Nassau Community College’s program consolidation continues to be a source of contention for the university’s professors.
The Nassau Community College Teacher’s Federation, the union that represents the college’s faculty, filed an appeal for a county court to dismiss its lawsuit against the college, the college’s board, and Nassau County, as the county supports the college’s funding.
Their lawsuit alleges the college’s plan to consolidate its 21 academic programs into six, eliminating 15 department chairs, violated state education regulations and would detrimentally impact learning on campus.
The union filed its initial lawsuit in June. It was dismissed last month, as a judge found that the college did not do anything in violation of lawful procedure.
In a statement posted to their website regarding the initial lawsuit, the union’s former president, Faren Siminoff, said the consolidation plan undermined the foundation of academic support students relied on.
“As educators, we have a duty to our students to provide them with the best possible opportunities to succeed and to do everything we can to ensure the College meets this obligation,” Siminoff wrote. “This legal action seeks to protect students’ educational and career opportunities and the long-term stability of Nassau Community College.”
The consolidation plan was enacted on Aug. 1. Jerry Kornbluth, vice president for community and governmental relations of Nassau Community College, said the consolidation makes the college more efficient and has not negatively impacted students since it went into effect.
He added that no tenured faculty were let go due to the consolidation, and no courses or degrees were cut; they were simply rearranged into more streamlined departments.
Now, each of the six departments has a chair, an assistant chair, and a chair liaison, each of whom makes a stipend of between approximately $50,000 and $60,000, Kornbluth said. Previously, he said each of the 21 departments had a chair who made a stipend roughly between $14,000 and $40,000.
He said this, along with the college’s plan to not hire new people for certain administrative positions once certain administrative employees in consolidated departments retire, helps to save the college money.
“All we did was find commonality between certain departments and put all of the disciplines into that one department,” Kornbluth said. He said this has made it easier for students to register for classes and has provided more opportunities for professors to teach.
Both parties wait for a decision on the union’s appeal.
