President Cheryl Schrader
Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy.
260 University Hall
Dayton, OH 45435
President Schrader and Members of the Board of Trustees:
I have long supported Wright State University because you are a vital institution in this community, and in our state. Wright State is critical to the economic and cultural health of the Dayton region and beyond. As such, r join many in the comm unity in their concern over the well-being of this anchor institution amid the ongoing contract negotiations.
Having met with the different sides during many negotiations between employers and workers during my time in office, r recognize that it is a tense, often frustrating process. I urge you to reconsider your
approach to these negotiations, specifically the hard line you have taken with the Wright State faculty. As teachers and researchers, the faculty members are instrumental to serving Ohio students and building and sustaining WSU’s reputation across the region and the country. They develop and maintain relationships with students and community partners alike, and I encourage both sides to stay at the table until an acceptable contract is reached for all parties involved.
1 hope the impasse can end and that all sides will engage in good-faith negotiations to prevent a faculty strike, which would adversely thousands of students and others throughout the region. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is an appropriate way that my office can be helpful as you go forward.
Respectfully,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senate
American Association of University Professors 