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.