On Sept. 20, Tina Good, president of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges, was appointed as the 18th member of the State University of New York board of trustees. Her seat on the board was granted by a piece of legislation sponsored by Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle and Assemblyman Ron Canestrari. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation on August 3rd.
This legislation, according to Good, had been in the works for a few years. "The Faculty Council of Community Colleges was thrilled when Cuomo signed the legislation making the FCCC president a non-voting member of the SUNY board of trustees," Good said. "As president of the Faculty Council, it is my honor to work even more closely with this dedicated group of people who are committed to SUNY's values of access and academic excellence."
Before joining the board, Good could only participate in the conversation after votes were made. Now, as a member, she can add her opinions to the conversation while deliberations are taking place.
With the continuing problems facing higher education today, Good said she believes that we need to "start investing directly in higher education" and "continue to work to value all institutions." She said that she hopes to have a stronger dialogue, now being a member of the board, and to work harder towards these goals.
Although her first passion is teaching, and she said she will miss seeing the immediate effects of work in the classroom, Good said she is glad to be making changes on a much broader scale.
Before serving on the FCCC, Good was a professor of English and faculty coordinator for assessment at the Ammerman Campus of Suffolk Community College. Also at Suffolk Community College, she was the president of the faculty senate. She still has responsibilities on campus, such as being involved with the college's curriculum committee.
Good has also sustained positions as co-chair for the SUNY General Education Assessment Review Group, and the SUNY Joint Committee for Transfer and Articulation.
As far as experience with the FCCC, Good has served as its secretary, treasurer and vice president. She has served as president since July of 2009. She also currently serves as the chair of the SUNY Steering Committee on Student Mobility.