(ALBANY, NEW YORK) – The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and United University Professions (UUP) are welcoming new State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John King, Jr. - saying “we need champions on every level who will join our fight for the resources needed to take our public colleges and universities to the next level.”

SUNY Board of Trustees appointed King, a lifelong Educator and former U.S. Secretary of Education, as the System’s 15th Chancellor.

NYSUT President Andy Pallotta, whose Statewide Union represents more than 600,000 Members in Education, Human Services and Health Care, released the following statement: The world-class SUNY System provides outstanding Public Higher Education for students across New York State.  We need champions at every level who will join our fight for the resources needed to take our public colleges and universities to the next level.  We will work with Chancellor King to ensure that our campuses and the Educators serving on them receive the critical funding and support they deserve as we continue to push toward a common goal: Making sure every New Yorker has access to an affordable and exceptional public education.

UUP President Frederick E. Kowal - who heads the Nation’s largest Higher Education Union, representing more than 37,000 Employees at SUNY and its Public Teaching Hospitals, released the following statement: We welcome Dr. John King as SUNY’s new Chancellor and we look forward to working with him to strengthen the SUNY System and keep SUNY as the premier Public Higher Education System in the Nation.  UUP shares Dr. King’s commitment to equity and excellence for all students and making a college education affordable and accessible.  These are attributes we believe SUNY’s new Chancellor must have to be effective.  We are hopeful Dr. King, a Brooklyn native, will be a strong advocate for SUNY, especially when it comes to securing more state funding for our Public Higher Education System and our Public Teaching Hospitals.  A fully-funded SUNY System will support the working conditions that UUP-represented Employees deserve and guarantee that our students and patients will receive the rigorous education, high-quality academic services, and excellent health care that they are entitled to.  He will have an equally strong ally in UUP in making that happen.  UUP also thanks Deborah Stanley, SUNY’s interim Chancellor, for her service during the search for a new Chancellor.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/12-22/12-5-22/chancellor-king.html