UUP Press Releases

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 12 , 2006

UUP blasts Pataki budget vetoes, calls for override votes

United University Professions President William E. Scheuerman today charged that Gov. George Pataki has turned his back on the State University of New York and tens of thousands of SUNY students by vetoing the higher education portion of the 2006-07 state budget approved by the Legislature—a budget that included funding to hire much-needed full-time faculty.

“The governor’s vetoes threaten to condemn SUNY students to a continuation of crowded classrooms, fewer course options and delays in graduation—all because of the shortage of full-time faculty,” Scheuerman said.

The higher education budget vetoed by Pataki included funding for the hiring of as many as 500 new faculty, reversing the decade-long shortage of full-time faculty.

“The Legislature’s budget laid the groundwork for SUNY to correct the faculty shortage and achieve a higher level of academic excellence,” Scheuerman said. “What do the governor’s vetoes tell us about the future of New York’s economy? It’s going to be grim if these vetoes are not reversed.”

Scheuerman is urging state lawmakers to override the governor’s vetoes.

“The Legislature displayed its support for SUNY by its overwhelming approval of their higher education budget,” Scheuerman said. “We call upon lawmakers to reaffirm their commitment to public higher education by overriding the governor’s vetoes.”

UUP represents more then 34,000 academic and professional faculty on 29 New York state-operated campuses, and is an affiliate of New York State United Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. Scheuerman also serves as president of AFT’s Higher Education Program and Policy Council, representing 150,000 higher education union members across the nation.     

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