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We are standing together on Sept. 28 in Harrisburg to advocate for a 15% increase in funding for public higher education in Pennsylvania, for the Pennsylvania Promise plan to make college more affordable, and for other higher-education and labor issues. The Affordable College Now! rally is slated to begin promptly at noon on the front steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol. Students, faculty, coaches, staff, alumni, and other supporters of Pennsylvania’s community colleges, state-owned universities, and state-related universities are invited to attend.

Click here to read the press release. Click here for more information and to RSVP.

Dr. William E. Fulmer was president of APSCUF from 1998 to 2004. File photo

APSCUF is mourning the loss of Past President Dr. William E. Fulmer, who led the organization from 1998 to 2004. He died Aug. 19 at age 85. Click here to read the retired Clarion University professor’s obituary. APSCUF offices are closed today in his honor.

In 2017, Fulmer reflected on his time as president, during which only one month was not in contract negotiations for faculty, coaches, or both.

“I received enormous personal benefit from my APSCUF service, gaining friendships among many dedicated and talented faculty members and leaders at each of our 14 universities,” he wrote. “And I believe we were able to help and assist many … That is an accomplishment that prevails over all others.”

Fulmer received APSCUF’s Distinguished Service Award in 2004. Clarion University Alumni Association presented him with a Distinguished Faculty Award in 2022.

Professor Emeritus Helen Bieber of Kutztown University reflected on the many memories she has of Fulmer, who encouraged her to run for State APSCUF secretary, a position to which she was elected in 1998.

“No clue what I was doing but Bill was patient, generous with his time and knowledge which led me to what seemed to be a second career,” she said. Bieber served as secretary until 2016.

“I remember Bill driving us to meetings with the Kingston Trio playing on the CD player in his car, I remember his laugh, his interest in what one was saying — always paying attention,” Bieber wrote. “I remember him talking about former students he’d been in touch with and how their success meant so much to him. Bill cared and was caring, about APSCUF, fairness, faculty, but above all, his family, who meant the world to him. May you rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed.”

More Fulmer memories

“While I’m a faculty member at IUP, I was an undergraduate student at Clarion and the student trustee during some of my time there. Dr. Fulmer was the APSCUF president at the time and I learned a lot by observing him. He was also my best friend’s academic advisor, so I also learned indirectly from him through her. As the student trustee, I wanted to demonstrate that I was engaged and made a comment at one of the public meetings that, at the time, I didn’t realize was poorly delivered and made one of the administrators look foolish. It wasn’t my intention to do that, but I didn’t even realize that was the outcome. Through a message delivered by my best friend, he said, ‘You should tell Mimi that she might want to share that kind of information privately and not at a public meeting.’ I have told that story many times and have never forgotten the lesson I learned from him.”
—Mimi Benjamin, Ph.D.
Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania

This post will be updated.

Have a Fulmer memory to add to this post? Email it to . Please include your name and university.

Dr. Margaret Ervin accepts APSCUF’s Distinguished Service Award in April. APSCUF photo

Dr. Margaret Ervin likes to empower people.

“It’s sort of who I am,” said the former English professor, writing-center director, chapter president, and a winner of this year’s APSCUF Distinguished Service Award. “Inspiring people to be able to find their own power, that’s my thing. That’s what I live for.”

Ervin started her educator journey as a sixth-grade teacher.

“I enjoyed teaching writing to the middle school students,” Ervin said. “And I enjoyed helping them come up with things to write and expressing themselves and learning how to think using writing.”

From there she earned her graduate degree. After a time as a managing editor for the Journal of Speech Language Hearing Research for the American Speech Language Hearing Association, she secured a job at West Chester University.

And she joined APSCUF.

“That was the first thing I did,” Ervin said. “I was always attracted to unions out of a sense of fairness.”

After years of APSCUF membership, Ervin became a member of the negotiations team, and she was elected chapter president in 2021. She would serve in that position for four years.

“One of the reasons that I became a leader (was) I just had the willingness and passion to put in the time and had a lot of heart for the role,” she said.

Current West Chester Chapter President Dr. Chris Stangl shared a story via email about how Ervin stood up to management.

“Margaret was excellent in holding Management to account,” he wrote.

The willingness to do the work is a major part of the job, she said.

“Part of what I wanted to do was to find new leaders in the chapter and bring them along,” Ervin said. “I did bring in a number of women leaders, but I found that there were so many women with fantastic skills who could have been great union leaders.”

Ervin discussed the need for increasing participation in APSCUF.

“I worry about people who are not my colleagues in APSCUF, people who don’t join the union,” she said. “And even for some people who do join but don’t really get involved. I think understanding how strong the union is something people need to be educated on.”

Ervin discussed people who inspired and helped throughout her APSCUF journey. Dr. Jamie Martin, immediate past APSCUF president who passed away on June 5, was a major inspiration, Ervin said.

“I felt so out of my depth when I got onto the (negotiations) team,” Ervin said. “And Jamie just brought me in and explained things to me and was just so friendly and kind, like a big sister would be.”

Ervin also praised the leadership of APSCUF President Dr. Ken Mash and former APSCUF Vice President Dr. Chris Hallen, as well as all of the people who are delegates to the legislative assembly.

“Professors are such a hard-working group of people,” Ervin said. “They just will do anything for their students.”

Ervin’s commitment to her students went beyond the classroom.

“I think as a professor I was able to touch students’ lives and give them more confidence in themselves as thinkers and communicators,” she said.

Ervin was also a director at the Writing Center on campus. As director, she expanded the Writing Center to be more universitywide and took it out of the English department.

“When I would see the students who came to the Writing Center to get services, when they would experience a sense of efficacy that they didn’t have before they came in, that was great,” Ervin said. “And then the tutors developed great professional skills. Most of them were master’s students that were hired in their first year, so they would work for two years in the Writing Center, and could leave with this incredible skill set.”

Throughout all three of her major positions within the university, one consistent theme emerged.

“What did I enjoy about being a professor?” Ervin said. “What did I enjoy about being a writing center director? What did I enjoy about being a union leader? It’s empowering people.”

—Ethan Rapp, APSCUF intern

Faculty contract negotiations have begun between the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) and Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. Click here to read the release.

Coach contract negotiations have begun between the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) and Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. Click here to read the release.