In 1973, the Hofstra faculty secured its first collective bargaining contract. Since that important moment in our history as a University, our senior colleagues have worked to build a strong faculty community and to win significant improvements in our labor pact with the administration. Today, we are the beneficiaries of multiple advances in academic freedom, wage growth, and working conditions; together, the members of the Hofstra-AAUP have helped to build Hofstra into a respected and vibrant institution. But those valiant efforts must continue to be defended by us all today.

The Hofstra-AAUP begins a new election cycle on March 8, 2010 as we issue the call for nominations for the office of President and 2nd Vice President for Collective Bar-gaining. Nomination forms must be re-turned to the office by 3 pm on March 29. We expect to send out final ballots to all members by April 12 and will close the election period on May 3, when our election referee, the American Arbitration Association, tallies the votes.

This year, for the first time in many years, we have asked for nominations to elect official Unit representatives from our various constituencies: HCLAS, SOEHHS, Business, Communication, Library, and the School for University Studies (SUS).These Unit reps will become very important to us in the months ahead. As we begin to pre-pare for the expiration of our contract in 2011, it will be critical for the AAUP leadership to remain in close contact with the membership. We need to know your concerns, as well as where you think the negotiating team should focused at the bargaining table.

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