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NYS AAUP Election 2011 Candidate Statements |
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NYS AAUP Election 2011 Candidate Statements
Candidate Statement Currently I am Professor of Communication Arts at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) where I have taught for the last 25 years. Prior to that time I was a teacher in the public schools of New York State. Last April I was elected to the office of President of the New York State Conference of the AAUP having previously served as a member of the state AAUP Board. I was the founding President of the AAUP Chapter at my college and continue to serve as the leading voice of faculty advocacy at MMC. Previously I have been an elected delegate to the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and as a local officer and negotiator. I believe these are perilous times for academic employment as we are facing an onslaught on all sides that threatens academic freedom, shared governance and tenure. It is imperative that we put all available resources behind building a stronger membership for the AAUP and standing up for the principles that have made American higher education the envy of the world. I am dedicated to advancing that cause. My academic discipline is Communication Arts. I teach courses and publish research in communication theory, film and media & society.
Candidate Statement I have spent the past 20 years as a faculty activist. As a faculty member serving contingently at both public and private institutions for the past 25 years, I have learned what is at stake in the realm of academia for all of us whether, tenure rank, professional rank or contingent. Higher education has suffered not only budget cuts and attacks on the humanities, but also a gradual transferring of universities and colleges from places of open inquiry without regard for profit to places more like corporations. The erosion in faculty governance and "the management's" version of academic freedom, and the increase in contract faculty have weakened us but not defeated us. Spending the last two years as Vice President of the New York State conference, I have had many opportunities to make a difference through writing and speaking and being relentless when it comes to seeking justice. For the past 22 years I have been a Professional Writing Instructor in The Writing Program at Syracuse University. I have also worked for Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth, SUNY Cortland, and Onondaga Community College. I often conduct workshops on academic writing and research for graduate students, and edit and design books. Jeanette Jeneault Adjuncts United Local President
Candidate Statement Associate Professor of law & Public Policy at Syracuse University Whitman School of Management; B.A., Penn State University, LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School of York University (Toronto, Ontario) and LL.M., Yale Law School.
Candidate Statement Dear Colleagues, where I was first hired in the SEEK Department and was later transferred to the English Department where I also ran the college’s summer and intersession immersion programs, and in 1991 received recognition for outstanding teaching. I was appointed and elected to numerous college and university committees, including Academic Review and Curriculum, Course and Standing and the University Faculty Senate. I was elected to its Executive Committee and became Vice-Chair. I sat on the Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Policy, Program and Research and had an opportunity to support the courses and programs that you developed. As a faculty activist, I was a founding member of the CUNY African American Network, a member of the CUNY Women’s Coalition and the Concerned Faculty of CUNY Cecelia McCall, Ph. D.
Candidate Statement I have been teaching at Hilbert College for 20 years in the Human Services and Rehabilitation Services Programs. Previously I was a clinician/advocate in the areas of psychiatric rehabilitation and addiction services. I graduated from Syracuse University with my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree and am now pursuing a doctoral degree from D’Youville College. About 5 years ago, the faculty at Hilbert College began investigating affiliation with a group that would represent out interests and provide support for the faculty. After presentations from AAUP and other groups, we decided to join AAUP. I have been chapter president since the chapter formed four years ago. With much appreciated assistance from NYS-AAUP we have developed a chapter constitution and are in the process of finalizing a faculty handbook. I have been at At-Large member of the NYS Steering Committee for the past two years and look forward to continuing to serve in that capacity for another term. Kathryn Regan Eskew, MS/CRC
Candidate Statement Dennis W. Mazzocco, Ph.D. currently serves as the Chapter President of the Hofstra-AAUP, the nation's largest collective bargaining unit at a private University. As a member of the Hofstra-AAUP since 1999, I have served as President, Grievance Officer, and a member of the Steering Committee. My appointment is in the Hofstra School of Communication with the Department of Radio, Television, Film. My research interests are centered in the threat to democracy posed by the continued dominance of corporate media in all aspects of our political, economic, and cultural lives. The threat to collective bargaining rights is just one of the many issues that I am concerned about in my study of media coverage and concentration since the 1930s. In our bargaining unit, we represent the interests of both full-time and contingent faculty, who number nearly 1,000 at this time. Over the past five years, our Chapter has been very active and successful in establishing a rapid response to the various challenges that face those who are interested in protecting academic freedom and faculty self-governance. As the leader of a private collective bargaining unit, we struggle with the lasting effects of the 1980 Yeshiva decision which bars faculty from enjoying the same protections of the NLRA as our brothers and sisters at public institutions. Nevertheless, we at Hofstra continue to work collaboratively to resist the same challenges that face all of the American professorate today. The rapid proliferation of corporate financial practices that aim to foster greater efficiency and stability but that also limit free speech and political action represent one of the greatest challenges faculty--both full-time and contingent--have faced since the founding of the AAUP in 1915. With your vote, I would do my best to work with the other leaders of the New York State Conference to bring leadership to all Chapters currently pursuing and protecting collective bargaining rights at their respective institutions. I believe the Advocacy Chapters, those without collective bargaining rights currently, have a great deal to teach those of us at those institutions with collective bargaining agreements. I would work diligently as a representative to the Assembly of State Conferences to fight for increased awareness of the challenges we all face in academe today. Dennis W. Mazzocco, Ph.D.
Candidate Statement I achieved a BA in Communication, an MBA with a concentration in Management Information Systems and a Ph.D. in Management Systems with concentrations in Management Information Systems, Strategic Management, Production and Operations Management, and Management Science and a minor in Managerial Economics. My primary research area is in the ethical use of digital media. I have published in the Journal of Business Ethics, among others, and am also a reviewer for the Journal of Business Ethics. I am the Chair of the CIS department and have received the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Service award for serving in a variety of capacities at the university, college and departmental levels. Some of the service opportunities have included chairing the Institution Resources Committee for Middle States Accreditation, member of the Senate Executive Committee, Academic Senate, University Strategic Planning Committee, NCAA Gender Equity Committee, Faculty Salary Review Committee, Salary Adjustment (Equity) Committee, Faculty Workload Committee and the College of Arts & Sciences Strategic Planning Committee. As I reflect on my twelve years at Niagara University, I’m proud to consider the various opportunities that I have had to work on behalf of fellow faculty as a union executive. I have held the positions of NYS AAUP Member-At-Large and President and Vice President for NULTA (Niagara University Lay Teachers Union) for several years. I embarked on my first experience negotiating with university administration only to become lead negotiator! Fortunately, the team was able to make significant gains for the faculty, the most noteworthy resulting in a reduction in faculty course load from a 4/4 to a 3/3. I hope that this brief description of my experiences provides a foundation for consideration for the member at large position in NYS AAUP. Suzanne C. Wagner, PhD MBA BA
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