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Dr. Jamie Martin began her presidential term June 1, as the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties faces a public health crisis and looming uncertainties about the state of higher education in the Commonwealth. In her eventful first week, she said she wishes her transition were “a bit more boring.”

Dr. Kenneth M. Mash, left, and Dr. Jamie Martin, visit the Pennsylvania Capitol in summer 2019, when they were APSCUF president and vice president, respectively. Martin’s presidential term began June 1. APSCUF file photo

An APSCUF member since her first day as a faculty member at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Martin has since served in numerous roles in the organization — from grievance chair at IUP to state vice president with immediate-past President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash. In April, delegates voted in Martin as APSCUF’s second elected woman president. Martin said after her election that she has “big shoes to fill” in replacing Mash, but the former president expressed confidence in the future of APSCUF and the new leadership, offering a bit of advice.

“The thing that gives me most faith in the future of our union is the strong tradition of involvement and the great people,” Mash said. “Dr. Martin is a great APSCUF leader. She is talented, wise, and as tough as nails. My advice to her would be to have confidence in her abilities.”

In her years at APSCUF, Martin has fought for fair contracts as part of negotiations teams and for lower costs for students. As a professor, she has heard the testimonies of students who struggle with finances, work multiple jobs, and still are unable to afford necessities such as food and school books.

“One thing I want students to know about APSCUF is that faculty care deeply about them and the education that they are receiving, and when we talk to legislators, we fight for them,” she said.

The biggest issue facing Pennsylvania public higher education in recent years is inadequate funding. Martin stressed the importance of unity during this and other challenges.

“Our nation is dealing with this pandemic and it has impacted all facets of our society, including higher education,” she said. “This of course leads to a lot of uncertainty and questions about the upcoming fall semester.”

Martin said she is motivated by the students, faculty, and colleagues.

“My favorite part of the job is the people,” she said. “It has been such a pleasure to meet colleagues and students at the 14 universities.”

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More about Martin

Dr. Jamie Martin graduated from IUP with bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a doctorate in criminology. Her research has focused on qualitative research, corrections, and criminal-justice ethics. She has published articles in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education and American Journal of Criminal Justice, and she has also published a book called “Looking Out: Jailed Fathers’ Perceptions about Separation from Their Children.” Additionally, she won the Center for Teaching Excellence Award in 2004 and the Outstanding Teacher Award in the College of Health and Human Services in 2008.

Outside her career work, she enjoys Civil War history and reading other academic literature. She also loves being outdoors and enjoying a glass of wine. Martin is married to her husband, Randy, with two sons, two grandchildren, a Boxer named Max, and two parrots.

—Kyle Bower,
APSCUF intern

The June 10 Board of Governors meeting took place via Zoom. Click the video above to listen to APSCUF President Dr. Jamie Martin’s comments, or read them below as prepared:

Chairwoman Shapira, Chancellor Greenstein, governors, university presidents, and guests,

Good morning. My name is Jamie Martin, I am the president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF), which represents the faculty and coaches at our 14 great universities. As you know, I am following in the footsteps of our incredible past president, Dr. Ken Mash.

On behalf of our membership, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for the time and energy that you put forth in trying to improve the lives of our students and for striving to fulfill the mission of our System: to provide a high-quality, affordable education for them.

As Chairwoman Shapira just eloquently stated, it goes without saying that we are amid unprecedented times as a nation and as a State System. There is great uncertainty as we grapple with a deadly virus that has taken the lives of over 110,000 of our fellow citizens, shuttered businesses and schools, and decimated our economy. There is great social unrest that can be seen in protests across our country as millions appropriately demand social justice. And, there is uncertainty at our universities as we begin to plan for the fall 2020 semester. There are questions about the structure of our classes, the protocols and policies that are needed to keep everyone healthy and safe, concerns about being able to accomplish social distancing in a variety of settings, and the accommodations that will be necessary for individuals who are — or who reside with someone who is — vulnerable to this virus. I expect that some of these topics will be discussed here today.

While uncertainty exists, I know that certainty is present in the resolve among my colleagues to provide the best educational experiences that we can for our students. The way in which faculty members quickly pivoted from face-to-face classes to remote delivery in March was remarkable and demonstrates the talent, dedication, and skills that they possess. My colleagues now stand at the ready to work in partnership with the administration at their respective universities to tackle the questions about a safe return to the fall semester. Please continue to involve them, listen to the wisdom that they have gained from years in classrooms with students, and recognize the love that they have for their schools. We all want to be back in our classrooms interacting with our students, but we recognize that the fall 2020 semester is but one semester of many others that will follow. I ask that we have a thoughtful discussion about returning to campus in a safe manner, and one that looks at the long term and not just the near.

I believe that those working so hard on vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 will be successful and our lives will return to some sort of “new normal,” but that day is not yet here. Winston Churchill said, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Our hope is that, at the end, all of our students, staff, and all of our faculty will return in good health, our campuses will again have the energy and vibrance that they had in early March, that we will see our students relaxing and playing on our quads, and that we will be face-to-face in our classrooms with no need to wear masks.

I do hope that all of you and your families are safe and well.

Thank you very much for your time.

Dr. Kenneth M. Mash, left, and Dr. Jamie Martin, visit the Pennsylvania Capitol in summer 2019, when they were APSCUF president and vice president, respectively.

Today Dr. Jamie Martin began her term as APSCUF president. Thank you to Dr. Kenneth M. Mash, immediate past president, for your leadership.

Bloomsburg University student Kyle Bower will intern remotely with APSCUF’s government-and-communications department through August. Click here to learn more about future APSCUF internships.

My name is Kyle Bower, and I am a student at Bloomsburg University majoring in communication studies with a focus in leadership and public advocacy.

I am incredibly proud and excited to work with APSCUF. I believe this organization is doing profoundly impactful work — not just for students and faculty but also, by extension, for working people everywhere. APSCUF is founded on principles that I believe in, and I am happy to be a part of it.

As a student, I wrote for university news outlets, performed in plays, and participated in speech and debate. All of these experiences brought me out of my comfort zone, and I am grateful for my experience at Bloomsburg and to all of my professors and fellow students for helping me grow. I have learned the value of community, and my No. 1 career goal is to use my argumentative and speaking skills to help causes I believe in, with love and appreciation of others as my prime motivation. I think APSCUF is a great place for me, and I’m excited to begin!

—Kyle Bower,
APSCUF intern

The April 29 Board of Governors meeting took place via Zoom. Click the player above to listen to APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash’s comments, or read them below as prepared:

Chairwoman Shapira, Chancellor Greenstein, governors, and guests,

My name is Ken Mash, and I am the president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties. This is the last regular meeting of the Board that I will address as APSCUF president — although the word “regular” does not seem particularly apropos. Nothing is regular in these times. For those of you who do not know, I have been addressing this Board for 10 years — four years as vice president and six years as president. APSCUF has a tradition of presidents stepping down after six years (three terms), and I am happy to abide by that norm and very proud to turn over the reins to my friend and colleague, Dr. Jamie Martin of IUP. Dr. Martin is quite simply one of the most competent, smart, and dedicated people I know. I am absolutely positive that she will be a fantastic APSCUF leader.

Madam Chair, I would like to thank you. We met under some extraordinary circumstances; you certainly were thrown into the fire at the start. Since that time, you have been more inclusive, more respectful, and more dedicated than we could have hoped. Thank you for your efforts to build a better, more appropriate relationship with the faculty and the coaches. And thank you for the courtesy you have shown me personally and your willingness to directly participate in the contract negotiations. That would have been absolutely unthinkable a few years ago.

Chancellor Greenstein, thank you for all you have done, too, to improve the relationship between the State System and its faculty and coaches. You have without a doubt been the most transparent, accessible, and competent chancellor the System has ever seen — at least for a very long time. Thank you, too, for your willingness to participate in negotiations, your openness to ideas, the energy and intellect you have brought to the position. Personally, thank you for the respect and, in your words, “the thought partnership” we have formed.

Thanks to both of you for forming a relationship where we can disagree without being disagreeable, so we could plot out a positive future in the best interest of our students.

These have been an interesting 10 years. Addressing the Board has not, to be honest, been my favorite activity. Let’s just say it has often been a cold experience. I’m glad to say that these last couple of years have been, well, less cold.

Disagreements are inevitable. That is largely because unions are, at their best, countervailing forces. It is our job to point out the human element of an enterprise. Universities are very much about people. And the job that we do is aimed at improving people’s lives. Now more than ever, it is important to remember that the stakes are high. There are always dangers to looking only at aggregate numbers, the balance sheet, the benchmarks, etc. We simply cannot forget that we are talking about communities in which our universities reside. We cannot forget the very real, dedicated people in the classroom, on the field, and in our administrations. Every one of our students is someone who deserves an opportunity to achieve a high-quality education.

It is our job — that of my APSCUF and other union colleagues — if we are doing our jobs well, to bring to the surface the human costs and opportunities. While that may cause tension or even conflict, that tension is essential. This is even more the case in higher education. We all have a burden to model behavior that is respectful of human beings: It is part of our education function.

This is especially true today. We all have an obligation to work toward truth – that’s small “t” truth. We have an obligation as a System to model the best decision-making, the most humane possible behavior, and to bring forth the best possible ideas for improving our society. As we deal with this crisis, let’s never forget the hundreds of thousands who depend upon us. Let us never forget that the Commonwealth’s future depends in large part on how we proceed.

I could not be more proud of the professionalism and dedication demonstrated by my colleagues, our administrations, and our students during this crisis. Let it never be said again that higher education institutions cannot move swiftly and do so well.

It has been an honor and the privilege of a lifetime to represent my colleagues over these past 10 years. Thank you, as always, for the opportunity to address you.