With higher education facing headwinds across the country, community college leaders from around New York gathered in Saratoga Springs for NYSUT’s 46th Annual Community College Conference.
This year’s conference, organized under the theme “Preserving the Profession, Preparing for the Future,” addressed some of the serious challenges community colleges and higher education at large are facing, including attacks on academic freedom, significant cuts to research funding at the federal level, and looming state and local budget shortfalls.
Despite those challenges, attendees were appreciative of the opportunity to gather with colleagues and found time to celebrate recent victories, including the addition of new locals to their ranks, and the 31 NYSUT members who were elected or reelected to public office on Election Day.
“It’s a really great opportunity for us to hear what’s happening on each other’s campuses, to provide support and counsel to one another on different issues that we’re experiencing, and to have a sense of community and camaraderie — that’s really the best part of this conference,” said Bethany Gizzi, president of the Monroe Community College Faculty Association.
“There’s always something new to learn,” said Gizzi, providing an apt description of the conference itself and the core aspiration of higher education.
The three-day conference kicked off with a reception honoring Laura Murphy, NYSUT’s Higher Education Member of the Year, a history professor and president of Dutchess Community College United Educators. Murphy, who presented a workshop on labor history, was instrumental in her local’s re-affiliation with NYSUT after many years as an independent union.
During opening remarks, NYSUT Executive Vice President Jaime Ciffone highlighted the growth and increasing strength of NYSUT’s community college locals, noting that with the addition of the Dutchess Community College local in 2024 and the planned affiliation of Clinton Community College’s union in the coming year, all but two of New York’s 30 community college campus unions will be affiliated with NYSUT.
“We’re growing our power at the local level,” said Ciffone.
A key part of the conference brought members and local presidents together to use their collective voice in support of the so-called “trustees bill,” which would amend state education law to require each community college board of trustees to add one faculty or staff member, who would be elected “by and from among the faculty and staff of the college.” Conference attendees wrote letters to Governor Hochul, urging her to sign the bill.
The SUNY Board of Trustees was recently expanded to include a similar representative seat for President of the University Faculty Senate as a non-voting, ex-officio member, a change that has improved collaboration between trustees, administrators, and faculty in their collective work to support the SUNY mission. Including community college faculty/staff on their boards of trustees would be equally beneficial.
Roberta Elins, a member of NYSUT’s Board of Directors and past president of United College Employees – Fashion Institute of Technology, spoke out about the importance of the faculty and staff representation in campus governance. “It is essential that either faculty or staff have a voice on our community college boards,” Elins said. “The governor should absolutely sign the bill.”
“Whether faculty or staff, we have inside knowledge of what happens at our community colleges and it’s important for the other members of our boards to hear our voices,” continued Elins.
The conference provided a wealth of opportunity for attendees to network with colleagues and learn about new ways to use their voices, with an array of sessions on topics including strategies for engaging and mobilizing members, connecting with members of different political perspectives, protecting academic freedom, as well as essential union topics like labor history, Taylor Law and Weingarten Rights, and higher education-specific sessions on community college finances and teaching load for part- and full-time members.
As she welcomed attendees to the conference, NYSUT President Melina Person spoke to the vitality of community college faculty and staff members and the power they have in being a voice for their students, their colleagues and their communities.
In an age where colleges and universities are being pressured to sign loyalty oaths, and as AI spreads through our economy and education system, labor unions are essential in defense of our shared values. “We have to be vigilant and not allow higher education to be co-opted” by outsiders who want to limit academic freedom, said Person.
Community colleges are engines of learning and opportunity for cities and counties around New York, and we need to ensure that they are protected.
“We must take a stand for the country we want to give to our children and grandchildren,” said Person.
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