NEA Regional Conference Report

By Jason Jones

The Part-Time Faculty Association was well represented at the National Education Association Regional Conference in San Diego last weekend. Elizabeth Creque, Christi Loya and I were there to hear new perspectives in the efforts to improve the quality of education for our students. The message was clear: we, as educators, need to harness the leverage of our collective voice to positively influence our communities so that investment in education continues to be a top priority. The threats we face are materializing with attacks on unions and collective bargaining as well as cuts to programs and education as a whole. With these threats come opportunities to influence the change and pedagogy as education continues to evolve, to develop measures for successful outcomes and to realize that we are the leaders in this industry. As experts, we should exert more influence in the decision making process so that we are not unduly influenced by misinformed, outside forces. An association that is well organized with involved members and community support is able to mobilize when such situations arise. This will take efforts beyond strong, centralized leadership. In other words, we all need to support our Association president and other key members. That will take personal investment beyond paying our monthly association dues; it means participation and active involvement. I was inspired by the speakers, and I hope this message encourages our membership to get more involved.