Subject:
Include Community College Faculty and Staff on Community College Boards of Trustees!
Message:
Dear Legislator,
As a constituent and someone who cares deeply about public higher education in New York state, I urge you to pass A.5979-A (Bronson). Companion legislation — S.4685-A (Stavisky) — has already passed in the Senate. This bill expands the Board of Trustees for community colleges to include an eleventh, ex-officio, non-voting member who shall be elected by and from among the faculty and staff of the college.
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. This legislation will give faculty/staff a voice, albeit a non-voting one, on their boards of trustees.
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. Including community college faculty/staff on their boards will yield the same results.
I would like to thank those members of the Senate who voted in support of this important legislation, and I respectfully ask that all Assemblymembers raise this issue with their leadership and urge them to promptly bring this matter to the floor for a vote. I would also appreciate a response to my email.
Sincerely,
×
