and to advise students regarding world languages; the fact that student demand for NCC classes in Korean, Japanese, and Arabic, and for Women and Gender Studies, should, logically, result in more classes/ sections being made available to students; the dearth of ESL class offerings (NO summer ESL classes this year!); the problems of BOT Policy 4300 regarding contact/ credit hours, including the question of whether SUNY will accept such diminished classes, whether other colleges will continue to give transfer credit to them, and the unfairness of raising student tuition and fees while cutting class time.
Student club President Gaetano Re and Vice President Adam Alssaidi of MAC and ACM Club spoke (with the support of their members) on the need for faculty in the Math and Computer Programming Help Center (an untenured Technical Assistant there received a non-reappointment letter). Student leaders Grant Peterson and Maya Suzuki (elected SGA President for the next academic year) were in attendance and Peterson urged the trustees to support for having an Honors Program.
The Board did announce approvals of recommendations for sabbaticals. Congratulations to Robert Costello, Christine Faraday, Amanda Favia, Jeanne Golan, Darshna Katwala, Kristin LeVeness, Carolyn Monastra, Joseph Pilaro, Franceso Pupa, Paul Rosa, Elisa Salvi, Cara Tuzzolino, and Jolie Zangari on their sabbaticals! Also, congratulations to Ricardo Santos, who has been awarded the SUNY Distinguished Professor award.
Finally, many THANKS to retiree Phyllis Kurland and to member Jason Gorman who joined NCCFT Acting President David Stern and Secretary Suzanne Kaebnick at the NCCFT press release on Wednesday May 14. Again, support like yours is critical to NCCFT success. Appreciation is also in order for students from the STEM department who showed up to address their concerns regarding funding/ staffing needs in Math and Computer Programming.
One Response
Dear Colleagues: I am pleased to attach my statement to the BoT about the SUNY Distinguished Professor award:
The State University of New York comprises 64 campuses across our great state.
University Centers are 14 in number, University Colleges number 13, and Technology Colleges number 7. The Community College segment of this University number 30 and that includes our beloved Nassau Community College. I mention these numbers because it demonstrates the exclusivity of what I am now going to say.
The Board of Trustees of SUNY named 8 new Distinguished Professors at its April 29th meeting. This included 6 individuals from the State-operated campuses and 2 from the Community Colleges.
While am sorry to note that prior to this evening, NO announcement of the recipients of this rare and prestigious honor has been made by the administration of Nassau Community College even though a member of OUR faculty has achieved this honor. I AM PLEASED THAT THE Board of Trustees has now recognized this honor.
We have now been honored by SUNY with at least 7 SUNY Distinguished Professor recognitions. An achievement that should be broadcast far and wide IF we truly believe that the quality of our faculty is a major component of the success of our students.
As Chair of the Nassau Community College Academic Senate’s Distinguished Professor Committee, I am pleased to announce that
Professor Ricardo Santos
a long-time member of our English Department has been named a SUNY Distinguished Professor. He joins Professor Robert Costello, Criminal Justice, as a continuing full-time member of our faculty who holds this remarkable distinction. Previously, this honor was bestowed on the following professor emerita:
Prof. Lisa M. Bastiaans, Physical Sciences
Prof. Philip M. Cheifetz, Mathematics
Prof. Bernard S. Gorman, Psychology
Prof. Philip Y. Nicholson, History
Prof. Joseph A. Varacall, Sociologyi
Thank you for acknowledging Prof. Santos’ achievement this evening.