Letter to Editor

April 21, 2004

To the Editor:

The Chronicle’s April 2 report, “Union Blues in the Sunshine State,” raises the question of whether or not faculty unions are appropriate at the nation’s top research universities. All evidence, particularly in New York state, answers that question with a resounding, “Yes!”

Led by, but not limited to, the unionized faculty at the system’s large university centers in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Stony Brook, the State University of New York (SUNY) can boast of its internationally recognized success in research and inventions. In terms of dollars, SUNY faculty at 29 state-operated campuses – represented by United University Professions (UUP) – generated nearly $800 million in research dollars in the last fiscal year, up 37 percent from just three years ago. The University fully expects to reach the chancellor’s goal of $1 billion this year.

SUNY also consistently ranks among the top 10 U.S. universities in the number of patents awarded for the innovation of its faculty. SUNY inventions have helped improve the treatment of diseases, have contributed to our exploration of space and have introduced dozens of new products to American industry and technology.

SUNY’s capacities for research in the sciences and creativity in the arts are universally respected and acknowledged. Faculty and researchers at SUNY have been recipients of some of the most prestigious awards in their fields, including the Nobel Prize, the Fulbright and Guggenheim fellowships, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring and the National Book Award. UUP members have won Tony and Grammy awards.

Meanwhile, contrary to what some alleged in your report, the presence of a union on campus does not automatically lead to tensions and rivalries with the Faculty Senates. UUP and the SUNY Senate have worked cooperatively and effectively in defense of academic freedom, shared governance and on other issues of mutual concern. As Richard Briggs, former president at Florida’s Faculty Senate rightly pointed out, “The two bodies have different missions that can complement each other.” That’s certainly the case in New York.

As has been proven at SUNY, union representation does not stifle creativity and inventiveness at research – or any other – institutions of higher learning. Just the opposite: Unions help establish a flourishing atmosphere free of political retaliation and threats to academic freedom.

William E. Scheuerman
President
United University Professions