Campaign statement
Fellow LA Members,
I write to ask for your support for my candidacy to serve as an Officer-at-large. I became a member of APSCUF when I started as an adjunct at Shippensburg in 2000. Over the years, I’ve increased my involvement at both local and state levels. So, I would appreciate the opportunity to use my experience and knowledge to help move the Association forward during challenging times.
After my adjunct year at Ship, I began a tenure-track position at LHU where I quickly became involved in that chapter. From serving on such committees as Social and Newsletter, I was elected to our Executive Council as a Member-at-large. I co-chaired our Strike Committee before eventually serving as Mobilization Chair. In 2016, I stood for election as Chapter President and served in that role from 2017 to 2019. It has also been my pleasure to be on our local Meet and Discuss team as a presidential appointee, Chapter President, and Past-president.
As I have increased my involvement in the LHU chapter, I have sought ways to support the Union’s work at the state level as well. As a Chapter President, I was a member of the Negotiations Committee that assisted our Negotiations Team in securing the one-year contract that bridged from our last four-year agreement to our current one. Being a member of the ad hoc committee on interest based bargaining, I was able to participate in the initial steps of finding a negotiations process that was based upon collaboration as opposed to competition. Currently, I serve on both the Interim Faculty Council and the Faculty Shared Governance Committee – two groups tasked with building processes and support for the inclusion of faculty in key areas of institutional responsibility and decision making.
As a member of the statewide Executive Council, I would hope to bring some of the ideas that have worked for us at Lock Haven to the Statewide level. Our success in both membership and in CAP have been the result of some gifted and hard-working members on our campus. Also, I would look forward to the responsibility of serving on the Personnel Committee. As a Chapter President, I witnessed the remarkable efforts of Shelley Schenck (our LHU Office Manager), Sara Miller (our Statewide Grievance Representative), and Director of Government Relations, Sean Crampsie. This Association’s strength is multiplied by their talents and dedication.
Thank you in advance for considering my candidacy for the Council. Please feel free to contact me with any questions via either email () or phone (570.484.2193).
Matt Girton