14 May 2001 

Message from the Outgoing President

As my term draws to a close I feel pleased with what’s been accomplished, but uneasy that so much more needs to be done. As for accomplishments, the MSP has conducted two years of successful lobbying, we have acquired continuing education bargaining rights, we have negotiated a new labor agreement (that is almost complete as of this writing), we have had a strong influence on the direction of the UMass Online initiative and we have had several individual complaints resolved successfully. At the same time we continue to experience a serious decline in the number of tenure track faculty. Our facilities problems worsen with little attention from the Governor or the legislature. We have an administration that is in transition, and what appears to be a period of uncertainty ahead. If ever there was a time for faculty engagement, this is it.

As I recap the accomplishments of the MSP over the past two years, it’s important to remember that the MSP is comprised of individual faculty and librarians. Its accomplishments are the result of many hours of labor by many of you. My hat’s off to members of the Executive Committee, the Executive Board, and the bargaining team (listed below), many of whom have devoted endless hours to the work of the MSP. I hope you will stop them in the halls and thank them personally for what they’ve done for all of us. Please accept our sincere apologies if we have left anyone out: Dianne Brooks (VP), Patt Dodds (Secretary), Sundar Krishnamurty (VP), Eliot Moss (VP), Ellen Pader (VP), Robert Paynter (Treasurer), Musaddak Alhabeeb, Arlene Avakian, Melissa Barringer, Frank Borgers, George Cernada, Kourosh Danai, Linda Griffin, Naka Ishii, Susan Jahoda, David Lenson, Sandy Pollatsek, Dean Robinson, Richard Yuretich, Jenny Spencer (Executive Board), Dan Clawson, J. Michael Davis, Eliot Moss, and Lisa Saunders (Bargaining Team).

I’d also like to thank our department representatives: Ernest Allen, Doris Bargen, Allen Barker, Joseph Bartolomeo, Ingrid Bracey, Mary Ann Bright, Fred Busi, Barton Byg, Anne Ciecko, Christine Cooper, Roberta Day, Alfred DeFonzo, Gerald Friedman, Pat Griffin, David Grose, Ian Grosse, Ingrid Holm, Tom Juravich, Frank Karasz, Ethan Katsh, John Keiser, Robert Kusner, John Kwan, Barry Levy, Sidney Lyford, Ronald Mannino, Nicholas McBride, Gilbert McCauley, Julian McClements, Larry Moffitt, Peter Monson, Gary Moore, Daphne Patai, Meredith Pearson, Sarah Poissant, Robert Rothstein, Nico Spinelli, Nola Stephen, Peter Stern, Fred Stockton, Martha Taunton, William Thompson, Kathryn Tracy, Eleanor Vanetzian, Michael Williams, and Robert Zussman.

Many thanks go to faculty and staff who participated in the lobbying effort: John Kingston, Isabel Espinal, John Brigham, James Craig, Robert Rothstein, Melissa Barringer, Gary Kamen, Nina Scott, John Nelson, George Parks, Lisa Saunders, Jeff Fersten, Robert Paynter, Kourosh Danai, Dan Clawson, Ernie May, Kirby Farrell, Gordon Wyse, Mike Maroney, David Buchanan, Joe Bartolomeo, Brian O’Connor, George Cernada, Bob Schrader, Ljiljana Curcija, Marc Fournier, and Jeanne Baranek.

I also wish to thank Mary Fletcher, Lori Reardon, Diane Raczkowski, Beth Boyer, Arlyn Diamond, the Faculty Senate leadership and staff as well as the Outreach office, particularly Liz Councilman.

It has been a pleasure to work with all of you. I extend my best wishes to Ron Story for a successful term. As a former VP of Academic Affairs and Secretary of the Faculty Senate, Ron brings extensive experience and a history of strong commitment to UMass. We are fortunate to have him as our new President.

Jane Giacobbe-Miller

Important Bargaining Update

Contract negotiations appear to be nearing conclusion. It is likely we will be having a ratification vote over the summer. Please continue to check your mailboxes for the date and time for ratification. We’ll provide more details once the contract has been signed. In the meantime, personnel committees should have all their work completed in preparation for the distribution of merit awards. Merit will cover the 1999-2000 academic year.

Dental Insurance

We continue to try to find a way to improve our dental insurance. To that end, the MTA (our statewide affiliate) is conducting a survey of the membership. This is your opportunity to influence the dental insurance provided to us through the Health and Welfare Trust. Please complete the brief survey and return it to the MSP office, 121 Hampshire House.

Distance Learning Survey

By now you should have all received a bargaining survey for distance learning. We need your input in order to negotiate a contract that best represents the interests of faculty and librarians. Please complete the survey and return it to us by June 1. If you didn’t receive a copy of the survey, please contact the MSP office. Also, if you are interested in serving on a bargaining issues committee, please let us know.

Message from the Incoming President

Why did I agree to serve as MSP president? Several reasons.

First, the MSP has helped save UMass as we know it from virtual destruction more than once -- 20 years ago through aggressive lobbying, a decade ago through threats of court action. Serving as president seemed like a reasonable way to work off a debt of gratitude and perhaps help save it again.

Second, there is an extraordinary MSP Executive Committee and Board: committed, hard-working, talented, broadly representative -- and on most days thoroughly enjoyable to be around! Same with the staff. Same with the department reps. What more could an incoming president want?

Third, Jane Giacobbe-Miller, my predecessor, has overseen not only the negotiation of a potentially excellent contract but the inauguration of important new initiatives, especially the shaping of university distance education and the protection and expansion of the role of tenured faculty in our educational and scholarly work. I look forward to furthering those initiatives.

Ron Story