Kutztown Universit APSCUF January/February newsletter

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Kutztown University APSCUF Newsletter

January/February 2016

Executive Committee: President – Paul Quinn; Vice President – Helen Bieber; Secretary – James Jackson; Treasurer – Kenneth Ehrensal; Delegates – Lisa Frye, Dina Hayduk, Jason Lanter, Viviana Lucabeche, Kevin Mahoney, Glenn Richardson, Thomas Stewart; Alternate Delegates – Helen Bieber, Denise Darrah, Kenneth Ehrensal, Carolyn Gardner, James Jackson, Timothy O’Boyle, Angelo Rodriguez; Senate Representative – Robert L. Smith; Health & Welfare – Dina Hayduk, Grievance Co-Chairs – Ruth Perkins, Viviana Lucabeche

Read Dr. Kenneth M. Mash's remarks to the Board of Governors Jan. 21, 2016 Remarks of Dr. Kenneth M. Mash Before the Board of Governors Chairman Piccinni, Governors, Chancellor Brogan, university presidents,

College and University Faculties.

On behalf of the all the faculty and coaches at Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities, I would like to extend a

My name is Kenneth Mash, and I am the president of APSCUF, the Association of Pennsylvania State

Continued on

KU Pride

Budget Rally

APSCUF Elections

Over the MLK Day weekend, KU students helped serve the local community.

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Noon – 2PM February 8 State Capitol, Harrisburg #fundorfail

Dates, deadlines, and position detailed on p.5.

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Congratulations!

January/February 2016

Here are some of The Best of what creates KU Pride.

Maybe next year, we'll see you here!: Dozens of KU students spent the Martin Luther King Day holiday serving the local community. Students installed smoke detectors in the City of Reading and assisted at the Greater Berks Food Bank, Phoebe Berks, Breast Cancer Support Services, Aarons Acres and Mary’s Home.

Congratulations to Christina Steffy, a Communication Studies graduate who went on to get her masters in Library Science, for her 1st book publication: Librarians & Stereotypes. Sculptures by Kutztown It’s a great read and we University Professor

Michael Radyk, will be included in the exhibition Common Thread at the Baum School of Art in Allentown from Jan. 13Feb. 3. For more information visit the Baum School of Art website.

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January/February 2016

Bring your students! www.facebook.com/APSCUF #fundorfail United we stand. Underfunded we fail.

Students, alumni, and faculty members from Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities this February will join the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties to advocate for fair funding for the Commonwealth's state-owned universities.

The rally begins noon Monday, Feb. 8*, in the Capitol in Harrisburg. We’re looking for State System students and faculty members to join us for the afternoon, which is slated to include statements from State System officials, legislators who are State System alumni, and State System students and faculty members.

Transportation (the ride is free!) will leave from each of the 14 State System campuses the morning of the rally. Reserve your seat in your campus' bus/van by sending an email with the subject line "I'm going to the rally" to your campus APSCUF chapter's office manager:

Colleen Fitzgerald - Bus leaves 9 a.m. from Lot A2 (across from the Fair Grounds) and behind Rickenbach and Beekey

Additional questions? Email qualityeducation@ apscuf.org 3

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January/February 2016

Why Increased State Funding Matters to Your Students!

Their Personal Story · Has the price to attend your university gone up? · Have you had trouble finding the classes you need? · Have you experienced less access to student services and resources like advising?

Affordability · State-owned universities rely on state funding to keep tuition and fees low. · The state cut funding to our universities by $90 million in 2011. · Undergraduate tuition has increased 20% since then. Costs to students will continue to increase if state funding is not restored.

Student Debt · State funding cuts have helped cause student loan debt to skyrocket. · The average state system student graduates with $30,000 of loan debt. · Adequate state funding = lower costs = less student debt.

Get the Classes You Need · Without adequate funding, state universities cannot fully offer the courses needed for many students to graduate on time. · Funding cuts force universities to cut course offerings to students. · More than 150 academic programs of study have been frozen or elimi-nated due to recent budget cuts. More could be lost if funding continues to decrease.

Keep Class Sizes Reasonable · Increased state funding = fewer students per class and allows for more individualized instruction. · Reduced funding = fewer classes offered which results in overcrowd-ing students in the remaining available classes. · Class sizes have increased – in some cases dramatically – due to recent budget cuts.

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welcome to the newest board members and to thank you for your service.

While there are many issues I would like to raise this morning, the one I will raise is one that we are all aware of.

For now, the State System is once again flat funded for this year. That means that, following the 18 percent reduction in allocation in 2011 — 23 percent, if one counts federal funds — we are one of only a couple of states in the nation that has not seen any restoration in funding since the cuts of the Great Recession.

As a result, our universities have eliminated programs by the score, cut department budgets, delayed maintenance, cut athletic programs, reduced departmental resources, delayed hiring, decreased student internships, lessened money for scholarly activities, instituted faculty and staff layoffs, etc., etc. It

has gotten to the point that it is almost laughable when someone from outside the System suggests that the way to deal with budget shortfalls in the tens of millions is to reduce fat and waste. It is only laughable because it is just not at all funny.

Even with these reductions that increasingly threaten our universities’ abilities to provide the quality education that is mandated by law, our students and their families have had to endure ever-increasing tuition increases and fees. When the System was first established, the Commonwealth contributed 75 percent of the cost of a Pennsylvania student’s education. Now, that number is less than 25 percent. Should those universities that were granted permission by this Board implement the per-credit tuition plans, most students at those universities will be paying 25 percent

January/February 2016

higher tuition.

All these years of underfunding are enough. This Board recognized this when you requested an allocation that exceeds the 2011 cut in state allocation.

With this in mind, APSCUF is helping to organize a rally in the Capitol Rotunda — United We Stand, Underfunded We Fail — at noon Feb. 8. Our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of public higher education will be there to emphasize the impact of these cuts on their lives, but also how much more our universities and our students could do for the Commonwealth if they were properly funded.

I invite you all to participate in the rally and to encourage others to participate, so that we may supplement the good work that is done by the System’s Advocacy Day. We would ask that Continued…

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January/February 2016

Timeline Election Process • Willingness to Serve: 2/5 – 2/22 • Present Initial Slate of Candidates: 2/25 – 3/18 o Accept Additional Nominations: 2/25 – 3/14 • Distribute Initial Ballot: 3/21 – 3/29 • Second Ballot (if necessary): 3/31 – 4/8 Contract Committees (UPC, UTC, Sabbatical) o All faculty vote.

• • •

Willingness to Serve: 3/23 – 4/7 Distribute Primary Ballot: 4/11 – 4/19 Final Ballot (if necessary): 4/20 – 4/27

General Education Assessment Committee (GEAC) o At large reps (3 teaching faculty and 1 non-teaching faculty) o Work with current committee chair to finalize WTS • Willingness to Serve: 3/30 – 4/14 • Distribute Primary Ballot: 4/18 – 4/26

Election Procedures

Committee on Committees Rep 2-year term • Send email to Rep Council: 3/1 – 3/14 • Colleen will compile candidates and send to Paul and Lisa • Election at Rep Council: 3/17 General Education Committee o At large reps

o Only teaching faculty o Work with current committee chair to finalize WTS • Willingness to Serve: 3/30 – 4/14 • Distribute Primary Ballot: 4/18 – 4/26

ü Willingness to Serve (instant survey) ü Ballot (instant survey) ü Notify appropriate committee chairs of the winner(s) via email ü Notify each winner via email with a follow-up hard copy letter (signed by Nominations & Elections Committee Chair) ü Post winners in the Daily Brief

APCUF Elections

Officers, Delegates, and Alternate Delegates Must be completed and Harrisburg notified of results by April 15. Only APSCUF members, including coaches, can serve and vote.

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Kutztown University APSCUF Newsletter

January/February 2016

APSCUF Member Publications Submit your publications.

APSCUF invites its members to share complimentary copies of published works for inclusion in the APSCUF member library at the state office. If you have books, articles and/or recordings (performed or directed by APSCUF members), please submit them to: APSCUF 319 N. Front Street Harrisburg, PA 17101 You will receive a letter of appreciation to acknowledge your gift. We hope to continue to grow this library of faculty works to acknowledge the academic excellence of APSCUF faculty.

Current program year is July 1, 2015 - May 31, 2016. You must obtain 70 total points for reduced premiums beginning July 1, 2016. If you are hired on or after April 1, 2016 you will automatically be placed in the participating rate and do not need to obtain the point until the next plan year.