Higher education in the United States is in crisis. Decades of draconian cuts to public funding for colleges and universities have shifted the burden of paying for higher education from the broader public to the individual student. This abandonment of higher education as a common good has led to crushing levels of student debt, the replacement of a full-time faculty by an exploited contingent teaching corps, and a reduction in academic experts bringing their skills to bear for the public good. The challenges of the twenty-first century–emerging diseases, racial inequality, climate change, food insecurity, and others–require a reinvestment in our system of higher education.

Our Stance
Higher education unions need to join together to fight austerity measures, share strategy & tactics, and envision how to use the New Deal for Higher Education (https://newdealforhighered.org/) as a frame for organizing on our campuses and across the state.

Our Work
To reflect our membership across Michigan community colleges and universities, this working group will bring together members from each AFT Michigan higher ed constituency group. We will begin with an Assessment Phase before moving toward recommending action steps to the AFT Michigan Administrative Board.

Who Should Join?
Members from our graduate employee, nontenure-track faculty, and tenure-track faculty and academic staff constituency groups can become involved with these projects in various ways including reviewing and giving feedback on drafts, supporting organizing and logistical work, and building out research and development.  Time commitments are flexible and will vary depending on the project and timeline.