AFT Michigan: Divisions: Higher Education

AFT Michigan Divisions: Higher Education

Visit the Higher Education Division of the AFT Website

FACULTY AND COLLEGE EXCELLENCE ACT

AFT Michigan Higher Education Committee
AFT's Faculty and College Excellence (FACE)

AFT Michigan's Higher Education Committee is participating with AFT's Faculty and College Excellence (FACE) campaign to address some of the issues regarding the use of part-time/adjunct and other nontenure-track faculty along with the shrinking ranks of full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty.

The campaign is aimed at getting the state legislature to address some of these issues for both community colleges and Michigan's 4-year public universities. A complete description of the goals and plan of action as well as the scope of the legislation being proposed can be found in the following .pdf files.
Faculty and College Education Act - Community Colleges [.pdf] 84k
Faculty and College Education Act - 4-year Public Universities [.pdf] 84k
The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to download or print these files.

AFT Michigan Higher Education

AFT Michigan represents about 35,000 members in 94 locals throughout the state of Michigan. Higher education is the fastest growing segment of our membership.

The following higher education locals are members of AFT Michigan:

Eastern Michigan University Federation of Teachers (Lecturers)
Graduate Employees Organization, University of Michigan
Graduate Employees Organizing Committee, Wayne State University
Graduate Employees Union, Michigan State University
Henry Ford Community College Federation of Teachers
Kirtland Community College Federation of Teachers
Lansing Community College Administrators
Lecturers' Employee Organization/ University of Michigan
Wayne County Community College Federation of Teachers
Wayne County Community College Professional & Administrative Staff
Wayne State University Faculty and Academic Staff (affiliated jointly with the AAUP)

Legislative and Political Action

Community colleges and universities depend on legislative action for a significant portion of their funding, among other issues.

AFT Michigan maintains a strong presence in Lansing, lobbying lawmakers on issues of concern to our membership, while the AFT lobbies in Washington, D.C. We fight for adequate funding, limits on the excessive use and exploitation of part time faculty and staff, and the faculty's role in collegiate governance. We work with our locals to keep members informed about issues moving through the legislature and encourage members to become involved in the legislative process.

We are active politically, conferring with members of congress, the state legislature and college and university boards, and work to elect people who support higher education and higher education employees.

Professional Development

The AFT and AFT Michigan offers programs dealing with higher education issues and with topics related to leadership development. The AFT has an annual higher education conference, conducted by our national union's higher education department.

Publications

The AFT publication On Campus is mailed to every member of each higher education local. It contains news about the union, discussion of issues of concern in higher education around the country, information about discounts and other member benefits. In addition, members receive AFT Michigan's Forum five times a year. The AFT Michigan's web site is an excellent source of information about the union, and the legislature.

Higher Education within the AFT Michigan

AFT Michigan has two representatives of higher education on our Administrative Board. Additionally, our state president is a past president of an AFT higher education local.

AFT Michigan maintains a permanent Higher Education Committee which includes representatives of all higher education locals.