Blog
Temporary faculty pay — IHE article
Today Inside Higher Ed ran a piece on temporary pay in PA (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/20/study_documents_pay_gap_faced_by_adjuncts). The base study was conducted by the Keystone Research Center.
APSCUF & PASSHE are not named, though our numbers are cited as a positive comparison to the state-relateds & community colleges that are the focal point of the study & the article.
We @ APSCUF often decry the use & abuse of our talented temporary faculty & our inability to gain them the rights they deserve. But in doing so we often forget that APSCUF’s record on temporary faculty is arguably the best in the country. The IHE article today reminds us, even as we have more to do, to be proud of our record.
— Steve
Three PASSHE Universities Make Nationwide Value List; Four PASSHE Grads Receive Appointments from Governor Corbett
Three PASSHE universities make list for 100 best values in public colleges nationwide
West Chester, Bloomsburg, and Millersville universities are among the 100 best values in public colleges nationwide, according to a report released January 4. The annual list by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine ranked West Chester University, 71; Bloomsburg University, 88; and Millersville University, 99. Kiplinger’s selects what it says are four-year public institutions that deliver the best education at the best prices. The magazine considered such criteria as tuition; average student-loan debt of graduates; financial aid availability for in-state and out-of-state students; test scores of incoming freshmen; student-faculty ratio; four and six-year graduation rates; and admission rates. You can view the Kiplinger’s report at: http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/
Four PASSHE graduates receive appointments from Governor Corbett
APSCUF offers congratulations to four PASSHE graduates for receiving appointments from new PA Governor Tom Corbett. Frank Noonan, a West Chester graduate, has been appointed Commissioner for the PA State Police, while Bloomsburg alum John Wetzel has been named Secretary of Corrections. Kevin Harley, a Millersville graduate, is now Corbett’s Director of Communications, and IUP graduate Glenn Condron is the new director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Some Resolve, Please?
Perhaps you missed it over the break, but Penn State’s President Graham Spanier authored an Op-Ed piece in the Patriot News, “New Year’s Resolution: Keep PA Universities Strong.” I have never been envious of my graduate school alma mater, until now.
I assure you that I don’t have any sort of inferiority complex; I genuinely believe that our PASSHE institutions are excellent and that our universities can be the superior option for many students. I am, however, envious of the leadership, at least in this context, that Penn State’s President exhibits for the Commonwealth, that is, his willingness to stand up for higher education, generally, and his institution, specifically. read more…
Season’s Greetings
Regardless of your cultural background, we at State APSCUF wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday and/or a relaxing break, and a Happy New Year.
Our thoughts remain always with our colleagues who face retrenchment and with all our fellow citizens who face uncertainty in the upcoming year. read more…
Are we like car companies?
APSCUF members may wonder about the comparison of the title.
This idea is not new, to me or to higher education in general. In his Oct. 17 piece for The Chronicle Review (Lazerson), Marvin Lazerson connects the automatic industry, owning a house, and higher education as the three pillars of the American dream. He notes in his article that two of those three are problematic today, and that higher ed is in the throes of change.
In case you think this connection is far fetched, I have heard the comparison made by a senior staff person in the Chancellor’s office. That person openly says that they worry about the state system falling into the same trap GM did — not changing to match the times.
Is this an issue with PASSHE? read more…