Massachusetts Society of Professors

The Union of Faculty and Librarians at UMass Amherst

PHENOM

MSP members at the Statehouse for Public Higher Ed Advocacy Day

In 2007 MSP helped found PHENOM, the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts. PHENOM is a statewide advocacy coalition and grassroots network uniting students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members from all 29 campuses in the Massachusetts college and university system.

Massachusetts has an outstanding public higher education system – but since 2001, per-student funding has been cut by 31 percent statewide. The steady stream of cuts have resulted in rising tuition rates, staff cuts, larger classes and fewer student services. PHENOM is fighting to restore state funding for public higher education and to stand up for excellence for faculty, staff, and students alike.

PHENOM has 5 key principles:

  1. Fully fund public higher education so it can serve the Commonwealth.
  2. Make public higher education affordable and debt-free.
  3. Make public higher education accessible to all.
  4. Make public higher education excellent; hire more faculty, researchers, and staff.
  5. Honor and expand democratic institutions of governance for public higher education, and support fair collective bargaining agreements for all employees.

PHENOM works statewide, but also through individual campus councils, including a campus chapter at UMass Amherst.

Join PHENOM by contacting Emily Steelhammer in the MSP office.