Board selects veteran labor leader, SUNY scholar to head college

National Labor College taps Scheuerman as president

For Release: Immediately - November 26, 2007
Contacts: UUP Communications Director, Denyce Lacy at 1-800-342-4206 or 518-265-3114 or
NLC Communications Director, Matt Losak at 301-431-5453

Silver Spring, Maryland—John J. Sweeney, Chairman of the National Labor College Board of Trustees and AFL-CIO President, today announced the appointment of William E. Scheuerman, Ph.D., as President of the National Labor College.  Scheuerman, of Scotia, New York, will leave his post as President of the 33,000-member United University Professions union on November 30 to take the college's reins on December 3rd.  

"The National Labor College has come a long way in the last 10 years and we sought a presidential candidate who could continue our progress and lead the college to new heights," said Sweeney.  "In Bill Scheuerman we have a man of scholarly achievement and union integrity and leadership.  I look forward to working closely with Bill as he takes the reins of this great institution of higher learning for working people—the college of the labor movement."

As president of UUP, the union that represents academic and professional faculty of the State University of New York, Dr. Scheuerman oversaw the operations of the nation's largest higher education union.  During his 14 years as president, UUP's ranks grew from 21,000 in the mid 1990's to nearly 34,000 in 2007.

 "I leave my colleagues at UUP with mixed emotions because working together, UUP has become an extraordinarily successful higher education union," said Scheuerman. "At the same time, I look forward with great enthusiasm to tackling the many challenges facing the national labor movement, and to working with John Sweeney to strengthen and grow organized labor by educating the next generation of unionists."

Dr. Scheuerman also served on the Executive Committee and Executive Council of UUP's national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, and chaired AFT's Higher Education Program and Policy council, the policy-making body for the AFT's 150,000-plus higher education members.

In addition, Dr. Scheuerman was a member of the Executive Board of the New York State United Teachers, UUP's state affiliate, and chaired that union's Higher Education committee.  He also serves as Vice-Chair of the New York State Public Higher Education Conference Board.

 "Bill Scheuerman has been instrumental to the continued growth and success of our union, and AFT members across the nation have benefited tremendously from his leadership," said AFT President Edward J. McElroy.  "We look forward to his accomplishments at the National Labor College and are pleased that he will remain a part of our union family."

"Bill Scheuerman brings to the Labor College the unique perspective of a scholar, author and union leader," added NYSUT President Rickard C. Iannuzzi.  "It is this same perspective that helped him build UUP into the largest and one of the most respected higher education unions in the nation.  On behalf of the NYSUT leadership, I wish him all the best and look forward to working with him in this new capacity."

A veteran labor leader originally from Staten Island, New York, Scheuerman has been involved in union leadership since 1978.  Prior to winning election as UUP President in 1993 he served for five years as the union's statewide Vice President for Academics.  Before holding that leadership post Dr. Scheuerman also served as the union's chief contract negotiator for the union's 1988-1991 agreement.  Dr. Scheuerman earned his baccalaureate degree from City University and Ph. D. from the CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Scheuerman takes over as president of the National Labor College at a critical juncture in both the NLC's and the labor movement's histories.  Over the past several years, the NLC has embarked on a campus and program-wide renovation and expansion.  The college refurbished and upgraded its housing facilities and built new facilities including the state-of-the-art Lane Kirkland Center.  The NLC's academic program has also expanded to include more courses and online programming making attainment of the Bachelor's degree program more accessible to working people than ever before.

"The labor movement today faces unprecedented challenges from workplace modernization to a global economy," said Dr. Patricia Greenfield, NLC's Vice President and Provost, and who has been Acting President of the NLC since July.  "The NLC is now ready to offer workers the knowledge and skills they need to increase their value and competitive edge on the job while strengthening them as unionists and citizens in these complex and challenging times. The NLC staff and faculty are eager to work with Bill to achieve these goals."

The National Labor College is the only accredited college in the world exclusively dedicated to educating union members, leaders, activists and staff. Originally founded by the AFL-CIO in 1969 as the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, the center became the NLC in 1997 offering upper level degree completion programs for union members seeking to finish their college education.  The NLC offers a unique combination of fully online courses along with partially online program with a low-residence on-campus component that allow full-time workers with families maximum flexibility to schedule study time.  The college is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an independent, regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Scheuerman is the second president of the National Labor College, which became a degree granting institution in 1997.  He replaces Dr. Susan J. Schurman who retired from the college June 30th.

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