UUP Head Calls On SUNY To Add Faculty

UUP Head Calls On SUNY To Add Faculty

By HOWARD MEGDAL

The dramatic increase in enrollment for State University of New York schools indicates the need for additional full-time Professors, according to the president of the union representing SUNY faculty and staff.

WILLIAM E. SCHEUERMAN: Barely keeping pace. For the 2006-07 school year, the number of freshmen is up three percent, with a 2.4-percent increase in total enrollment. Overall, SUNY schools have added 56,000 students in the past decade, while trimming 1,000 full-time faculty in the state-operated campuses.

Need to Match Growth

"SUNY's enrollment growth means more full-time faculty are needed to be certain that there are enough to serve this growing student population and maintain quality programs," UUP President William E. Scheuerman said in a Sept. 26 statement. "The Legislature did the right thing in overriding the Governor's veto and adding 380 more full-time faculty positions in its current budget. While this is a big step in the right direction, SUNY needs to hire additional full-time faculty just to keep up."

He asserted that with 80 percent of SUNY graduates going on to work in-state, more faculty would be necessary to continue assuring a more-educated work force.

A spokesman for SUNY did not return a call seeking comment.