Join US:
A Message from APSCUF's President

Dear Colleague:

The APSCUF membership information available to you in the membership booklet and through this Internet site reflects the spirit of dedicated staff and member volunteers, the results of serious negotiations and a continuing commitment to delivering on the promise of higher education.

Our organization represents the nearly 6,000 professors and coaches in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). Approximately 90 percent of your full-time colleagues have voluntarily joined us in this commitment.

As your colleague and as president of APSCUF, I strongly encourage you to be an active member of our critically important organization. Only when each member contributes can we meet any immediate or future challenges to delivering on our commitment. Since 1972, APSCUF has negotiated collective bargaining agreements with the Commonwealth. These agreements have provided substantial protection and benefits for the faculty in many crucial areas: tenure, academic freedom, promotion, salary, fringe benefits, and other matters important to your professional career. Many of the membership benefits resulting from these agreements are detailed in this web site.

In addition to the many contractual benefits and services, APSCUF has arranged for a number of unique services exclusively for union members. For an in-depth review of the entire special services area, please see the Special Services information included in your membership handbook.

However, APSCUF is concerned about more than just wages, hours, and conditions of employment. We are vitally concerned about the quality of academic life in the PASSHE. The pursuit of excellence in teaching and expanding our research potential are high priorities for the organization. We are at the forefront of encouraging administrations to involve their faculty in the governance of the universities.

As you may recall, APSCUF was the major organization which sponsored and secured passage of Act 188, the law creating the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Continuing our tradition of academic leadership, APSCUF has again taken the lead in lobbying for increased legislative funding for the PASSHE. As a state-owned system, approximately 37 percent of university funding is provided by the General Assembly. Capital funding bills, which provide needed revenues for new construction, also have a high lobbying priority.

In closing, I would hope that no one joins APSCUF solely for the attractive benefits. Benefits are only a small part of what we are all about. APSCUF is the sole voice for protecting the rights faculties have won - academic freedom, due process, a role in hiring, promotions - and, most importantly, ours is the strongest voice raised in the defense of maintaining the academic excellence of our institutions. Please join us in our efforts.

Again, I encourage you to not only be a member of APSCUF, but to be an active, contributing member. Exercise your rights by simply contacting your campus APSCUF president or any of the headquarters staff.

Cordially,
Steve Hicks
President

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