The Professional Staff Congress - NYSUT's higher education local representing faculty and professional staff at the City University of New York - is again urging CUNY to reconsider the implementation of "Pathways," a controversial remake of the general education curriculum, following an overwhelming vote against the plan by CUNY full-time faculty.
"With a 92 percent vote of 'no confidence,' and faculty from every college and academic discipline voting, it is clear the university should not move forward with Pathways," said PSC President Barbara Bowen. "The overwhelming vote constitutes a demand to the CUNY administration to change course."
CUNY intends to start the Pathways curriculum in the fall. With the recently announced retirement of CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, and the term of the current CUNY Board of Trustees about to expire, faculty will continue protesting the program to the new administration. Faculty say that Pathways will reduce opportunities for foreign language study; undermine the quality of basic writing courses; and remove lab requirements from basic science courses.
The PSC has filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court to try to stop Pathways; that action is pending. Individual campus faculty senates have voted against the program, and faculty have signed petitions, filed objections through their campus governance procedures and spoken out against Pathways at forums.
"CUNY's faculty have stood up for quality, rigor and the freedom to learn," Bowen said. "The administration should join us."