Update from the President

The latest installment of the President’s Notes from Dr. Schwaller includes the following on budgets, most specifically regarding classroom revitalization and the twin issues of salaries and workload:

Budget Update

As I reported in March, the Administrative Cabinet studied and modified the Strategic Goals established last summer. In April the Cabinet considered budget requests from the various divisions of campus, in light of the goals. Our funding decisions, however, remained tentative until we knew with a greater degree of certainty what our 2007-2008 budget would be. Now, in late June, the full Leadership Council met for two days with representatives of the Faculty Senate to deal with many issues, one of which was to review and evaluate the strategic goals. Those discussions resulted in a slight modification of the goals and confirmed the budget priorities established earlier. As such, the Cabinet has finalized a funding plan for 2007-2008

Funded initiatives include some items that require recurring, on-going funding, while others can be satisfied with one-time-only expenditures. The following items were funded:

• Faculty salary increases
• Replacement furniture and accessories for classrooms, labs, and studios
• Overhaul of the campus web site
• CTS programmers to implement degree audit and other integral programs
• Operating budget for graduate student recruitment and marketing
• Admissions expenses (recruitment travel, campus hosting, postage, telephone, etc)
• Cost Increases in expendables for Physical Plant (toilet paper, paper towels, salt, sand, etc.)
• Activities programming in Student Union
• Career Placement Assistant Director
• NCATE accreditation visit (one time only)

The campus budget, while again beginning in the black this year, does not provide much room for new initiatives. Those that were funded rose to the top of the list because each had an impact on several of our strategic priorities. For example, new classroom furniture positively impacts the student experiences, can assist us in recruiting and retaining students, improves faculty worklife by providing a more pleasant atmosphere in which to work, and because it may improve recruitment and retention of students can provide us with yet more resources. A very few items, such as the costs associated with our NCATE accreditation, were mandatory.

In our deliberations, faculty salary and teaching workload were among our highest priorities. The Workload Task Force has made its first report. A final plan for reducing workload has not been developed. Once that occurs, we will allocate funds as available to support the eventual plan.

As the academic year begins and we have a clearer idea of where our enrollments will stabilize, we will better be able to project the final budget of the year. We will also, then, begin the process of looking to the next budget cycle and those initiatives that can assist us to further our strategic goals

A message from George Gonos

A Message from the Chapter President, August 2006:

Dear Colleagues:

The process is getting underway for upcoming negotiations between UUP and SUNY/New York State. As Chapter President, I am a member of the Negotiations Committee. An Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee is also being formed, with representatives from each campus. I want to ask you to participate in this process by volunteering to serve.

The members of the Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee will help compile the concerns of our Chapter’s membership, and present them to the Negotiations Committee on October 12, at the Desmond Hotel in Albany.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you can be a part of this process.

As part of the process, all members will be surveyed for their suggestions and concerns. The Negotiations Committee will also be visiting Potsdam sometime in September or October (no date is set). Please plan to contribute your ideas, complaints, and suggestions.

George

A message from George Gonos

A Message from the Chapter President, May 2006:

Welcome Fritz! It’s so good to see you…
Is a turnaround possible for SUNY?

It’s early in the game, but we may be seeing the bare beginnings of better days ahead for SUNY, including our own beloved campus. At last we have a Potsdam College president whose values mirror our own, and who is ready to work with the UUP on issues of mutual concern. (One of our deans mentioned to me how refreshing it is to attend meetings and NOT hear it said that ‘the College is like any other business.’)

The members of the search committee have been properly recognized for the terrific job they did in recruiting a new college president. Potsdam UUP played an important role as well. Last fall we published a newsletter piece prepared by several members entitled ‘What Kind of President Do We Need?’ that helped define the parameters of the search and guide that process.

As a result of the truly exceptional efforts of UUP leadership and rank and file UUPers across the state, the bigger ‘needs based’ SUNY budget was passed by the state legislature over the outgoing Governor’s vetoes. According to what I’ve heard, SUNY will be getting $180 million more support next year. How much of that will come to Potsdam? We don’t know. We will work closely with President Schwaller on making sure that our fair share arrives here, and that it’s put to appropriate use — to hire more full-time faculty, raise the salaries of our professionals and academics, etc. — in short, to make this institution shine as brightly as everyone knows it should.

With a new governor in office next year, the composition of the SUNY Board of Trustees — long a nemesis of public higher education rather than an advocate — will also begin to change. My slogan has become ‘Fritz and Spitz in 2006.’

Workload

At an informal meeting last December, Potsdam UUP’s proposals for a reduced teaching load and for relief of other aspects of ‘workload creep’ were brought to administration. Our main proposal, to begin the process of moving to a 3-3 teaching load was rejected as premature. But in response to our pleadings, the Provost formed a workload task force with four individuals nominated by Potsdam UUP. These include David Curry, Victoria Klawitter, Kirk Dougherty and Peter Brouwer.

College administrators and deans have all voiced their support in principle for a reduced teaching load, to enhance faculty research and professional development. Next fall Potsdam UUP will call on all members to help make this a reality.

In the meantime, please send your testimonials on the workload issue to your UUP rep of choice, for posting on the page listed below. Reduced teaching load is only a beginning. With your help we want to address all sorts of workload-related problems, but you must make them known.

• Workload testimonials from faculty
• Summary results of workload survey of teaching faculty: See issue 10 of With The Ranks.

Sabbaticals

Progress, but…
In response to sustained pressure brought by Potsdam UUP, administration set aside funds this year to support the first sabbatical leaves at Crane in several years. This helped some of those in the ‘queue’ (sabbaticals approved, but deferred) that formed when ex-President Fallon announced the suspension of sabbaticals several years ago. That’s definite progress.

However, administration also found a way to ‘punish’ the union, blaming us for the denial of leaves this year to faculty members in the Arts & Sciences. Administration has yet to agree to a systematic solution to the problem. Apparently, it remains necessary to remind administration that sabbatical leaves are an important part of the academic tradition, a means of improving the quality of our faculty and curriculum, as well as a feature of our contract.

Professionals and Academics in Solidarity

Professionals represent half our collective strength, yet they have felt in many ways neglected. At a luncheon for Potsdam UUP professionals last month, plans were discussed to address professional issues more energetically.

Improving the communication between professionals in Raymond Hall and the academic buildings is a start. We need a unified effort to change the perception that UUP professionals in the administrative buildings are ‘them,’ or ‘not us.’

Workload is an issue for professionals as much as it is for teaching faculty. One factor that contributes to overwork for professionals is administration’s practice of leaving vacancies open. When our people stretch themselves to cover parts of other jobs, the quesiton of salary adjustments and revising job descriptions should come up. We are looking into developing a policy on this. (For instance, a policy might state that a reevaluation of salary would automatically happen when a position was left open for six months.) Your ideas are needed.

Speaking of salaries, some of our professional colleagues have salaries that are woefully low. Professionals and librarians have been passed over in the last couple of rounds of ‘pay equity’ raises, and Potsdam UUP needs to bring everyone into that process. It would help to have a new salary study, comparing professional salaries at Potsdam to statewide SUNY averages, as well as to national norms.

Potsdam UUP is one unit, and we must pull our ‘two halves’ together! The theme of our Spring Party is ‘Professionals and Academics United Together for a Better SUNY-Potsdam.’ That is meant as a way to start a solidarity movement on campus.

Technology

Management is intensifying its drive to increase the number of on-line course offerings. OK… But we are troubled by the apparent lack of concern with the issues (both educational and contractual) that will potentially arise. I’m personally disturbed by the seemingly cavalier attitude of management (at least so far) toward the need for some agreement to protect educational quality and legitimate faculty interests. The decision to increase on-line offerings represents a strategic choice that calls for a campus-wide dialogue on the subject — something that management has not recognized no need for.

Presently there is no upper limit on the overall proportion of courses that Potsdam could put online. Will it result in an increasing proportion of part time faculty at Potsdam (which already approaches 30%)? Is it consistent with Potsdam’s advertising our ‘personal involvement’ with students? How will the intellectual property of faculty be protected? We need an agreement to protect faculty interests, similar to those in existence at Canton and Plattsburgh. If you can you help formulate this, let us know.

Free Exchange

• Free Exchange, a coalition of groups that has come together to protect the free exchange of speech and ideas on campus.