Please participate in our letter campaign asking New York state legislators to support New York state higher education act S 4685 (Stavisky)/ A 5979 (Bronson) that amends education law to include a non-voting faculty member on the board of trustees of community colleges. This will provide boards with faculty perspective, helping them make informed decisions in the best interest of their college. NYSUT’s (New York State United Teachers’) statement of support is below.
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NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS’ STATEMENT OF SUPPORT:
This legislation expands, from ten to eleven, the number of community college trustees. The amendment provides that the eleventh member shall be elected by and from among the faculty and staff of the college as an ex-officio and non-voting member.
SUNY community colleges are currently administered by a separate Board of Trustees composed of ten members — five are appointed by the local legislative body or board, or other appropriate governing agency; four are appointed by the governor; and one member is elected by and from among the students at the college.
Unfortunately, there is no faculty or staff representation on any of the boards. Consequently, faculty input is often limited to a few minutes during the “public comment” period of trustee meetings. Since the faculty and staff interact with the students daily, they are keenly aware of what is going on at their institutions and what policy decisions may or may not be working.
The SUNY Board of Trustees was recently expanded to include the President of the University Faculty Senate as a non-voting, ex-officio member. The inclusion of a faculty member has resulted in a collaborative improvement between the trustees, administrators and faculty, all in furtherance of the SUNY mission. Adding community college faculty/staff on their boards will yield similar results.
Community college faculty/staff — like the students they teach, and their colleagues at the four-year SUNY schools — should have an opportunity to regularly participate in their college’s Board of Trustee’s meetings.
Changing the law will give them a voice, even if it is a non-voting one, and will ensure that the trustees are able to make informed decisions that are truly in the best interests of their colleges.
FOR THE ABOVE-MENTIONED REASONS, NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE PASSAGE OF THIS LEGISLATION.