CONTACT: Mike Lisi (518) 640-6600
Lisi’s cell number: (518) 944-9528

October 4, 2016

ALBANY - In the wake of a bid-rigging scandal at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, United University Professions is calling for complete transparency at SUNY—including lifting the secrecy that surrounds the SUNY Research Foundation and individual campus foundations.

On Oct. 1, nearly 300 UUP delegates at the union’s 2016 Fall Delegate Assembly unanimously approved a measure urging SUNY to adopt a full transparency policy, focusing on all operations of the SUNY Research Foundation and campus foundations, as well as contracts with paid consultants.

“Legislation must be enacted to open the foundations of SUNY to the clear light of day so those institutions can finally serve the purpose for which they were created: To enable the educational mission of our university,” said UUP President Frederick E. Kowal, Ph.D.

“The educational mission of this university system must always come first. Educated citizens are a cornerstone for economic growth, citizenship, and strong communities," said Kowal.”

UUP is the nation's largest higher education union, with more than 37,000 academic and professional faculty and retirees. UUP members work at 29 New York state-operated campuses, including SUNY’s public teaching hospitals and health science centers in Brooklyn, Long Island and Syracuse. It is an affiliate of NYSUT, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the AFL-CIO.