UUP Press Releases

CONTACT: Denyce Duncan Lacy or Don Feldstein at (518) 640-6600
Lacy’s cell number is (518) 265-3114

NEWS FROM NEW YORK NEWS CONNECTION

A statewide news service for New York

 Producer: Jane Metzler, 68 Cortlandt Place, Tenafly, NJ 07670 Phone: 201-266-4249  E-mail: nyncnews@publicnewsservice.org

 Sound files at: www.publicnewsservice.org

May 25, 2005

After Graduation, An Uncertain Summer for New York Teachers

Albany, NY — As New York’s colleges send off students for the year, many education advocates are looking for ways to improve the campus environment for next year. Several bills pending in the state legislature would put a halt to the growing number of part-timers and provide instructors with more job security.  Comments from Bill Scheuerman, president of United University Professions.

Interviewer: While college students are packing up until next fall, many of the instructors who taught them are now trudging off to find work. That’s because the state is relying more and more on part-time faculty. United University Professions president Bill Scheuerman says this has a negative impact on both students and teachers at New York’s public colleges and universities.

(Click here to listen to Bill Scheuerman's answer.) 

Interviwer: Bills in the house and assembly would change that, by requiring 70 percent of the courses at state colleges and universities to be taught by full-time faculty. University system employees are also hoping legislators vote on other bills to improve pensions and unemployment insurance benefits.

Scheuerman says the steep drop in full-time faculty has gone on for too long.

(Click here to listen to Bill Scheuerman's answer.) 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The SUNY/CUNY full-time faculty ratio bills (S-4509 and A-6710) are currently in committees.

UUP represents more then 34,000 academic and professional faculty on 29 New York State-operated campuses, and is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO and New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).    

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