American Association of University Professors
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP) has announced that they have endorsed Dr. Amy Acton for Governor, following a vote by the organization’s Board of Trustees. The Ohio Conference represents more than 5,000 faculty in Ohio.
“Institutions of higher education are foundational to the intellectual, cultural, and economic vitality of our state. Professors and academic professionals play a central role in advancing knowledge, educating future generations, and contributing to research and public service. We are proud to endorse Dr. Amy Acton for Governor because of her strong support for publicly funded colleges and universities and the faculty and staff who sustain them,” Dr. Gretchen McNamara, President of the OCAAUP Board of Trustees, said.
“It is such an honor to receive the endorsement of The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors. My professors at Youngstown State and OSU always had my back, and as governor, I will always have theirs,” said Dr. Amy Acton. “While my opponent would shutter some of Ohio’s treasured colleges and universities, as governor, I will fight to protect teacher’s unions, restore public school funding and make Ohio a national leader in education again.”
McNamara applauded Acton for her support of policies that reduce barriers to student access and success. She also said Acton understands that delivering high quality education requires policies that support academic freedom, shared governance, fair faculty compensation, and research funding.
“Dr. Acton understands the challenges facing Ohio’s working families and has demonstrated her commitment to strengthening public higher education through increased funding, affordability initiatives, and support for faculty and institutional independence.”
“When billionaires make the rules and pass the laws, Ohioans lose. Ohio needs a governor who cares about working families and working students. Dr. Acton doesn’t just understand this, she lived it, working multiple jobs to pay her way through Youngstown State University and then Northeastern Ohio University Colleges of Medicine,” McNamara said.
McNamara pointed to Acton’s gubernatorial opponent’s plans to consolidate colleges and universities as an example of him being out of touch with Ohio families, anti-education, and anti-opportunity.
“We don’t need consolidation, we need investment. Dr. Acton understands that publicly funded colleges and universities depend on sustained and equitable state investment to fulfill their mission of accessible, high-quality education for all Ohioans,” McNamara said. “She knows first-hand that education is the pathway to economic opportunity—not only for Ohio families but also the long-term prosperity of our state.”
According to McNamara, most students who are hit by a college closing will be forced to give up on their education. Studies show that less than half of students will enroll at another school and just over 15% will finish and get their degrees. She explained that nearly 98% of community college students are commuters. That number drops at four-year colleges and universities because most have strict policies that require students to live on campus freshman and sophomore years so they can’t commute until junior year.
“For Ohio’s working families, the most economical way to attend college is to live at home. Next is to work full time and take classes outside of work hours. You can’t do either of those things if your school closes and you now have a two hour drive each way to go to class,” McNamara said.
College and university consolidation would take the state backward, hurt students and families, harm local businesses, and devastate small and nearby communities, according to McNamara.
Local businesses instantly lose about 80% of their customer base when a nearby college closes and there’s a domino effect of increased unemployment, vacant storefronts, declines in property values, and the loss of resident access to things like libraries, rec centers, and art and cultural centers that were part of the school.
“Perhaps these are things a billionaire wouldn’t care about. But consolidation means closings—closing the door to education, closing the door to opportunity, closing the doors of small businesses. Closing the local college—whether a 2-year or 4-year– will absolutely destroy a community.”
While devastating to local communities, the economic blow from college consolidation would be felt statewide. A 2023 study by the Inter-University Council of Ohio found that colleges and universities have a $68.9 billion economic impact on the state or nearly 9% of the state’s gross state product. Closing colleges and universities would also significantly increase unemployment in Ohio since 1 in 8 jobs are tied to colleges and universities.
-30-
The mission of the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors (OCAAUP) is to preserve and advance academic freedom, shared governance, the general welfare of college and university professors, and to promote the greater social good that comes from a dynamic, active professoriat.