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Increasing Higher Ed Membership

NEA provides support for a higher education membership growth program in South Dakota.

The South Dakota Education Association (SDEA/NEA) has received a three-year grant from NEA to revitalize its higher education and special schools affiliate, the Council of Higher Education (COHE). The grant began September 1 and will continue through the 2006–07 membership year. It is designed to provide additional staff time to assist COHE in building more effective campus locals and expanding its membership base statewide.

"The effort will be twofold," said SDEA Executive Director Robert Whitehead. "We will be working with individual campus associations to help them be more visible, be an active part of the educational community, and increase membership."

COHE represents about 1,000 faculty at the six state public universities and two special schools. The NEA higher education training cadre is assisting SDEA/NEA staff with training. The training cadre also offers affiliates training on a variety of assessment and skills-building methods. Contact Valerie Wilk, vwilk@nea.org, for information.

Submit your manuscript on "The Role of Public Higher Education in a National Security State" for Thought & Action, The NEA Higher Education Journal. As the U.S. government puts more resources into homeland security and the Iraq war, how have these changes affected public higher education? This national security focus raises many questions that a diverse group of authors will seek to address in the 2005 issue of Thought & Action. You can find author guidelines in the Summer 2004 issue of Thought & Action or e-mail clehane@nea.org. The manuscript deadline is February 15, 2005.

Thought & Action continues to seek nominations, including self-nominations, for the journal’s new editorial board. To nominate yourself or a colleague, contact Con Lehane at clehane@nea.org.

Registration, hotel, and travel information are available for NEA's 23rd Annual Higher Education Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The theme is "Dimensions of Diversity: The Changing World of Higher Education," and the conference will explore diversity in academia from many perspectives, including a look at the impact of recent federal and state policy changes on higher education’s ability to educate a diverse student body. Leadership Day, March 3, 2005, will focus on critical issues facing higher ed leaders. Mark your calendar for March 3–6, 2005. More information at www.nea.org/he.