There has been a change in the leadership of APSCUF, the union of teachers in the public higher education system. Delegates yesterday elected Dr Kenneth Mash to return to the presidency to replace Dr Jamie Martin, the IUP professor who did not seek re-election due to pending medical treatment. Martin told her members that she had a “personal fight” ahead of her and there was no way she could devote all of her energy to her colleagues while fighting another battle.
Mash, who served as APSCUF president from 2014 to 2020, returns just as the union prepares to enter negotiations on a new contract with the state system. The current agreements expire next year.
Mash elected president of APSCUF
The professor returns to head the union
April 9, 2022
Delegates today elected Dr. Kenneth M. Mash as the next president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties. Mash previously held the position from 2014 to 2020.
The chairman, Dr. Jamie Martin, a professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Indiana University in Pennsylvania, did not seek re-election due to pending medical treatment.
“Since I started my term in June 2020, I have done my best to fight for members and students,” Martin said. “We fought for safety as they returned to campus during a pandemic. We fought for safety and fairness after universities issued over 100 cutback letters. We fought for answers amid ongoing consolidation. We fought together, but now I have another personal fight ahead of me. Serving as President has been an honor and a privilege, but there is no way I can devote all my energy to my colleagues while fighting another battle – and they need and deserve a President whose attention and energy are undivided.
“Dr. Mash has already negotiated several contracts and guided us through the 2016 strike. His commitment to APSCUF is unparalleled. There is no better person to guide us through our difficult upcoming negotiations, especially with consolidations, the threat of downsizing and funding issues come to the fore.
Mash, a professor of political science at the University of East Stroudsburg, returns to lead the APSCUF and the union is expected to begin contract negotiations later this year. APSCUF collective agreements expire in 2023.
“When Dr. Martin was vice president, I knew she would be an outstanding president,” Mash said. “And she was. She led our union through two incredibly difficult years. She would have easily been re-elected because she earned the respect and affection of our members. But she always has her priorities in the right order, and it’s definitely the right decision for her and her family. It is an honor to work again with my colleagues at APSCUF, including Dr. Martin, in looking out for the best interests of our faculty, coaches, and students.
Delegates re-elected Dr. Christopher Hallen of Bloomsburg University as vice-chair; Dr. Michele Papakie of Slippery Rock University as secretary; and Kutztown University’s John Gump as Executive Head of Coaching. Dr. Thomas Stewart of Kutztown University was elected Treasurer.
Also at the union’s legislature, held in person this week for the first time since 2020, elected delegates to the audit committee: Dr. Ellen Foster (Clarion), Dr. Eric Hawrelak (Bloomsburg) and Dr. Heide Witthöft (Indiana) . Elected to the budget committee were Susan Drummond (IUP) and Dr Michael Malcolm (West Chester).
The terms of these positions run from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2024.
APSCUF represents approximately 5,000 faculty and coaches at universities in the state system: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania.